Society News Now - April 2019

Resources for Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, Board Meeting highlights, new Off the Bench Podcast episode, Joint Annual Meeting Early Bird Registration deadline, and more.

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Happy Lab Week 2019!

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (MLPW) starts this Sunday, April 21, and runs through April 27. MLPW is our week to shine and celebrate the vital role laboratorians play in providing high-quality patient care.

The ASCLS Promotion of the Profession Committee has created resources to help you plan and celebrate, including free downloadable promotional materials and an MLPW Promotional Guide.

Congratulations to ASCLS members in Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin who all had their governors sign a proclamation that April 21-27 is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week!

Share your stories and celebrations on social media and tag them to help promote the importance of medical laboratory science. Suggested hashtags include: #IamASCLS, #Lab4Life, #LabWeek, #MLPW2019, #WeSaveLivesEveryday, #TellYourStory, and #Labvocate.

Now is your last chance to join 1,350 medical laboratory professionals in the 4th Annual Lab Week Run. Register today to receive your race packet with the adorable 2019 running blood drop medal and race t-shirt.

Leadership

Board of Directors Interim Meeting Highlights

The ASCLS Board of Directors met in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 17 for its interim meeting and took a number of actions.

Changed the date at which the House of Delegates delegate count is established to April 30 in order to accommodate the earlier Annual Meeting dates.
Created a new CLEC Steering Committee, which will develop short and long-term plans for the Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC) consistent with the ASCLS Strategic Plan; create the educational program; and provide direction and oversight to the abstract and program submission process.
Approved a new DCLS Futures Conference to be held in the fall of 2020.
Extended the time frame for identifying a new Clinical Laboratory Science journal editor in chief or to reaffirm continuing appointment of the current editor in chief.
Approved a trial multi-year membership add-on category for the Professional Membership category.
Approved the Constituent Society Taskforce key performance indicator (KPI) assessment tool to be used to determine the relevant health of constituent societies.

Off the Bench Podcast

From MLS to PhD: An Interview with Dr. Kyle Riding

Hosts Lindsey Davenport-Landry and Samantha Treutel are back with a new episode of their podcast, Off the Bench. This month they are joined by ASCLS member Dr. Kyle Riding to talk about his educational journey from undecided undergrad at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to assistant professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida.

The podcast can be streamed from the ASCLS website, Google Play, Stitcher, and Podbean and soon to be on Apple Podcast. Subscribe today so that you are one of the first to download next week's bonus episode about Lab Week!

Join the ASCLS Off the Bench Facebook Group to continue the discussions with Sam and Lindsey and share your feedback.

ASCLS Voices Under 40

Spotlight: Cherika Robertson, MEd, MLS(ASCP)CM, from Bauxite, Arkansas

Cherika is an assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. She serves as an instructor for hematology and blood bank lectures, as well as the corresponding laboratories. Cherika wrote in her application, “Working with future laboratory scientists gives me great joy, as I am able to share and pass on my love for laboratory science, and encourage students to become members of ASCLS and remain active.”

Cherika joined ASCLS after entering the world of academia. After attending her first Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference in Cincinnati and ASCLS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, she was hooked. She said, “My motivation for being actively involved in ASCLS is to promote, recruit, educate, and advocate for the profession of medical laboratory science.” Today, Cherika serves on the ASCLS Membership Committee and is the Region VII membership development representative. In her home state of Arkansas she has served on the board since 2014 and is currently the state president elect. Cherika is also a board member of the Arkansas CLMA chapter and is helping to plan a joint ASCLS-CLMA state meeting. 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

Events

Annual Meeting Early Bird Registration Ends Next Friday, April 26

The ASCLS-AGT 2019 Joint Annual Meeting will be an experience unlike any other meeting of laboratory professionals. It brings together people from all facets of the laboratory—from higher education, to the bench, and even the administrative suite.

Our new partnership with the Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT) offers expanded and broadened educational programming and access to a wider range of industry partners, all under one roof.

The Annual Meeting will be held June 23-27 in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel and Le Mèridien Charlotte. Save $100 off onsite registration with Early Bird rates available through April 26.

Developing and Ascending Professionals, if you need funds to attend the Annual Meeting, ASCLS and the Beckman Coulter Foundation are offering over $13,000 in multiple travel grant opportunities for students and new professionals. Apply by April 29!

Legislative Symposium Introduces New Workforce Bill
Last month, 117 clinical laboratory professionals from 38 states met in Washington, D.C., in preparation for meetings with members of congress and their staffs. The Laboratory Legislative Symposium, now it its 31st year, is sponsored by ASCLS and five other laboratory organizations, the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT), and the National Society for Histotechnology (NSH).

One of the important outcomes from the event was the development of a workforce bill that would provide funding to allied health educational programs, including clinical laboratory science. ASCLS is working to secure sponsors for the bill that we anticipate will be introduced by the end of May. The bill would provide $25 million to fund a pilot project of grants for educational programs graduating professionals in shortage professions. It is modeled on similar programs for other professions in the Affordable Care Act.

ASCLS members and other laboratory professionals will have a chance to lobby for the bill close to home when the Society holds a “Lobby Day in the District” at the end of May. Please watch for details in a future Society News Now.

Spring Meetings Roundup

Make plans to join ASCLS members in your region for Lab CE and lots of fun.

ASCLS Wisconsin Convention - 2019
April 24-25
Appleton, Wisconsin

Minnesota Clinical Laboratory Collaborative
April 24-26
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

ASCLS-WA Spring Seminar
April 25-26
Olympia, Washington

ASCLS-OR Spring Seminar 2019
May 2-3
Newport, Oregon

Clinical Laboratory Collaborative Conference 2019
May 2-3
Denver, Colorado

ASCLS-PA Annual Spring Meeting
May 5-6
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

ASCLS-CNE 71st Annual Convention
May 7-9
Warwick, Rhode Island

Hawaii Clinical Laboratory Conference
May 15-16
Honolulu, Hawaii

ASCLS-NY Spring Seminar
June 14
Syracuse, New York

Add your upcoming events to the ASCLS Events Calendar: