Member Webinars

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

Knowing and Getting Paid What You’re Worth

February 18, 7 pm Eastern
Speakers: Edna Garcia, MPH, ASCP Institute for Science, Technology, and Policy; and Maggie Morrissey, Lighthouse Recruiting Division

How do you go from knowing your worth to actually receiving it? In this webinar, the results of the recent ASCP Wage Survey will be discussed, including trends in salaries. Tips on how to leverage this information in salary negotiations and employment opportunities will also be presented. Sign up today.

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. 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.

Ask Me Anything: Licensure, Certification and Registration—What's the Difference?

Join the ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum (DPF) and Ascending Professionals Forum (APF) for this month's Ask Me Anything (AMA): Licensure, Certification and Registration—What's the Difference? on February 28 at 8 pm Eastern. This AMA will provide a brief overview of what laboratory personnel licensure, certification, and registration are. Then a team of expert panelists will be available to answer your questions.

The panelists have first-hand experience of the process of becoming licensed or certified and working in different states and include Norma Bivona, MLS(ASCP)^CM; Kathy Doig, PhD, MLS(ASCP)^CMSH^CM; Cheyenne Reyes, MLS(ASCP)^CM; Perry Scanlon, PhD, MT(ASCP); and Regina Wulff, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CM, SCYM(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.

Events

Virtual CLEC 2021 Regular Registration Ends Wednesday, Feb. 10

The 2021 Virtual Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC), February 25-27, will offer a wide range of timely topics, designed to provide you with tips and tools that you can implement in your program, as well as stimulate dialogue about your most pressing issues.

The all-virtual format allows you to:

• Participate in more than 40 hours of P.A.C.E.®-approved continuing education.
• Connect with your community of medical laboratory educators for support and camaraderie.
• Receive access to all session recordings for 30 days after the event.
• Design an individual meeting schedule that fits your work and personal life.

Register by February 10 to save $50 off the late registration rate and to receive a CLEC Kit in the mail that includes fun items to enhance your virtual CLEC experience, as well as important information from industry partners.

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. As we have all become more flexible and adaptable over the past year, JAM is evolving, too. We are optimistic that we will be able to hold a face-to-face meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer, June 27-July 1. 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.

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.

Submit a Poster Presentation Abstract for the 2021 JAM by March 12

The 2021 JAM poster presentation abstract submissions are now open! 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. The deadline for abstract submissions is March 12.

2021 Awards and Scholarships Deadlines

Submit Awards Nominations by Feb. 15

Do you know someone who would be a good candidate for an ASCLS award, grant, or scholarship? The ASCLS Awards Committee encourages members to submit nominations for the following awards by February 15.

• Ascending Professional Leadership Award
• Developing Professional Leadership Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• State Society Website Award
• State Society Publications Award (for both print and web-based publications)
• Scientific Assembly Professional Achievement Award
• Scientific Research Award
• Theriot Award (for media and equipment development)

Details for applying for these awards and the link to submit applications are on the Awards and Scholarships webpage. Questions can be addressed to the Awards Committee at awards@ascls.org.

Nominating a worthy member for one of these awards is a great way to recognize the valued work of our dedicated members and to honor them at the Awards Ceremony at the 2021 Joint Annual Meeting, June 27-July 1.

Scholarship Applications Due 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.

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Lab Week Run Early Bird Pricing Ends Feb. 15

Step out of your labs and into your communities to help spread the word about the medical laboratory profession by participating in the 6th Annual ASCLS Lab Week Virtual Run.

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).

Early Bird Pricing is available through February 15. 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.

First PRISM Week Celebrates Diversity, Ignites Challenging Conversations

To celebrate and raise funds for the new ASCLS Glenda Price Diversity in Leadership Award the ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Council (DAC) hosted the first PRISM: Pride · Respect · Inclusion · Support · Momentum. The week-long event featured a series of virtual activities to ignite challenging discussions and help us learn for each other. Activities included a virtual book club of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson; a discussion of health disparities and cultural humility with Dr. Robin Eubanks; and a candid conversation with Glenda Price, the first African American president of ASCLS.

Thank You for Your Generous Donations

We're excited to announce that the online fundraiser raised $3,500 for the Glenda Price Diversity in Leadership Award, ensuring that ASCLS will be able to offer the first award this year. The fundraiser included a silent auction and one-of-a-kind items for purchase. DAC leaders Kelcey Harper and Kyle Riding even auctioned off their hair for the cause. Kelcey dyed her hair bleach blonde and shaved the ASCLS triangles in the side. Kyle dyed his hair ASCLS blue. Thank you to everyone who participated by donating items, by bidding on and purchasing items, and by generously donating money directly to the award. ASCLS diversity stickers are still available for purchase.

Caste Book Discussion Continues

The DAC invites ASCLS members to continue discussing Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson, throughout the month of February to share your reflections and further our discussions around Caste and the impact it has on each of us. All our welcome—virtual book club attendees, if you just started the book, or if you haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Kim Von Ahsen will lead the discussion by posting in the ASCLS Open Forum each Monday in February. The first reflection question is: Did you have a what I call, an "I need to sit with that" moment? A time where something was said or you read a sentence that really changed your previous thoughts on a subject or belief? Please share your thoughts.

