Houston – We Didn’t Have a Problem!

Having just returned from the Clinical Laboratory Management Association’s (CLMA) “ThinkLab ‘07” conference in Houston, Texas, USA, I thought I’d write about this very positive experience while it is still fresh in my mind.  Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute was well represented at the conference and received significant recognition from CLMA as a major educational sponsor.  I want to publicly thank our talented and dedicated volunteers who presented some of the best attended break-out sessions at the conference:

• “Laboratory Documents: Development and Control,” Lucia Berte, Laboratories Made Better, PC
• “Ensuring Laboratory Specimens,” Dennis Ernst, Center for Phlebotomy Education, Inc.
• “Non-Conforming Events Management,” Lucia Berte
• “Using Proficiency Testing to Improve the Clinical Laboratory,” Jennifer Schiffgens, California Pacific Medical Center, and Dan Tholen, American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
• “Estimating Risk: Maximizing Patient Safety,” co-presented by the following:
  Joe Boone, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Tina Krenc, ADD Core R&D, Life Sciences Abbott Diagnostics
  Rick Miller, BD Diagnostic Systems
  Don Powers, Powers Consulting Services
  Shirley Weber, University of Kansas

In addition to our volunteer presenters, it was refreshing to meet so many CLSI supporters and interested attendees who stopped by our exhibit booth. Special thanks go out to Lucia Berte for spending several hours in the CLSI booth in our “Meet the Expert” sessions.

I cannot thank our dedicated volunteers often enough for their ongoing support, but at CLMA they set a new benchmark.  In terms of preparation, travel, and meeting time, their commitment easily surpassed 300 hours.  This enabled CLSI to increase the visibility and value of our standards and guidelines in a high-profile educational venue.

I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore, Maryland at our Leadership Conference and Workshop in just a couple of weeks. 

Glen

P.S. Please check our website at www.clsi.org to learn about the continuing education credit opportunities being offered for the Leadership Conference Workshop. [ return to top ]