CSCC News March 2015

CA N A D I A N SO C I E T Y O F

CL I N I C A L CH E M I S T S

LA SO C I É T É CA N A D I E N N E DE S

CL I N I C O-CH I M I S T E S

CA N A D I A N SO C I E T Y O F

CL I N I C A L CH E M I S T S

LA SO C I É T É CA N A D I E N N E DE S

CL I N I C O-CH I M I S T E S

P.O. Box 1570 • Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5C8 Canada • 613.531.8899 • offi [email protected]

Vol. 57 No. 2 March 2015 ISSN 0826-1024

Liz with CSCC Presidents

Elizabeth Hooper

Changing of the Guard at the CSCC Offi ce: Best wishes to Elizabeth Hooper on Her Retirement and Welcome to Pamela Lyons as the New CSCC Executive Director

Farewell and Thank-you to Elizabeth Hooper!As most of you know Elizabeth (Liz)

Hooper has recently retired after 26 years of service as the CSCC Executive Director. She will continue to be involved with Events Management Plus, however Pamela (Pam) Lyons will be taking the reigns as CSCC Executive Director in March 2015.

To mark this occasion some of the former CSCC presidents have shared their memories of working with Liz over the years.

David W. KinniburghCSCC President (2013-2015):

I fi rst got to know Liz when I became CSCC Treasurer in 2002. There was a steep learning curve for someone without an accounting background and Liz was a constant and patient resource as I learned about debits and credits. Liz was instrumental in helping to reorganize the Treasurer’s position in order to reduce the bookkeeping load and prioritize the oversight role, as we see it today.

When I came back to CSCC Council as President-Elect (2011) and then President in (2013), I was pleased to see Liz continue in the role of Executive Director and took constant advantage of her strong organizational skills, sound advice and extensive corporate memory. As President it was even clearer to me what an important and signifi cant role Liz played to represent our society to our members, colleagues, and the general public in a responsive, knowledgeable and professional manner. Her dedication and commitment to the CSCC, to our members and to our profession is something that all who have served on Council can attest to. Indeed, Liz’s contributions to the CSCC over her career are probably unmatched.

Over the last year and a half, I had regular telephone meetings with Liz regarding CSCC business and was clearly the better in my role as President for her consultation and gentle reminders of things I needed to do.

I have but one regret in all my years of working with Liz – I was never able to get her to call me Dave instead of Dr. Kinniburgh.

She was the consummate professional. We will all miss Liz and her energy and enthusiasm but, as always, Liz has taken care of us and left us in the capable hands of Pamela Lyons.

Edward RandellCSCC President (2011-2013):

I appreciate this opportunity to recognize Liz Hooper as she transitions to retirement.

For many of us, it is hard to imagine a CSCC without Liz as Executive Director, as her tenure extends back before many of us were aware of CSCC or considered clinical biochemistry as a career. Through the many years of change within CSCC and CACB, Liz has remained a constant- helping to keep longer term goals on track, and assisting with accomplishing shorter term ones. It was a pleasure to have been part of this, to have worked with her on council and on other projects since.

I most respect Liz for her tact and professionalism-she is an excellent team member and role model. I also admire her dedication to the interests of the society which she has kept as high priority among other interests. Based on the “sent times” on many of her emails, the society’s business seemed an almost 24/7 occupation.

Her dedication to the society and academy has been exceptional. This was duly recognized through awarding of one of our society’s greatest honors in 2008, Award for Outstanding Contribution, but this dedication has by no means waned since then. The present day success of our society and meetings are at least in part products of her dedication and exceptional organizational skills.

Liz’s retirement certainly leaves the society at a loss in many ways. Hence, like many of our current retired and emeritus members have done, I hope that her retirement also permits her time to remain connected with the society, through continuing friendships and input in our society’s continued work.

Most of all I wish her every success and happiness.

