Society News Now - March 2021

Sign up for new member events and open volunteer opportunities, apply for scholarships and the Leadership Academy, join your friends in the 2021 Lab Week Run, check out new virtual learning opportunities on labucate.org, and more!

Upcoming Events

Member Webinar

Controversies in Nephrology: Reconsidering Race and eGFR
March 18, 7 pm Eastern
Speaker: Nwamaka Eneanya, MD, MPH, FASN, University of Pittsburgh

The use of race, a social construct, to define kidney function is wrong and has been challenged by clinicians and researchers alike. This session will review current practice patterns and implications of using race in eGFR equations.

Earn 1.0 Hour of P.A.C.E.^® credit. Free for ASCLS Members (Non-Members: $10). Sign up today.

ASCLS is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.^® Program.

Virtual Networking Event

Come hang out with other ASCLS members and learn first-hand how to host a successful networking event at your next virtual meeting. Sign up today and join us on March 25 at 8 pm Eastern.

You will have an opportunity to participate in three great networking breakouts:

Room 1—Sharing Virtual Meeting Ideas and Planning
Room 2—Self-care Tips and Tricks
Room 3—General Chatter

Ask Me Anything: Burnout and Stress Reduction

Join the ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum (DPF) and Ascending Professionals Forum (APF) for this month’s Ask Me Anything (AMA): Burnout and Stress Reduction on March 28 at 8 pm Eastern. A panel of medical laboratory professionals will share their experiences dealing with burnout and reducing stress.

Panelists include Jessica Lawless, MLS(ASCP)^CM; Christine Malek, MT(ASCP)CG; Lona Gordan Small, MBA, PMP, CPBPM, MT(ASCP); and Chloe Thompson, MLS(ASCP)^CM.

The DPF and APF host monthly AMAs on a variety of career-related topics to help answer all your burning questions. View a playlist of previous career advice AMAs on the ASCLS YouTube channel.

Save the Date: ASCLS Membership Coffee Klatch for Developing Professionals

April 17, 2 pm Eastern
Members of the ASCLS 2021 Leadership Academy will present a “coffee talk” geared toward Developing Professionals (student members). They will discuss their individual careers as medical laboratory professionals as well as the impact that ASCLS has had on the paths they have taken. Together they cover a broad range of experiences, such as department leads/supervisors to first-year techs from non-traditional routes. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions and interact with the hosts. Stay tuned for registration details.

Save the Dates: 2021 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting

June 27 – July 1, Louisville, Kentucky
Plans for the 2021 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) are well underway. We are optimistic that we will be able to hold a face-to-face meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer. However, we know that many medical laboratory professionals will be unable to attend in-person for a variety of reasons. So JAM will offer two attendee options—virtual and face-to-face. Registration will open by the end of March.

Virtual Attendance: You will have access to the nearly 70 educational sessions, either streamed live or recorded; industry partner virtual activities; virtual poster presentations; and virtual networking events. You will also have access to all recorded JAM educational sessions for 30 days after the event. You get to choose which session and events you want to attend live and which recordings you will view later when the time is right. Create a personalized JAM experience that fits your life.

Face-to-Face Attendance: Following CDC and state of Kentucky guidelines on social distancing, mask requirements, and hygiene, JAM will be held at the Omni Louisville Hotel. In addition to the educational program, poster presentations, industry partner exhibits, and networking activities, you’ll also receive access to all recorded JAM educational sessions for 30 days after the event, providing you with about 70 hours of P.A.C.E.®-approved credit. In order to provide a safe environment for attendees, speakers, and industry partners, face-to-face attendance may be limited.

Last Chance to Submit a Poster Presentation Abstract for the 2021 JAM

2021 JAM poster presentation abstract submissions are due by today, March 12. Make an impact on the future of medical laboratory science by sharing your research and case studies with peers from across the nation.

All accepted primary poster presenters will receive $75 off registration for the meeting. Additionally, a poster and oral presentation competition will award cash prizes. This year all posters will be presented in a digital format for viewing by both the in-person and virtual attendees. Poster authors will have the opportunity to present posters in-person or virtually.

Volunteer

Applications are currently open for a number of volunteer positions.

Clinical Laboratory Science Journal Editor-in-Chief

Application Deadline: March 20
The function of the Editor(s)-in-Chief of Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) is to provide leadership and direction that results in the publishing of a well-respected, peer-reviewed, scientific journal. Learn more.

