Upcoming free webinar on hospital-acquired anemia on Aug 7; register for the 2024 Labvocate Symposium; 2024 Joint Annual Meeting a successful collaboration; congratulations to newly-elected ASCLS leaders; and more!
Your Membership Expires July 31
Don’t let this be your last issue of Society News Now. Renew today to ensure you continue to receive ASCLS benefits and maintain an active membership status. You can renew over the phone at 301.450.2369 or log in to renew online.
We value your membership and hope you continue to be part of the ASCLS community.
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Hospital-Acquired Anemia (HAA)
August 7, 1 pm Eastern | Virtual
Join us for a review of hospital-acquired anemia, its prevalence, etiologies, and associated poor outcomes. Strategies for prevention as part of Patient Blood Management practices will be featured. As providers, we are all about our patients and their blood health.
Presenter: Carolyn D. Burns, MD, Patient Blood Management physician advisor/consultant
This webinar is free for ASCLS members ($10 for non-members). Preregistration is required. If you can’t attend live, register anyway—those who pre-register will receive access to the webinar recording.
Learning Objectives
- Define HAA, its prevalence and etiologies.
- Describe how excessive phlebotomy contributes to HAA and its association with excess transfusion.
- Identify interventions to prevent HAA secondary to excessive phlebotomy.
Instruction Level: Intermediate
ASCLS is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program.
Register for the 2024 Labvocate Symposium
September 30-October 1 | Alexandria, Virginia, or Virtual
The annual Labvocate Symposium (formerly called the Laboratory Legislative Symposium) gives you the chance to band together with medical laboratory professionals from six laboratory organizations and make our concerns known inside Congress.
The Labvocate Symposium provides a great education on the how-tos of lobbying. Attendees are coached on presentation techniques so they can effectively talk to their congressional representatives during appointments. You will come away from the two-day event with first-hand knowledge of the political system in action and confidence that you can make a difference.
New this year, all ASCLS Developing Professional members can attend the 2024 Labvocate Symposium virtually for free.
This year’s event will be held September 30-October 1 at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. In-person and virtual attendee options are available. Sign up by August 29 and save with the Early Bird discount.
Save the Date for the 2025 Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2)
January 24-25, 2025 | Virtual
The Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2) is designed specifically for medical laboratory professionals to help you transition into and thrive in management roles.
ELMC2 provides two days of virtual programming (live and streamed for up to 30 days after the live event), up to 20 hours of P.A.C.E.® credit, networking events, access to an attendees-only online community, and follow up programming expected to take place 6-12 weeks after the conclusion of the virtual conference, as well as special meet-ups at the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting in June.
The ELMC2 Steering Committee is currently accepting full proposals, as well as ideas, for sessions for the 2025 program. Submit your session proposal or idea.
Collaboration, Innovation, and Professional Growth Highlights of 2024 Joint Annual Meeting
For the fourth year, ASCLS, the Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT), and the Society of American Federal Medical Laboratory Scientists (SAFMLS) held a Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), both in-person and virtually. This year’s event, held July 8-12, included more than 800 registered attendees; about 650 were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and more than 160 attended online. The event also included 54 industry partners, 51 educational sessions, two pre-conference workshops, 76 speakers, and 40 poster presentations. View photos from the event.
Overall attendees loved the chance to meet laboratory professionals from three organizations across the country, as well as re-connect with colleagues, students, and mentors. They were also grateful for the two options to attend and access to the session recordings. Attendees shared these comments and meaningful interactions in their JAM evaluations:
- “It was an opportunity to be with others laboratory professionals, to share experiences, to learn from one another’s struggles, and to be reenergized.”
- “I love seeing all my friends every year, but more than that, making new friends and keeping in contact with them as well.”
- “I’m looking forward to sharing some of the new technologies I learned about at the meeting.”
- “I will take back information on hemoglobinopathies affecting A1C results as well as lots of leadership books to read and tools to use with my team.”
- “The most meaningful interaction that I had while attending JAM was the support that I had after my talk. It was amazing the amount of support and continued questions that I have had coming in. I appreciate that at JAM I am able to meet new people and build new professional relationships as well as friendships.”
- “I always enjoy the networking, but this year I had a Developing Professional seek me out for advice, which was awesome.”
- “I had the opportunity to tell a person I saw present at a state ASCLS event how much her presentation meant to me. That presentation is why I am here attending my first national meeting and acting as a delegate.”
- “The most meaningful experience, though, has been the overwhelming support, respect, and appreciation that I received during the meeting from ASCLS members. Some I’ve known and frequently work with, some I work with only virtually, and some I had never met, but they introduced themselves and made me feel valued.”
- “The planning committee did an amazing job and I really enjoy attending sessions by SAFMLS and AGT, too. Having these partners makes the meeting much more interesting.”
- “Every year I attend, JAM gets even better.”
Read more reflections from attendees on their favorite JAM experiences on ASCLS Connect.