CSCC News • March 20152

Elizabeth and Pamela together in business at Events & Management Plus Inc. Head Offi ce, 1996

Pamela Lyons

Edward YoungCSCC President (2009-2011):

I remember the first time I met Liz Hooper. I was the editor of CSCC News at that time. In the "good old days" before the internet, the editor had to solicit the articles and ads, plan the layout and to take each prepared version to the Head Offi ce that was located in Toronto. When Liz and Events & Management Plus Inc. took over,

I was shocked to fi nd out that I would now have to take a bus trip to Kingston with each issue of the Newsletter. Fortunately, I had to take only one such trip. I met Liz in Kingston and she arranged that I can use slow mail and fax instead of a lengthy commute. That was the beginning of our long and enjoyable friendship.

Congratulations and enjoy your retirement.

Sherry L. PerkinsCSCC President (2005-2007):

As Liz Hooper steps down as our Executive Director, it is a bitter-sweet moment for many “veterans” on team CSCC!

For over 26 years, I have had the pleasure of watching Liz function as part “general manager”, part “coach”, part “team psychologist” and part “scout” for our storied franchise. A consummate professional, she has been an outstanding ambassador for our organization and profession.

Unlike some of the great hockey dynasties, over her tenure, Liz did not have the luxury of working with one or two “captains”. She instead had the pleasure (? challenge) of breaking in a new CSCC President every two years. I have always suspected that over the years, unbeknownst to us, Liz put the in-coming CSCC President through her own “training camp”, thus quietly and subtly setting us up for success.

As a CSCC President and “on –ice” captain, I knew Liz always had my back and never hesitated to (fi guratively) get her elbows up if the game got tough. Her guidance and advice on when to activate the “power play” (e.g. addressing our fi nancial challenges in 2005-2007) and when to put in the “defensive trap” in our relationships with government, regulatory and other professional organizations was invaluable.

Finally, I will cherish my very fond memories of the CSCC 50th anniversary which I had the privilege of overseeing with Liz. I had no idea when I accepted the nomination to be the CSCC President that I would fi nd myself at center ice in the equivalent of the 7th game of the Stanley Cup championship! Throughout our 50th anniversary preparations and celebrations, it was very reassuring to look down the bench and see Liz Hooper with a perfect game plan ready for execution.

A very big and personal thank you Liz for all of your support, wisdom and good humour!

Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!

David W. SeccombeCSCC President (1995-1997):

The readers of this newsletter may think that the President and Board members of the CSCC are responsible for overseeing the

affairs of the Society. May I let you in on a secret? The CSCC is actually run by Liz Hooper and it is through her stewardship that the society is what it is today.

Thank you Liz for your thoughtful guidance over the years. You are “one of a kind” and a true gem. Enjoy your retirement – you deserve it.

I wish you good health, happiness and joy always.

Welcome to Pamela Lyons!Pamela (Pam) Lyons is a senior association manager and

meeting planner with 20 years of experience working with not-for-profi t organizations on large and small events. As the administrative lead for not-for-profi t professional organizations, Pam has been involved in all aspects of association management, including membership services, event coordination, support of leadership groups, strategic planning, fi nancial management, publications and communications. Pam has also coordinated events on local, provincial, national, and international levels, in a multitude of venues and locales, which has provided her with wide-ranging experience in this area.

Prior to entering the association management and meeting planning fi elds, Pam worked in the fi nancial fi eld and developed an in-depth understanding of the fi nancial side of project management. She began her current career at Events & Management Plus Inc. as manager of the fi nancial department of the company, where she expanded her knowledge base to include expertise in fi nancial management of not-for-profi t organizations, including the initial budgeting process, ongoing cost control, and fi nancial reporting.

Pam is currently Vice-President and co-owner of Events & Management Plus Inc., a successful association management company which provides administrative management and event planning services to national and international societies, of which CSCC/CACB is a long-standing and valued client.

Pam has been working with the CSCC and CACB for many years in all functions and has been present at Council and Board meetings and annual conferences since 1997. She has worked with retiring Executive Director Liz Hooper on CSCC and CACB activities since that time and has learned about the Society from the ground up.

