2019 Fall Newsletter
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ACADEMY OF CLINICAL LABORATORY PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS
FALL 2019
NEWSLETTER
PRESIDENT’S LETTER —J. Stacey Klutts, MD, PhD
Dear friends and colleagues,
I write to you today as the President of ACLPS, a title which I have some trouble believing that I hold. It seems just yesterday that I was watching many of my mentors serve in this role, and I am truly humbled for the opportunity to serve ACLPS in this capacity. During the latter part of my medical school training at Arkansas, I had the fortune of being exposed to ‘CP-Only’ as a residency training option. In that context, I was taken under the wing of Louis Fink. Lou provided a laundry list of good advice for me, including one piece that might have been the most critical. He explained that if I sought a career in academic lab medicine, I absolutely must go to an ACLPS meeting. After de-coding the acronym, I submitted my graduate work as an abstract. Because it was accepted for a Paul Strandjord Young Investigator Award, I had the opportunity to attend the ACLPS meeting in Manhattan. In retrospect, I think that was the most important meeting I have ever attended, as I truly visualized my career over that weekend. Parenthetically, I was already committed to do my residency training at Washington University that upcoming fall. Prior to the meeting, I recall e-mailing Sam Santoro, the head of the Division of Lab Medicine at Wash U at the time, to let him know that I was going to this ACLPS meeting affair in NYC and wondering if anyone from Wash U might be there. I know you’re laughing. Do you see why it surprises me that I’m now President of this thing? In all seriousness, the society has helped mold my career from a naïve medical student through all facets of training and a couple of phenotypic iterations of my faculty career. I know I’m not alone here, as I’ve heard others tell similar stories. It is imperative that we, as a group, maintain our mission commitments to training and mentorship in lab medicine and advancement of the field as a career choice. It’s truly who we are as a society, and it is critical to our field that we continue to serve these roles.
To further these missions, ACLPS has started some new initiatives and is re-visiting some potential synergistic relationships with other societies. As Neal described last year, we began offering, at no additional charge, an educational session on Saturday afternoon of the weekend of the annual meeting. This session is intended as a blend of board review and an opportunity to hear about more bread and butter lab medicine topics from a different point of view. Last year, we had an excellent session on clinical microbiology organized by Marc Couturier and Patricia Slev. This year, Ron Jackups is organizing a session on laboratory management. We hope that this new meeting element will continue, and we would like to hear any and all feedback on how we might improve this session for our trainees and junior faculty (both attending and presenting). We are also in discussions with the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA), a student run organization for MD/PhD students. We hope to have exposure at their annual meeting to highlight lab medicine as a career and have one or two of their members attend our meeting to understand ACLPS and informally discuss an ACLPS/APSA partnership. This appears to be an excellent way for ACLPS to highlight lab medicine as a career to a particularly important target audience.
The goal to further our missions requires that we pay attention to our ability to execute them. As such, we are working to keep our financial resources stable for the long-term while ensuring we can allocate appropriate monies to support our missions currently. In that sense, we are doing quite well. Thanks to the kind, ongoing gifts from ACLPS members and sound financial planning, there are no significant acute financial issues to tackle. However, we need to get a better handle on our long-terms plans for investment. We have re-kindled an Investment Committee to continue looking at options for management of our investments. More to come on this, hopefully with an update at the meeting in May.
Finally, I’d be remiss in my role if I didn’t highlight a couple of people who have served the society well but are soon leaving their posts. First, I’d like to thank Kamisha Johnson-Davis. Kamisha has overseen the construction and publication of the ACLPS Newsletter since 2014. She has done a phenomenal job in this role, and we thank her for all of her help. Anyone who would like to take over this role can contact me (Stacey-Klutts@uiowa.edu) or Jon Genzen (jonathan.genzen@aruplab.com). Speaking of Jon, he will complete his term as Secretary-Treasurer next fall. Jon has been nothing short of extraordinary in this critical role for the society. Next time you see Jon, please tell him thanks. His time & effort for and dedication to ACLPS over the past years have contributed to the stability of the society’s financial situation and organizational strategy. Personally, I’d also like to thank him for keeping me on top of things. I’m sure other Presidents who have served alongside him would echo that sentiment.