Additional JAM Highlights
- The Developing Professionals Forum held the second annual Race to JAM Trivia Contest in the spring. Houston Methodist Hospital MLS Program and Nebraska Methodist MLS Program went head-to-head in the finals at JAM. Congratulations to the winner, for the second year running, Houston Methodist Hospital MLS Program.
- The ASCLS Education & Research (E&R) Fund Silent Auction and related activities raised over $6,700, allowing the E&R Fund to fund scholarships for medical laboratory students and research grants.
- Region VIII won the ASCLS Political Action Committee (PAC) donation contest this year with $3,335 in total donations. Overall the PAC raised $13,418!
- The ASCLS House of Delegates voted to approve two revised ASCLS position papers: Advanced Practice: Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science Position Paper and Scope of Practice and Personnel Standards. It also voted to retire the position paper, Expanding Geriatric Population.
Select JAM educational sessions that were recorded will be available for individual purchase or as bundles. Stay tuned for more information about the 2024 JAM On Demand coming to ASCLS Labucate this fall.
Congratulations to New ASCLS Officers and Leaders for the 2024-25 Society Year
During the 2024 Joint Annual Meeting, the ASCLS House of Delegates, Ascending Professionals Forum, Developing Professionals Forum, and Diversity Advocacy Council elected new officers, who took office at the close of the meeting. The Board of Directors also installed new members for the 2024-25 Society year. Congratulations, and thank you to all the candidates who ran this year.
President
Pat Tille, South Dakota
President-Elect
Kyle Riding, Florida
Secretary/Treasurer
Miles Tompkins, Oklahoma
Board of Directors
Lindsey Davenport-Landry, Iowa
Kelcey Harper, Central New England
Heather Herrington, Pennsylvania
Melissa Kasper, Wisconsin
Stephanie Noblit, Pennsylvania
Stacy Lyn Robinson, Maryland
Developing Professionals Director and Developing Professionals Forum Chair
Katherine Guise, Florida
Ascending Professionals Director
Jesse Day, Tennessee
Judicial Committee
John Koenig, Missouri
Nominations Committee
Sarah Bergbower, Illinois
Brooke Solberg, North Dakota
Ally Storla, Georgia
Ian Wallace, Colorado
Developing Professionals Forum Vice-Chair
Mindy Ingalls, Colorado
Developing Professionals Forum Secretary
Tiffany Easter, Arkansas
Ascending Professionals Forum Chair
Ogechi “Ogee” Ohaeto, Florida
Ascending Professionals Forum Vice-Chair
Sarah Steinberg, Wyoming
Ascending Professionals Forum Secretary
Paige Snyder, New Jersey
Diversity Advocacy Council Chair
Ryan Tom, New York
Diversity Advocacy Council Vice Chair
Justin Hall, Florida
Diversity Advocacy Council Secretary
Tiffany Benjamin, Georgia
CDC OneLab™ Resources
Elevate Your Expertise: Enhancing Presentation Skills for Subject Matter Experts
1-2 pm ET | August 1 | Virtual
Discover proven strategies to captivate your audience, leave a lasting impression, and enhance engagement and retention. Take a sneak peek at the Top 10 Presentation Tips to glimpse what OneLab has in store for you during this session.
You’ll also receive a certificate of completion to share on LinkedIn to showcase your newfound skills and highlight your accomplishments to your professional connections.
ISO 35001:2019 Biorisk Management for Laboratories
1-2 pm ET | August 5 | Virtual
With the complexities of laboratory environments combined with emerging biological agents, it is crucial to have a comprehensive biorisk management plan in place. This ensures the safety of personnel, the environment, and the public and maintains the integrity of laboratory activities. Effective biorisk management mitigates risks associated with hazardous biological materials and prevents unintentional exposures and unauthorized access to the laboratory. This webinar will briefly overview the ISO 35001 standard and describe the biorisk management model. Participants will learn the initial steps required to implement a biorisk management system within their laboratories, including how to develop biorisk management objectives. This webinar will also showcase a pilot study in partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) that illustrates the outcomes of implementing the ISO 35001 standard in various public health laboratories.
Learning Objectives
- Identify educational and other resources available through the OneLab Network
- Describe the ISO 35001 standard, including its purpose, structure, and key components related to biorisk management
- Identify the initial steps for implementing a biorisk management system in laboratories, focusing on developing effective objectives
- Describe lessons learned from the pilot study that examined outcomes of implementing ISO 35001 in public health laboratories
Speakers
- Folasade Kembi, PhD, MPH, Health Scientist, CDC Division of Laboratory Systems
- Mary Casey-Moore, PhD, Health Scientist, Safety Team, CDC Division of Laboratory Systems
About OneLab
The OneLab Rapid Education and Capacity-building Hub (REACH) is a laboratory education and training learning management system specifically designed and tailored for the needs of clinical and public health laboratory professionals. OneLab REACH supports the laboratory community by providing relevant and timely education and training resources.