CSCC welcomes Pam as the new Executive Director!

Report from WinterCSCC Council MeetingThe second meeting of CSCC council was held on January 17, 2015 in Toronto ON.

CSCC and Other Professional GroupsDr. David Kinniburgh’s President's Report report started with

many updates on CSCC interactions with other professional groups. Drs. Hill and Kinniburgh have been working towards

developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Clinical Biochemists (ACB) in the UK. The Memorandum of

CSCC News • March 2015 3

Understanding with ACB would offer reciprocal member level meeting registration rates for CSCC/ACB members, and member rates for journal subscriptions. Additionally, there would be reciprocal lectureships at annual meetings and support for other shared educational activities.

The Siemens neurodegenerative disease IFCC joint meeting held in Toronto in October 2014 was the fi rst opportunity CSCC has had to do a collaborative meeting with IFCC for quite a number of years and IFCC was pleased with the turnout. Thank you to all society members who helped to locally advertise this meeting at their institutions.

Dr. Kinniburgh met with the AACC executive in Chicago last summer at the AACC annual meeting to initiate discussions on creating a North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (NAFCC) for representation on the IFCC executive board. The IFCC has changed the representation on their executive board to be based on a representation from each participating federation. This will go into effect in 2018. Each federation will vote on their representative. Dr. Kinniburgh has agreed to be the fi rst representative for the 2015-2017 initial co-opt period and will provide a report twice per year to CSCC/AACC on behalf of the North American Federation on updates with IFCC. The membership on the IFCC executive board will then alternate in 3 year cycles between AACC and CSCC representatives, coinciding with the 3 year IFCC executive election cycle.

2014 CSCC Town Hall Meeting was a Success!Based on the success of the Town Hall meeting at the

2014 CSCC annual meeting, there will also be a Town Hall meeting in 2015.

We are soliciting suggested topics for discussion with the plan to announce them in the May edition of the CSCC newsletter.

Update on Upcoming CSCC meetingsDr. Andrew Lyon, President Elect, gave an update on plans

for upcoming CSCC meetings. The Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC) 2015

will be the fourth CSCC/CAP joint meeting (June 21-24, Montreal QC). Drs. Venner, Oleschuk, Booth and Seiden Long have been working with the head offi ce to make posters for this year’s CSCC meeting available electronically. This is a pilot project – stay tuned for updates!

Based on the historical success of these joint meetings, the society will be doing a joint meeting with the Canadian College of Medical Geneticist (CCMG) in 2016 (June 19-22, Edmonton AB) and the Intersociety Agreement for this meeting has been approved by council. The 2017 CSCC meeting will be a joint meeting with the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) in San Diego, CA.

Treasurer’s Report Dr. Ivan Blasutig’s report contained good news for our Society.

We continue to maintain a solid fi nancial picture for 2015, and this year there will be an increased number of travel awards to help support Trainees in Clinical Chemistry to attend our annual meeting. Siemens will sponsor 4 awards at $1500, and CSCC will sponsor an additional 4 travel grants for $1000. Full fi nancials will be presented to society members at the CSCC AGM this summer.

CACB Oral Exam ‘Boot Camp’Dr. Stephen Hill is organizing an exam prep “Boot Camp”

this spring (April 11-12, 2015) for trainees in Clinical Chemistry to get some practise prior to taking their oral exams this summer. The weekend course has had a tremendous turnout of volunteer faculty (10 faculty total), to examine candidates for 3-5 oral “practise” exams over the weekend. It is shaping up to be a very solid program and CSCC council has approved funding to subsidize any additional costs to ensure that this initiative can be successful in its pilot stage this year.