I look forward to seeing you all in my backyard (not literally, but close) in late May. Please make every effort to come to Iowa City. I’m horribly biased, but I think we have an incredible meeting planned. There are more details about the meeting later in this newsletter. Until May, take care and stay in control.
Best in All,
Stacey
ACLPS ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
Friday, May 31, 2019
Salt Lake City, UT
The meeting was called to order at 11:45 AM MT by Dr. Neal Lindeman.
I. A motion was made to approve the meeting minutes from the June 1, 2018 Annual Business Meeting (included in Fall 2018 newsletter). The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
II. Report from Executive Council – Neal Lindeman
Dr. Lindeman presented the report from the Executive Council, first acknowledging all members of the council who served in the FY19 term. ACLPS successfully completed the FY18 audit. This coming year will include additional review of our investment strategy and non-profit operations. New to this year’s annual meeting were educational courses in a Saturday afternoon session. Dr. Lindeman acknowledged the outstanding work of the Education Committee, the Membership Committee, the Website Committee, and the Young Investigator program. Details of these activities are included in the individual reports below.
Dr. Lindeman also emphasized the role that ACLPS has played in multi-organizational relationships, highlighting initiatives included in the ACLPS/ASCP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), TRIG/UTRIG, the TRUU-Lab test renaming initiative, and sign-on to official position statements in the past year regarding legislation to increase resident funding quotas, funding to develop pediatric reference intervals, and continued use of residual samples for research.
III. Secretary-Treasurer Report – Jonathan Genzen
Dr. Genzen presented the Secretary-Treasurer report. He noted that as AJCP is the official journal for ACLPS and ASCP, non-ASCP ACLPS active members are entitled to online journal access to AJCP. Additionally, members are encouraged to submit their research to the journal. Dr. Genzen then acknowledged the 2019 Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Research grant awardees, Dr. Rose Lee and Dr. Maxim Rosario. They will present their research data at the 2020 Annual Meeting.
Future ACLPS initiatives may include modernization of the membership renewal system, to further support electronic reminders and payments, as well as an online membership directory.
Finally, Dr. Genzen reviewed current ACLPS account balances and financial statements, emphasizing how ACLPS investments and donations fund current YIA activities and the grant program. Ongoing initiatives to sustain these funds include responsible use, investment management, growth in membership, and member donations.
V. Reports of standing committees:
Nominating and Awards Committee – Alex McAdam
Dr. McAdam announced the FY20 ballot. A call for nominations from the floor was made, and no additional nominees were advanced. The ballots were distributed and completed during subsequent committee presentations.
Membership Committee – David Jaye
Dr. Jaye presented the Membership Committee update. ACLPS has 310 Active Members, with 272 up-to-date on 2019 dues at the time of the Annual Meeting. 186 Associate Members have joined the organization since 2016. At the May 2019 Executive Council Meeting, 9 new Active Members and 48 new Associate Members were approved. Graduating Associate Members were encouraged to complete forms updating ACLPS on their contact information post-graduation.
Program and Finance Committee – Stacey Klutts
Dr. Klutts presented the report from the Program and Finance Committee. Current committee members were acknowledged, as were their efforts during the October and March conference calls. Dr. Klutts acknowledged the 2019 local hosts (Drs. Elizabeth Frank and Jonathan Genzen) and the entire 2019 organizing committee for the Annual Meeting program, planning, and facilities. Dr. Klutts then acknowledged the work of Dr. Jorge Sepulveda for coordinating the YIA abstract program. It was noted that planning is underway for the 2020 meeting in Iowa City, which will be reviewed during the Friday evening banquet.
Education Committee – Angella Charnot-Katsikas
Dr. Charnot-Katsikas updated membership on the status of the Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Grant Program, which is in its fourth year. This year, we had 25 grant applications from 19 different institutions. Two grants were funded at $7,500 each. Dr. Charnot-Katsikas then encouraged members to submit review articles as part of the AJCP series of ACLPS Critical Reviews. Thirty-two review articles have been published in this series since 2011. Members were encouraged to attend the co-sponsored ACLPS educational session at the 2019 ASCP Annual Meeting, where Drs. Jonathan Genzen and Christopher Tormey will present “Defining the Practice of Laboratory Medicine: Reimagining Clinical Pathology in a Regulatory Era”. Finally, members were encouraged to submit to the AACC Pearls of Laboratory Medicine series of educational PowerPoint files.