CDC’s OneLab Network provides opportunities for education and training, as well as a space for collaboration between clinical, public health, individuals who perform or coordinate testing at non-laboratory sites, and CDC laboratory education and training professionals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program.
OneLab™ and OneLab REACH™ are registered trademarks of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
New Episode of Off the Bench Podcast
Subscribe to the Off the Bench Podcast for discussions on scientific and not-so-scientific ideas in laboratory medicine. New episodes drop the last Friday of each month.
On today’s episode, Doryan Redding and Emily Woten host the 2024 Query Check Game Show live at the 2024 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting. Our three wonderful contestants, Dr. Audrey Folsom, Heather Santaniello, and Amara Sugalski, face off with BOC-styled questions, lab-ish questions, and scenarios that show who’s the most “technically” correct. Find out who took home this year’s Query Check Champion trophy!
Subscribe to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Local Events
ASCLS-Michigan Summer Social
August 24
Holt, Michigan
2024 Hawaii Clinical Laboratory Conference (HCLC)
September 20-21
Honolulu, Hawaii
ASCLS Region V Meeting
October 10-11
Fargo, North Dakota
Welcome New Members
We’re happy to welcome 81 individuals who joined ASCLS in the past month.
Professional Members
Brett Bierley, AL
Jordon Hawkins, AK
Cadence Johnson, MT
Kaitlyn Meldahl, AK
James Meyer, IA
Laurie Miller, AK
Nanda Nunnelly, MO
Crystal Office, GA
Elaidga Victoria, Pabalan, UT
Vishala Patel, NJ
Alicia Prichard, FL
Tania Rodeiro, SC
Kimberly Walker, AK
Stacey Weyenberg, AK
Ascending Professional Members
Esperanza Colon, NY
Itzel Garcia Madrigal, CA
Caitlin Gerarden, WI
Kymora Neely, TN
Aneta Szczesniak, IL
Theresa Tran, WA
Developing Professional Members
Stormi Baker, NC
Grace Bechtold, OH
Mercedes Bowers, IL
Miya Breaux, LA
Michael Broadhurst, IL
Lilianna Buss, WI
Kelsea Butler, SC
Jessica Campbell, WI
Sharla Carda, SD
Bishnu Chhantyal, ND
Brian Darken, PA
Nicholas Garza, CO
Kristina Gee, AL
Jamie Graves, VA
Emily Ham, SC
Marisha Hardy, AZ
Danielle Hatten, MN
Randi Herndon, ND
Mason Hornberger, ND
Aiden Hunt, ND
James Jackson, OH
Kejela Jalata, MN
Gavin Janise, LA
Laila Kantarevic, ND
Lucianna Kelly, VA
Jenna Kohnen, PA
Ally Ladner, ND
Abigail Landry, LA
Savannah Lee, SC
Huichang Lin, IL
Shawn Macedonia, PA
Collin McCabe, OH
Taylor McKever, NJ
Eleanor Miller, ND
Angelica Mora, MN
Hala Nasereddin, IL
Dawson Nguyen, GA
Blanca Ochoa, CO
Maja Pastuszka, NH
Ella Piatt, AK
Mia Popoff, IL
Alexandria Porter, WA
Paige Priewe, ND
Charlee Schenfisch, ND
Cheyanne Scherder, KY
Jessica Sciaky, IL
Claribel Sewer, NY
Allie Shulskie, PA
Lauren Siefker, OH
Conor Stibbe, WI
Nina Summers, LA
Breyahna Tyme, NJ
Chernice Washington, IL
Allie Werth, ND
Sonja White, NC
Jordyn Wilson, SC
Tessa Winterhalter, MN
Jennifer Wood, ND
Matthew Zahner, IL
Domarie Zayas, GA
Lauren Zorn, WI
Connect: The Community Conversations
ASCLS Connect is an invaluable platform 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. Recent questions were:
- What was your favorite Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) experience?
- How do you prefer to talk shop outside your lab?
In the Immunology/Immunohematology Scientific Assembly, members shared advice on SBB or a transfusion masters degree programs.
In the Hematology/Hemostasis Scientific Assembly, a member collected information about bronchial alveolar lavage (bal), and another received recommendations for hematology textbooks.
In the Clinical Laboratory Educators Forum, members answered questions regarding California CLS licensure for out of state students.
In the Open Forum, members discussed the Bureau of Labor Statistics opened a comment period for comment on the Standard Occupational Classification and how to respond before the August 12 deadline.
Also in the Open Forum, a member started a “Hot Topic Tuesday” discussion on Utilization of AI in Diagnostic Laboratory Testing.
Members also congratulated member Darby Naheedy, who earned the CAP Distinguished Medical Student Award, and ASCLS Director Ali Nussbaum, who was named recipient of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Key Dates
ASCLS Membership Renewal Deadline
July 31
Hospital-Acquired Anemia Webinar
August 7
Labvocate Symposium
Alexandria, VA | Virtual
September 30-October 1