Education and Scientifi c Affairs Division Update

Dr. Allison Venner presented the updates from the Education and Scientifi c Affairs division. We have had a new committee structure for our education roundtables this year. Adding the Critical Care and Cardiovascular Disease Lectureships into our roundtable schedule this year has had positive feedback. This year's Traveling Lectureship series was well received, and the sites liked to have 2 different presentations to choose from. This year’s Cardiovascular Disease Lectureship sponsored by Alere was held on Feb 26, 2015 and the speaker was Dr. Todd Anderson presenting a Canadian perspective on the new American guidelines for non-acute cardiovascular disease. The Critical Care Lectureship sponsored by IL Instrumentation was held on Feb 12, 2015 and the speaker was Dr. Colleen Kraft on the topic of Experience of Ebola Cases at Emory University Hospital. Both of these recorded lectureships will be available on the members' section of the website if you have missed them.

Professional Affairs Division UpdateDr. Julie Shaw, head of the Professional Affairs division has

been working on a professional defi nition for Clinical Biochemists with the aim to have it fi nalized April 2015.

Dr. Shaw thanked Dr. Kulasingam for her recent assistance with the 2015 Salary survey. Results are now in and will be posted on the CSCC website soon.

We have had some updates from Dr. Vandenbroucke’s work with Infoway. Infoway has requested that the CSCC reviews reporting units for various general and special chemistry analytes. The committee submitted a list of recommended reporting units for various TDM/Toxicology analytes to Infoway for publication in the next version of pCLOCD in January 2015. The list is based on recommendations by a panel of reviewers from the CSCC.

Publications DivisionDr. Curtis Oleschuk has been taking a look at the Publications

division portfolio and noted that the scope has expanded past publications and it will be part of the CSCC strategic plan to look at rebranding this division to encompass communications in general. He conveyed a warm welcome to our new web editor Dr. Mohamed Abou El Hassan who will be putting together a steering committee to look at developing better tools for trainees on the CSCC website.

The CSCC newsletter has been moved to public area of the website.

Submitted by: Dr. Isolde Seiden Long


CACB 2nd Board MeetingThe CACB Board met on January 17th in Toronto.

Dr. Sheila Boss presided the meeting and all members of the board participated in the discussions. Several issues including the CACB-OCQ agreement, maintenance of competence, accreditation and training and certifi cation were discussed.

CACB-OCQ HarmonizationThe CACB OCQ harmonization has made great strides.

The Joint Committee has worked hard to fi nalize the Terms Of Reference (TOR) following translation they will be forwarded to the OCQ lawyer to ensure consistency with the 2010 harmonization agreement and the OCQ By-laws. As a result of the harmonization with the OCQ, the CACB has already received applications from 10 candidates for certifi cation and fellowship and from 2 candidates for fellowship this year.

The joint OCQ-CACB committee has decided that the questions of the Oral Examination would be reviewed by both the OCQ and the CACB examining committees in advance. The OCQ has also completed a review of their SOP for the candidate examination, and an English translation has been posted on the CACB website.

A few recommendations were also made regarding training programs that include expanding the trainee experience through cross-training, creating a program guide for development of training programs, developing a process to measure and ensure depth of educational content and adding clarifi cation of Program Director qualifi cations (being a CSCC Member and a CACB Fellow or having an assistant director who is a CACB Fellow).

Accreditation and TrainingTo help the program directors the CACB will develop a

Program Guide to provide guidelines on a number of issues including guidelines for training, a process for the evaluation of the program director and an annual report describing the program’s goals and successes.

Maintenance of Competence The recommendations of the PD Credit task force have been

implemented, and effective January 1, 2015, the changes to the PD categories have taken effect on the program website. A “Helpful Hints” article was published in the CSCC News January 2015 Issue.

The CACB accredited 7 meetings this past year as well as 4 Lectureships and Roundtables. An online application module for meeting accreditation is now available. The online form has mandatory fi elds to ensure that all the required information is submitted. Applicants who wish to use it can contact the Head Offi ce and they will be provided with access to the online application module.

