Free Webinar, Lab Week Celebrations, Early Registration for the Joint Annual Meeting, and more.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week: Get Ready to Celebrate!
Free ASCLS Webinar
Complementary Role of Cytology and Molecular Testing in Thyroid Nodule Management
Tuesday, April 26, 12 pm EDT
This presentation will provide an overview of the diagnostic evaluation of thyroid nodules from the perspective of a pathologist. Key topics that will be discussed include the Bethesda Cytological Classification System and the role of molecular testing in thyroid nodule management.
Learning Objectives
- Illustrate the diagnostic evaluation of an identified thyroid nodule
- Describe the Bethesda Cytological Classification System for thyroid nodules
- Depict the role of molecular testing in thyroid nodule management
Speaker: Trisha M. Shattuck, MD, PhD, Carolinas Pathology Group
Instruction Level: Intermediate
Registration: Free for all registrants, sponsored by Veracyte. Sign up today!
If you can’t attend live, register anyway—those who pre-register will receive access to the webinar recording.
ASCLS is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program.
Lab Week Live
Wednesday, April 27, 10 am – 2 pm EDT
Take time to celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 24-30) with fellow laboratorians and ASCLS members during our Facebook Live event. If possible, reserve a conference room now, so people can join in throughout the event as their schedule allows.
Check out the lineup of activities!
10 am EDT / 9 am CDT / 7 am PDT
SPRING into Lab Week – LETTUCE Celebrate!
Have you “bean” stressed or feeling “melon”-choly? “Romaine” calm, “squash” those feelings, and find “peas” with Farmer Stephanie Mabry as she walks you through spring vegetable garden planning, including seed or plant selection, seed starting, planting considerations, and more! “Corn”-y puns included!
11 am EDT / 10 am CDT / 8 am PDT
The Lab Draws: No Needles Necessary
Pull out your Sharpies, pens, highlighters, and more as Sophia Chandrasekar, of Warbler Works Studio, demos various doodle techniques with some step-by-step lab illustrations on paper. Then, in the second half of the demo, she’ll show you how to combine all the techniques to decorate your own disposable lab coat! Don’t have a lab coat? Decorate an illustration of a coat (to be provided) or anything else instead!
12 pm EDT / 11am CDT / 9am PDT
Let’s Raq the Laboratory!
Egyptian dance (Raqs Sharqi) uses movements and tasks from everyday Egyptian life in its theatrical form. Join Renee Hodgkins to take a lesson in Egyptian dance styles and fuse dance movements with everyday LABORATORY tasks and medical science theory! From the “pipette and twist” to “RBCs making their way through the spleen,” we will Raq the Laboratory.*
*No dance experience necessary. Got a body? Then you can dance. Let’s Raq the Laboratory!
1 pm EDT / 12 pm CDT / 10 am PDT
Let’s Breathe
This Zen hour with Jessica Lawless will calm the crazy laboratorian mind with light yoga and meditation.
Join 1,700 Friends and Colleagues in the 2022 Lab Week Run
There’s still time to be part of the 7th 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, move your body, and have fun!
A limited number of medals remain, so sign up today! All proceeds go to grants and scholarships that help new medical laboratory professionals attend ASCLS meetings, lobby representatives for the profession, and become future leaders in the field.
Thank you to our 2022 Platinum Sponsors AUDIT MicroControls, COLA Inc., and The Binding Site.
Developing and Ascending Professionals Forums Seeking Officer Nominations
Deadline: May 31
Would you like to take on a leadership role in the Developing Professionals Forum (DPF) or the Ascending Professionals Forum (APF)? Or do you know someone who would make an excellent fit? The DPF is seeking its next chair, vice chair, and secretary, and the APF is seeking its next vice chair and secretary. All applicants must be ASCLS Developing or Ascending Professional members as of February 28, 2022.
Submit your applications by May 31, 2022.
Developing Professionals Chair Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Serves as a voting member of the ASCLS Board of Directors (BOD).
- Requires travel to the ASCLS BOD Fall Meeting on September 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Sunday before Legislative Symposium).
- Requires participation in the ASCLS BOD Interim Meeting (virtual) in Spring 2023.
- Requires travel to the June 26-30, 2023, Joint Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island.
