#Labvocate

Society News Now – November 2021

Take Action to Delay Disastrous Medicare Cuts to Clinical Labs; Handmade for the Holidays Silent Auction Benefits ASCLS Education & Research Fund; Sign Up for CE Events; and more. Take Action to Delay Disastrous Medicare Cuts to Clinical Laboratories Congress Needs to Hear Your Story Take action now! Cuts to the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee…

2021 Laboratory Legislative Symposium Rundown

On October 25, nearly 120 medical laboratory professionals from six organizations joined together in Alexandria, Virginia, and virtually for the 2021 Laboratory Legislative Symposium. Members from ASCLS, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT), American Medical Technologists (AMT), National Society for Histotechnology (NSH), and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists-USA…

2021 Joint Annual Meeting On Demand

Society News Now – September 2021

October 20 ASCLS webinar on sharing science; ASCLS publishes new Choosing Wisely recommendations; 2021 Joint Annual Meeting sessions available on demand; October 4 registration deadline for the Laboratory Legislative Symposium; new Off the Bench podcast episodes; and more. ASCLS Free Monthly Webinar Sharing Science: Conference Poster Presentations October 20, 8 pm Eastern Speaker: Rachel Morris,…

Hassan Aziz

Professional Growth

Volume 35 Number 5 | October 2021 Hassan Aziz, PhD, FACSs, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS President This year’s Joint Annual Meeting, Lab JAM 2021, with a hybrid combination of in-person and remote plenary and break-out educational sessions, was a huge success. Thanks to the many presenters and participants who converged in Louisville, Kentucky, and those who joined…

ASCLS Board of Directors in shower

We Are Family

Volume 35 Number 5 | October 2021 Claude Rector, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region VII Director In 1979 the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. During their championship season, the Pirates had a team motto: “We Are Family.” The motto was borrowed from a song of the same title recorded by the…

Racheal Nassimbwa

Developing Professionals Forum: Experiencing Professional Growth

Volume 35 Number 5 | October 2021 Racheal Nassimbwa, ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum Chair, and Amanda Clapie, ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum Secretary The Developing Professionals Forum (DPF) professionally educates students of medical laboratory science as expressed by the organization’s philosophies, policies, and procedures. The forum maintains a structure for student members to communicate their concerns…

Joanna Ellis

The Gift of Lab Gab

Volume 35 Number 5 | October 2021 Effectively Communicate Lab Science for Understanding and Appreciation Joanna R. Ellis, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, CHWI Laboratory professionals’ voices are infrequently heard in public health conversations. Science skepticism and mistrust can influence health behaviors such as vaccination rates, diagnostic lab testing uptake, and appropriate treatment adherence. In 2019, the Pew…

Heather Kobza

Growing into Infection Control

Volume 35 Number 5 | October 2021 Exploring New Career Opportunities in Public Health Heather Kobza, MLS(ASCP)CMMBCM As a student I was always fascinated by infectious diseases. I would find myself reading books like Hot Zone or watching documentaries about interesting new diseases. Becoming a medical laboratory scientist has only cemented my desire to learn…