Website Committee – Noah Hoffman
Dr. Hoffman presented an update on Website Committee activities, highlighting the new ACLPS website that went live this month. He acknowledged all contributors who participated in this initiative since 2016. The goals of the website update included updating appearance and content, facilitating more frequent updates, support for development and maintenance of new features, emphasis of web-native content, social media integration, and value. Dr. Hoffman showed highlights from the new website including Annual Meeting information, News and Events, Employment Opportunities, and social media integration. Future steps will include development of processes for updates and maintenance and collection of new ideas for content and features.
VI. Investigator Award Program Report – Jorge Sepulveda
Dr. Sepulveda then presented the update from the YIA award program. We received 98 abstract submissions from 31 institutions. 31 judges participated in reviews, scoring on a 1-9 NIH-style system, with approximately 5 judges per abstract. There were 30 PES-YIA awards, with 2 additional student awards. The final program included 38 oral presentations and 38 posters.
VII. New business
No new business was introduced by membership.
VIII. Election results
Dr. McAdam announced that all nominees on the FY20 ballot were elected.
IX. Installation of new President
Dr. Stacey Klutts was acknowledged as the new ACLPS President as of the end of this Annual Meeting. Dr. Klutts noted that he was honored to proceed in this role, and thanked Dr. Lindeman for his outstanding service as President during FY19.
Adjournment
The Annual Business Meeting was adjourned at 12:30 PM MT.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE UPDATE
Angella Charnot-Katsikas
ACLPS Co-Sponsored Session at the ASCP Annual Meeting
An ACLPS-ASCP co-sponsored educational session was held at the 2019 Annual ASCP Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Jonathan Genzen (ARUP Laboratories and University of Utah) and Dr. Christopher Tormey (VA Connecticut Healthcare System and Yale University) presented “Defining the Practice of Laboratory Medicine: Reimagining Clinical Pathology in a Regulatory Era.” We thank the presenters for another fantastic educational session!
ACLPS Young Investigator Award Grant Program
The Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Grant Program closed for submissions on Nov 2. Last year, we had 25 grant applications, from 19 different institutions. The program will again fund two grants this year at $7,500 each. Information on the 2020 funded projects will be provided at our Annual Meeting.
“ACLPS Critical Reviews”
The ACLPS Education Committee is currently recruiting new articles for the American Journal of Clinical Pathology (AJCP) “ACLPS Critical Reviews” series of review articles. These are excellent educational review articles on a wide variety of topics in Laboratory Medicine. Thirty-three such articles have been published since 2011. If you or a colleague is interested in contributing to this series, please contact the Education Committee Chair (Angella Charnot-Katsikas; angella.charnot-katsikas@uchospitals.edu) for more information and article guidelines.
Question Writers for the RISE and RISE-First Exams
The ACLPS Education Committee is recruiting volunteers to serve as question writers for the RISE/RISE-First/PRISE Questions. ACLPS is a collaborating society for the RISE examination, and ACLPS members have been outstanding question writing contributors. This is a great way for Active Members to contribute to resident education.Please contact Angella Charnot-Katsikas (angella.charnot-katsikas@uchospitals.edu) if you would like to serve on these committees. Information on RISE can also be obtained from the ASCP RISE Committee Chair (Jonathan Genzen; jonathan.genzen@aruplab.com) or ASCP RISE staff Jay Wagner (jay.wagner@ascp.org).
Call for Contributions to the AACC Pearls of Laboratory Medicine
The ACLPS Education Committee is calling for volunteers to contribute to the AACC Pearls of Laboratory Medicine, a series of free (and brief) educational PowerPoints for trainees in Laboratory Medicine around the world. Please visit https://www.aacc.org/clinical-chemistry-trainee-council and contact the Education Committee Chair (Angella Charnot-Katsikas; angella.charnot-katsikas@uchospitals.edu) for more information and Pearl guidelines.
REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS
ACLPS is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Ellis Benson Award and the 2020 Gerald T. Evans Award.