- Works with the vice chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Must host and participate in monthly conference calls of the DPF that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Developing Professionals Vice Chair Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and secretary in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Stands in for the chair if he/she is unable to complete his/her duties.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Developing Professionals Secretary Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and vice chair in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Records the proceedings of all meetings of the DPF.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Ascending Professionals Vice Chair Responsibilities—one-year term, three-year commitment (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and secretary in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Stands in for the chair if he/she is unable to complete his/her duties.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the APF Leadership Council.
- Make an effort to attend the Laboratory Legislative Symposium and the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting.
- Transitions to chair of the forum after their term as vice chair, then to past chair and members of the ASCLS Board of Directors in their third year.
Ascending Professionals Secretary Responsibilities—two-year term, may serve two terms (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and vice chair in scheduling any activities and functions related to the forum
- Works with the chair, vice chair, past chair, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Record the proceedings of all meetings of the APF.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the APF Leadership Council.
- Make an effort to attend the Laboratory Legislative Symposium and the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting.
Upcoming Events
Early Registration for the 2022 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting Ends April 29
June 26-June 30 | Grand Rapids, Michigan
Registration for the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) is now open. JAM is the premier gathering of medical laboratory professionals to share our knowledge, research, and best practices related to our field of laboratory science. The 2022 JAM will again offer flexibility with two attendee options—in-person and virtual. Sign up by April 29 to get the best rate.
In-Person Attendance: Following CDC and state of Michigan guidelines on social distancing, mask requirements, and hygiene, JAM will be held at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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 60 hours of P.A.C.E.®-approved credit.
Virtual Attendance: You will have access to the nearly 60 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 sessions 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 busy schedule.
Travel and Registration Grants Available for 2022 Joint Annual Meeting
Deadline: May 15
The Ascending Professionals Forum and the Developing Professionals Forum will collectively award over $10,000 in travel and registration grants to Ascending and Developing Professionals attending the 2022 Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), either in-person or virtually. The exact breakdown of these grants will be determined by the number of applicants and their preference of attendance. Apply by May 15!
Ask Me Anything: Pump up the JAM!
Tuesday, April 26, 7 pm EDT | Virtual
Join us for an Ask Me Anything about the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) being held June 26-30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Learn about scholarships available for ASCLS Developing and Ascending Professional members, things to do in Grand Rapids, and tips on how to get the most out of your JAM experience.
Panelists include Annual Meeting Steering Committee Chair Karrie Hovis, Annual Meeting Host Society Liaison Dana Vaughan, ASCLS-Michigan President Stephanie Mabry, and ASCLS President-Elect Kim Von Ahsen. Sign up for the free virtual event on Tuesday, April 26, at 7 pm EDT.
The Developing and Ascending Professionals Forums host bi-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.
CLEC 2022 Sets Record Attendance
ASCLS welcomed about 630 educators from across the country at the 2022 Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC)—255 in Denver and 373 online, March 14-16. Whether attending in-person or joining virtually, CLEC attendees bonded, learned, shared, visited, and smiled.
Throughout the three-day conference, attendees learned from fellow educators about new tricks of the trade and relished in the opportunity to rejoin their community. Attendees shared the following positive aspects of the program:
- “I liked being back in person and being able to network and connect with others. I also like that I can go back and view recorded sessions.”
- “Great speakers. Great variety of topics. Virtual option allows everyone to attend.”
- “The experience was welcoming, educational, and everyone was so positive.”
- “Being able to enjoy the sessions from the comfort of my home and getting to see ‘people in person’ via the virtual platform.”
- “The variety and quality of presentations. Specifically that there were entry level as well as more advanced level sessions.”
CLEC also included 22 industry partners who showcased innovative technologies, textbooks, and other educational materials for the educators—both in the exhibit area in Denver and in their virtual booths.
The ASCLS Education & Research Fund, Inc., virtual silent auction raised more than $2,700 for medical laboratory science scholarships and research grants.
The CLEC Steering Committee is eager to evaluate feedback from this conference and see what changes they can make as they start planning for CLEC 2023 in New Orleans, March 2-4.
ELMC2 On Demand
ASCLS held the 2nd Annual Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2) in January 2022. The event is specifically designed for laboratory professionals transitioning or hoping to transition into management and included 15 sessions on topics like recruitment and retention, lean problem solving, succession planning, performance evaluations, 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 $100 for ASCLS members/$150 for non-members.
Those who attended ELMC2 live in January found the program full of valuable information and tools:
- “Every speaker motivated me into taking the next steps toward a leadership role.”