Constituent Society Steering Committee

Application Deadline: March 20
This new committee is responsible for advising the Board of Directors on standards for constituent societies; assessing the health of constituent societies; creating educational programming and tools focused on improving the health and effectiveness of constituent societies; and facilitating mentoring relationships between constituent society leaders to promote peer-to-peer exchange of ideas and support. Learn more.

Position Paper Task Forces

Application Deadline: March 20
ASCLS needs members who have interest and/or expertise in the following areas to work collaboratively to review, revise and/or rewrite the following position papers: Point of Care Testing, Scope of Practice, and Healthcare Reform. Learn more.

2021 Scholarships Deadline: April 1

The Alpha Mu Tau Fraternity and ASCLS Education and Research Fund support the advancement of medical laboratory professionals through graduate and undergraduate scholarships for clinical laboratory science students. Applicants for all scholarships must be ASCLS members. Learn more about eligibility requirements and download the application.

Apply for the 2021-22 Leadership Academy

Develop your innate leadership abilities, leverage your unique strengths, and learn to become an effective leader in all aspects of your life. Apply for the 2021-22 Leadership Academy by April 5.

This intense, 12-month program is designed to train ASCLS members to be effective leaders generally, which will benefit ASCLS, the profession, and society as a whole. Participants will understand leadership within four increasingly larger spheres of influence: Self > Team > Profession > Public.

Candidates must be current ASCLS Professional or Ascending Professional members. Individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by any current ASCLS member. Current Developing Professional members are not eligible for the Leadership Academy. Please consider applying or nominating a worthy candidate for this exciting Leadership Academy by April 1. Learn more.

Glenda Price Diversity in Leadership Award Offers Funding for Leadership Academy Participants

The new Glenda Price Diversity in Leadership Award was created in conjunction with the ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Council to promote diversity and inclusion within the ASCLS Leadership Academy, and ultimately ASCLS.

The award recipient shall receive up to $1,000 in reimbursement for travel and lodging for meetings related to Leadership Academy meetings and activities.

Applicants for the award must be individuals who have been accepted into the ASCLS Leadership Academy and who are members of underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people, people with disabilities, or other groups that have been identified as underrepresented within the leadership ranks of ASCLS. Learn more and apply by April 15.

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Join Your Friends and Colleagues in the 2021 Lab Week Run

More than 1,000 people have signed up for the 6th Annual ASCLS Lab Week Virtual Run. Step out of your labs and into your communities to help spread the word about the medical laboratory profession.

This virtual race can be run at any time during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 18-24, 2021) and can be run anywhere. Participants can walk, use a treadmill, run outside, or even ride a bike to complete the 5K distance (or 3.1 miles).

Only about 500 medals remain, so sign up today! All proceeds go to grants and scholarships that help medical laboratory professionals attend ASCLS meetings, lobby representatives for the profession, and become future leaders in the field.

New on ASCLS Labucate.org

Check out the virtual learning opportunities available at your convenience through labucate.org.

ELMC² On Demand

ASCLS held the 1st Annual Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC²) in January 2021. The event was specifically designed for laboratory professionals transitioning or hoping to transition into management and included 15 sessions on topics like managing in a crisis, engaged employees, overcoming perfectionism, a supervisor’s guide to excellence, and more.

The recorded sessions are now available to stream online through ELMC² On Demand. All individual sessions are $10 for ASCLS Members/$15 for non-members. The All Access bundle of all 15 sessions is available at the discounted rate of $120 for ASCLS members/$180 for non-members.

Those who attended ELMC2 live in January found the program full of valuable information and tools:

“The conference brought a personal touch to the experience of being a manager. I read a book on lab management but it was more engaging to hear personal stories from people who have lived it.”
“It provided a good bit of information regarding nearly every aspect related to management.”
“A wide variety of managerial topics were covered. It was very educational and at an appropriate level for beginners. This was a great idea and provides many great tools for those just thrown into the mix.”

Laboratory Leadership Institute

The ASCLS Leadership Development Committee is excited to announce the first course is now available in the new Laboratory Leadership Institute (LLI):

The Top Five Skills of Effective Leaders

LLI is intended to provide virtual learning opportunities to ASCLS members and other medical laboratory professions who are looking to grow their leadership skills and potential. Stay tuned for additional courses to be added to LLI this spring and summer.