Submitted by - Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou

There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills: Data Mining the LISMatthew PA Henderson PhD, FCACB

Clinical Biochemist, EORLA

1. Evidence Based Decision MakingAn enjoyable and important aspect of laboratory medicine

is providing insight and evidence to our clinical and operations colleagues. Many decisions we need to make in the clinical biochemistry laboratory benefi t from access to data that refl ects practice in our institution. As Clinical Biochemists we are in the enviable position of having access to laboratory information system (LIS) data and the domain expertise to interpret it. Gaining insight from LIS data is not always easy. However, the reward can include increased profi le, credibility and research opportunities.

The process of distilling insight from the LIS can be an enjoyable or frustrating process. In my experience the difference is often in the approach taken and the tools used. In this article I will provide some tips and examples for improving your data analysis workfl ow. This article will also provide some recommendations on tools and approaches for LIS data analysis, as always your mileage may vary. Hopefully, you will come away with a few useful suggestions for the next time you have some data analysis to perform.

The enjoyment of one's tools is an essential ingredient of successful work. Donald Knuth, Computer Scientist, Turing Award Winner.

2. Measure Twice Cut OnceIn data analysis it is very useful to consider where you want

to end up before you start. Who is the audience? What decision is being made based on this information? What information will be required prior to making the decision?

The planning phase will help clarify what data is needed and the analysis that should be done. That said, exploratory data analysis once you have the data in hand is an important and useful component of refi ning your question.

In a research project signifi cant effort is invested in formulating the research question. Some times this essential step is overlooked in a "one-off" data analysis project. A clearly defi ned question will help guide data collection and analysis. The more is learned about the topic the more focused a question will become.

The initial question to be addressed is often vague i.e. Can we discontinue urine myoglobin testing?

Research into the issue will lead to a more defi ned question i.e. Is creatine kinase a suitable replacement for urine myoglobin in suspected rhabdomyolysis?

3. Data Collection and Management (Storage and Archiving)

Direct access to your LIS allows for a trial and error approach to data collection. In many cases the Clinical Biochemists do not


Patient Fields Physician Fields Analyte Fields Sample Fields

ID number ID number name location

date of birth name result encounter

sex specialty fl ags reference interval verifi cation date-time ordered date-time comments received data-time priority

Table 1. List of fi elds that addresses most data analysis needs of a clinical laboratory

have the access to query the LIS directly. In this situation it is best to ask for more fi elds than you will need. Over time we have created a generic query at the Ottawa Hospital that has been used to address many questions. The advantage of this approach is that you or your LIS team only needs to write a single query, subsequent data extraction will only require modifi cation of the date range and the selected test(s) (Table 1).

Often there are a number of options for the format of LIS extracts. Delimited plain text such as comma separated values (CSV) format is a very simple fi le format that is not prone to corruption. Plain text CSV fi les can be read by most spreadsheet softwares, statistical analysis packages and databases.

When storing and working with data from the LIS it is very important to be in compliance with your institutions data privacy policy. There is rarely the need to collect patient names or addresses for the sake of laboratory focused data analysis. Even without patient identifi ers the data extracts must be stored on a password protected and encrypted hard drive. Physical security should not be ignored. A secure offi ce workstation is more preferable than a laptop or portable drive.

A password-protected and encrypted directory of systematically named CSV fi les is a completely acceptable approach to data management. However, the output of LIS queries can become large, and at some point it may become worthwhile to use a local Structured Query Language (SQL) database to organize your data extracts. The joining, fi ltering and aggregation capabilities of an SQL database are very useful even with single data table. If you fi nd yourself in need of a local SQL database I highly recommend the open source cross platform SQLite database (www.sqlite.org) and Sqlite Browser graphical interface (www.sqlitebrowser.org).

4. Data Analysis

Formatting and Manipulating Data Prior to Analysis

A signifi cant proportion of data analysis is spent cleaning and preparing the data. Unlike much of the data Clinical Biochemists are required to analyse and interpret, LIS extracts are generally well formatted for data analysis (1).

In well-formatted data: • Each variable forms a column. • Each observation forms a row. • Each type of observational unit forms a table.