The Ellis Benson Award is presented annually to a young physician and/or scientist (member or non-member) of the Academy in recognition of meritorious accomplishments in the field of Laboratory Medicine. Nominees must either be under 45 years of age by July 1, 2020 or within 10 years of completion of clinical training.
The Gerald T. Evans Award is presented annually to an ACLPS member for outstanding leadership and/or service to the society. Names of past awardees can be found on the ACLPS website at www.aclps.org.
Please submit award nominations by December 15, 2019 with the name of your nominee(s), a current CV, and a detailed letter with the reasons why they deserve the award to: Kelli Gard at ACLPS@aruplab.com
In addition, we are requesting nominations for several leadership positions to be elected at the 2020 Lab Medicine meeting. Self-nominations are welcome. The positions available are:
President-Elect
The elected individual will serve a four-year term as President-elect, President, Immediate Past-President, and Past-President.
Executive Council
Member-at-Large (2 positions): The elected individuals will serve a three-year term.
Secretary-Treasurer
The elected individual will serve a three-year term.
Nominating and Awards Committee
Member-at-Large: The elected individual will serve a three-year term.
Education Committee
Member-at-Large (3 positions): The elected individuals will serve a three-year term.
Membership Committee
Member-at-Large: The elected individual will serve a three-year term.
Website Committee
Chair: The elected individual will serve a three-year term.
Website Committee
Member-at-Large: The elected individual will serve a three-year term.
Nominations for the above positions are due on December 15, 2019. Send the name of your nominee(s) along with a current CV to Kelli Gard at ACLPS@aruplab.com on behalf of Neal Lindeman, Chair, Nominating and Awards Committee.
2020 LAB MEDICINE
The 55th ACLPS Annual Meeting will be hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City from Thursday, May 28th, through Saturday, May 30th, 2020. The meeting organizers are developing a broad educational and scientific program, aimed at providing innovative sessions that encompass clinical pathology and laboratory medicine. Topic areas include transfusion medicine, clinical pathology informatics, laboratory medicine considerations for the lesbian-gay-bisexual–transgender–queer patient population, medical student and resident education in laboratory medicine, and basic science and laboratory medicine for cystic fibrosis.
Events that highlight the ACLPS focus on early career scientists will include the Young Investigator Awards Program oral and poster sessions, research presentations by recipients of the Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Grant, and the Ellis Benton Award and lecture.
In addition to a stimulating scientific program, the local hosts enthusiastically welcome attendees to Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa undergraduate and graduate campuses. The Graduate Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Iowa City has been selected as the conference hotel and will be the location for scientific and educational sessions as well as attendee lodging. The nearby Hotel Vetro will be the location for the Thursday evening welcome reception and will also provide some attendee lodging. The hotel is approximately 30 minutes from the Cedar Rapids Airport. On Friday, ACLPS attendees will have the opportunity to tour the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics before the ACLPS Awards Banquet, which will be held at Rapid Creek Cidery in Wilson’s Orchard.
The local hosts and planning committee are working to create a Lab Medicine 2020 website to provide online access to registration, program, and travel information. Visit the ACLPS homepage to find a link later this year. For questions about the meeting, please contact local co-hosts Matthew Krasowski (matthew-krasowski@uiowa.edu) and Stacey Klutts (stacey-klutts@uiowa.edu).
It is our pleasure to welcome you to Iowa City for the 2020 ACLPS meeting!
Lab Medicine 2020
55th Annual Meeting
May 28—30th, 2020
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Call for ACLPS Newsletter Editor
ACLPS is currently searching for a newsletter editor. If you are an active member who has an interest in design and publishing, please contact ACLPS President Dr. Stacey Klutts at: stacey-klutts@uiowa.edu
ACADEMY OF CLINICAL LABORATORY PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS
Our academy was founded in 1966 and currently has active affiliations with 70 of the approximately 150 academic and community training centers that train pathology residents in clinical pathology.
From its origin, it has followed the mission statement of being dedicated to the advancement of teaching and scholarship in laboratory medicine.
ACADEMY OF CLINICAL LABORATORY PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS
E-mail: ACLPS@ARUPLAB.COM