1st Annual Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference a Success

Nearly 100 medical laboratory professionals attended the first Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2), held virtually January 15-16.

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. Attendees also had the chance to network and learn informally in virtual breakout rooms in between sessions.

ELMC² participants will continue to collaborate and learn throughout the year with upcoming webinars, a mentor program, and a community discussion forum.

Save the date for next year's ELMC², January 14-15, 2022. The educational program will be expanded to address the needs of current laboratory managers, as well as educators who teach about laboratory management.

First Mid-Year Virtual ASCLS House of Delegates Meeting

ASCLS held its first, mid-year virtual meeting of the ASCLS House of Delegates on January 17. The House voted to approve a new ASCLS position paper, Value of Clinical Laboratory Science Personnel and Services in Healthcare. Delegates also discussed a number of reports on regional standardization, state dues standardization, and the Final Report of the House of Delegates Taskforce.

The meeting was livestreamed on YouTube, and a recording is available for any interested members. The ASCLS Board of Directors determined that a mid-year, virtual meeting of the House of Delegates is needed on an ongoing basis and will continue to be held every January.

New Episodes 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 December 23 episode, "Understanding Emerging Zoonotic Diseases on a Global Scale with Dr. Tracey Goldstein" focused on the emerging zoonotic diseases on a global scale and the One Health approach to prevent future outbreaks. The episode is available for one hour of P.A.C.E.® credit.

On January 18, a special minisode featured ASCLS President Maddie Josephs and discussed the "crazy, awesome week for ASCLS" that included three new events: PRISM: Pride · Respect · Inclusion · Support · Momentum; the Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC²); and a Mid-Year House of Delegates Meeting.

The January 29 episode, "Acute Myeloid Leukemia Workup, Management, and Prognosis with Dr. John McClure" was an in-depth conversation about Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), the lab testing necessary to identify AML, and where a medical technologist fits in the process. The episode is available for one hour of P.A.C.E.® credit.

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

ASCLS Voices Under 40

Spotlight: Victoria Rensink, MLS (ASCP)^CM, CTMB, Belgrade, Montana

For the past 11 years, Victoria has been the Laboratory Manager at Xtant Medical, a tissue bank that designs and develops orthobiological tissue for transplant from cadaveric tissue. In this position, Victoria oversees the evaluation of infectious disease testing and performs pathogenic microbiology on all donor tissue and specimens before being processed. Although her current role includes managerial responsibilities, she still spends approximately 70 percent of her time doing bench work.

Victoria has been a member of ASCLS for over 13 years. Her involvement in ASCLS began when she attended the 2007 national meeting in San Diego as a student. “Once I experienced the camaraderie, the sharing of knowledge, and the 'bigger picture' of the laboratory, I was inspired.” Read more.

Spotlight: Samantha Salm, MLS(ASCP)^CM, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

Samantha is employed by Roche Diagnostics as a field application specialist. In her role, she supports laboratory professionals with Roche clinical diagnostic equipment so they are empowered to best serve their patients. Samantha performs her job by implementing new chemistry systems, assisting in verification studies, performing training sessions, and assisting customers in advanced troubleshooting.

Samantha served ASCLS in many capacities beginning as a student delegate and member of the Product Development Committee before joining the Leadership Academy. After graduating from the Leadership Academy in 2017, her service to ASCLS-Wisconsin expanded to serving as the Awards Chair, Marketing and Communications Chair, and the Sustainability Task Force Chair. Samantha’s nominator wrote, “Samantha’s strength is definitely in the promotion of the profession, recognition of member contributions, and communication to our membership.” 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.

Spring Meetings

Come together with medical laboratory professionals in your local area, either online or face-to-face, for CE and networking.

ASCLS-Minnesota Clinical Laboratory Collaborative Virtual Conference
April 12 - 13, 2021

ASCLS-Alaska, ASCLS-Oregon, and ASCLS-Washington 2021 Virtual Joint Spring Seminar
April 21 - 23, 2021

Clinical Laboratory Collaborative Conference (CLCC) 2021 Educational Conference
Denver, Colorado
May 6 - 7, 2021

Connect: The Community Conversations

Read the recent discussion threads on ASCLS Connect and join the conversations:

• In the Open Forum, members gave advice on how much can a graduate from a Master's in MLS program make.
• Members congratulated Debra Rodahl, the new editor of ASCLS Today, and thanked Cheryl Caskey for her many years of service in that role.
• In the Education Scientific Assembly, a member shared a virtual hemocytometer activity for students to accompany a body fluids laboratory activity.
• The Ascending Professionals Forum posted New Year, New Hope, on its Labora-Story blog.
• 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.

Key Dates

CLEC 2021 Regular Registration Deadline
February 10

ASCLS Awards Deadline
February 15