- “Every session today (that I attended) was awesome! I loved the keynote speaker! So far, this is one of the best virtual conferences I’ve attended.”
- “It was such an eye-opening, wonderful experience and made me all the more excited to shift into laboratory management.”
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.
On the March 25 episode, hosts Sophia Chandrasekar, Galina Dronova, and Justin Hanenberg take lab-related personality quizzes. Find out their results, and take the tests for yourself:
- Which Piece of Lab Equipment Are You?
- Which Immune Cell Are You?
- Pick Seven Random Things And We’ll Guess Your Blood Type
Subscribe to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Voices Under 40
Spotlight: Cliff Cymrot, MLS(ASCP)CM, MT(AAB), MT(AMT), Ashburn, Virginia
Cliff is an assistant professor at The George Washington University (GW) and serves as the program director for the undergraduate medical laboratory science programs. He has a wide range of topics he has taught and oversees students in all three of the MLS programs at GW. He is able to support and encourage the large variety of students due to his compassion and dedication and develops a rapid rapport with each new student cohort.
Cliff has been part of the founding leadership of the ASCLS-Capital Area Society, which successfully relaunched in 2017. He’s held board positions in ASCLS-DC as treasurer, secretary, and now as president-elect concurrently with the responsibility of being the student forum advisor. He is also a 2020 graduate of the ASCLS National Leadership Academy and now serves as a member of the ASCLS Leadership Academy Committee. 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 one of the shining voices who were selected from many nominations across the country.
Welcome New Member
Zara Kunkler, MLS(ASCP)CM, Helena, Montana
Zara introduced herself in the #IamASCLS-Introduce Yourself Community: “My name is Zara and I’m a brand new member of ASCLS. :) This is a second career for me. I’ve been a CLS since 2016 and have worked in various molecular labs since. In November of 2020, I moved from Los Angeles to Montana to be closer to family. Shortly after that, I accepted the position of Technical Clinical Supervisor for the MDx laboratory at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, MT. Now that I have my feet under me, I’m interested in becoming more involved in my profession. I’m looking forward to becoming part of the community here. I’m also looking for a mentor through the Mentor Match program. I’m looking to grow as a leader, learn more about ways that I can become involved, and learn more about research. If you are looking for a mentee and feel we may be a good match, please consider connecting with me.” Connect with Zara.
Local Events
Come together with medical laboratory professionals in your local area, either online or in-person, for CE and networking.
ASCLS-Mississippi & Louisiana Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (LSCLS) Bistate Meeting
April 19-22
New Orleans
Region IX 2022 Virtual Joint Spring Seminar (Alaska, Oregon, Washington)
April 20-22
Virtual
ASCLS-New Jersey 2022 Virtual Spring Seminar
April 21
Virtual
ASCLS-Colorado & ASCLS-Wyoming Clinical Laboratory Collaborative Conference
April 21-22
Denver
ASCLS-Delaware-Maryland-Virginia-Washington, D.C. Joint Spring Meeting
April 23
Virtual
ASCLS-North Dakota State Meeting
April 25-26
Fargo, North Dakota
Florida Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Spring Symposium
April 29
Lakeland, Florida
ASCLS-Oklahoma One Vision Spring Seminar
April 30
Edmond, Oklahoma
ASCLS-Montana Spring Meeting
May 5-7
Great Falls, Montana
ASCLS-Kansas & ASCLS-Missouri Joint Meeting
June 2-3
Olathe, Kansas
Connect: The Community Conversations
ASCLS Connect is an invaluable way to ask questions, share feedback, and stay connected with your community of laboratorians. Here are some of the recent discussions you may have missed:
- The Membership Committee posts “Membership Mondays” questions each week to spur discussion and get to know fellow ASCLS members. Two recent questions were:
- A member of the Education Scientific Assembly shared a teaching aid – slides for CellaVision Proficiency Software.
- The Laboratory Administration/Consultant/Quality/Accreditation/Industry Scientific Assembly shared policies on the maximum volume blood draw from infants.
- In the Open Forum, members discussed the need for a separate virology course in MLS programs.
- The Labora-Story blog published a new post, The Need for Recognition – A Student Perspective.
- ASCLS continues to share CDC alerts and updates for laboratories through the Open Forum.
Download the MemberCentric App on your mobile device to get the community conversations and more in the palm of your hand.