Laboratory Educator Institute

The ASCLS Laboratory Educator Institute (LEI) recently added a new course to the online institute:

Introduction to Rubrics

With courses created by revered educators in the field, LEI is designed to provide professional development for medical laboratory educators in critical areas, including education/teaching, administration/leadership, clinical practice, and research. Gain more skills to succeed, and learn on your own time with convenient online courses.

Intro to ASCLS Connect Video

The ASCLS Marketing and Communication Committee is developing short videos aimed at highlighting the benefits of ASCLS Connect. These videos will also help members understand how to best use the communities and other features of ASCLS Connect.

In this first brief video, Intro to ASCLS Connect Community, Kyle Riding, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM, introduces you to the ASCLS Connect website and how you can take advantage of this membership benefit.

First Virtual CLEC Receives High Marks

The 2021 Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC) was held virtually this year, February 25-27. We saw the second highest attendance on record with 566 registrants. In addition, we had 14 industry partners, and the ASCLS Education & Research Fund raised more than $1,500 for scholarships with its online Silent Auction.

Overall attendees were inspired by the program and enjoyed the virtual experience:

“The sessions were so good. The virtual format did not take away from the sense of ‘wow that is a great idea!’ that I get from attending these. I also loved the Q&A and chat formats.”
“I really like the ability to access session recordings after the meeting as there were a number of times I was interested in sessions occurring at the same time. This way I could participate in one live, but still hear the others I was equally interested in attending. Fantastic!!”
“I missed everyone’s faces this year in person BUT this years conference was extremely handy for moms or dads who also have busy lives at home with kids. This CLEC allowed me to be so flexible and I didn’t feel pulled in a million different directions like I missed something by going to one thing … Thank you for an excellent CLEC 2021!”
“The presenters had very positive attitudes about how they pushed through and persevered during the pandemic, which led them to developing great methods of instruction.”
“[T]here are some very smart and motivated people out there that really care about our profession and understand that things are moving at a different pace than even five years ago and they are working to help students meet expectations. This is a great conference.”

Save the date for next year’s CLEC, March 14-16, 2022, in Denver, Colorado. We look forward seeing everyone who can come in-person and will continue to offer a virtual program for those who prefer online attendance.

New Episode of Off the Bench Podcast

Subscribe to the Off the Bench Podcast for discussions on scientific and not-to-scientific ideas in laboratory medicine. New episodes drop the last Friday of each month.

The February 26 episode, “COVID19 Pandemic: Monoclonal Antibodies, Vaccines, and the Medical Laboratory Profession” featured a conversation between Kyle McCafferty, a medical laboratory scientist in Detroit, Michigan, and Dr. Rodney E. Rohde, chair of the Texas State University Clinical Laboratory Science Program and Specialist in Virology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. The episode is available for one hour of P.A.C.E.^® credit.

On the upcoming March 26 episode, hosts Sophia Chandrasekar, Galina Dronova, and Justin Hanenberg will talk about their first job interviews for the profession and give some tips, tricks, and ideas on how to be your best for interviews.

Subscribe to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

ASCLS Voices Under 40

Spotlight: Jenny Paige Ford, MLS(ASCP)^CM, Pensacola, Florida

Jenny is employed by Ascension-Sacred Heart as a Laboratory Compliance and Quality Assurance Specialist. She supervises 322 laboratories across the Gulf Coast Market, which includes Mobile, Alabama, and the Panhandle of Florida, and supervises and administers the Quality Assurance program to meet patient care and regulatory agency requirements for all locations in the GCMG. Jenny also supports the CNO and CMO of the medical group in achieving department goals for service, quality, regulatory compliance, financial performance, patient satisfaction, healthy work environment, and integration of intra- and inter-departmental activities. Additionally, she consults with physicians and clinical pharmacists regarding complicated patient cases and offers guidance regarding next steps in diagnostic efforts. She keeps abreast of current trends and practices in the field of diagnostic lab and new technologies and advises the CNO and CMO of new laboratory advances that would benefit the medical group. Read more.

ASCLS Voices Under 40 honors ASCLS members who have shown exceptional commitment to the Society, the laboratory profession, and their community at large at a younger age in their professional career. Each month we spotlight the shining voices who were selected from many nominations across the country.