Well-formatted data is easy to manipulate and analyse. There are four fundamental types of manipulation of well-formatted data (1):

• Filter: subsetting or removing observations based on some condition

• Transform: adding or modifying variables. These modifi cations can involve single (square root) or multiple variables (difference)

• Aggregate: reducing multiple values into a single value (i.e. summing or fi nding the mean)

• Sort: changing the order of observations

Much of the analysis that is required for the laboratory can be accomplished with a combination of the above methods.

One commonly used data transformation involves fi nding an informative denominator. In many situations raw aggregates such as counts and means do not provide much insight. Transforming the data via a relevant denominator is a simple way to provide meaningful information. A unit of time is a commonly used denominator resulting in a rate. However, examination of phenomena by location, physician and patient encounter can also be informative. For example, hemolysis data may show that the emergency department has the highest number of hemolysed samples per day. Due to differences in the total number of samples collected, it may be more informative to determine the percentage of hemolysed samples in the emergency department compared to other locations.

Confi rmation of Suitability of Data for the Proposed Analysis

During the course of data analysis it is essential to confi rm that your data is suitable for the proposed analysis. In the case of data extracted from the LIS it is unlikely that that the data is "wrong". It is more likely that the assumptions made about the data are incorrect. This can happen when LIS staff are asked to execute a complex query based on vague requirements. Graphical summaries such as histograms, box-plots and scatter plots along with tabular summaries of the data set are the best way to ensure that the data set contains the information you think it does. This is where a Clinical Biochemist's domain expertise is very useful. Understanding the underlying processes that generate the data set


Figure 1. Serum creatinine kinase concentration by urine myoglobin result in 128 TOH patients

Figure 1. Serum creatinine kinase concentration by urine myoglobin result in 128 TOH patients

helps test assumptions about the data set. Sometimes the results of data analysis are contrary to our perceptions and it is always advisable to vet these fi ndings thoroughly.

Refi ning Data Analysis

The tools and techniques described here benefi t greatly from refi ning your analysis iteratively and reproducibly. The key to iterative and reproducible data analysis is an executable record of the analysis. Many environments for data analysis provide a means of executing code. Some environments such as Minitab and SPSS create a code record of menu selections. While it is not generally necessary to create fully automated data analysis pipelines, there is often the need to modify the analysis as our understanding of the data or question changes. When analysis is scripted, this form of iterative refi nement is simply a matter of making the required edits to the script and rerunning the analysis from the source data. The script and the raw data are a complete record of the analysis, which can then be reproduced at a later date. Finally, we often have to carry out similar types of analysis for different data sets. In this event, pieces of a previous script can be reused in subsequent projects.

5. An Example of Laboratory Data AnalysisAnalysis of LIS data is very useful when the laboratory

considers discontinuing a test. Discontinuing a laboratory test involves collecting evidence that the test is no longer medically necessary and communicating this information to users. The LIS is an obvious source of information on the frequency of orders, the distribution of results, and determining which clinicians order the test.

The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) Biochemistry Laboratory decided to discontinue urine myoglobin based on a very good evidence in the literature that serum CK can replace urine myoglobin in the investigation of suspected rhabdomyolysis (2,3). Even with this excellent evidence in place there was a request to analyse local data. As a result of local data analysis, the following fi gure was created to summarize the relationship between CK and urine myoglobin (Figure 1).

The following approach was used to create Figure 1: 1. The generic data extract from Table 1 was fi ltered into two

tables containing: patient ID, verifi cation date and time, test name and test result. One table contained urine myoglobin data and the other CK data.

2. The tables were joined based on patient ID and verifi cation date.

3. The rows were fi ltered where the difference between the verifi cation time for the two tests was greater than two hours.

4. The box and whisker plot was created with the ordinal urine myoglobin result on the x-axis with the corresponding quantitative serum CK value on the y-axis.

The results of this local data analysis supported the published fi ndings that serum creatinine kinase of 5000 U/L is a more sensitive indicator of rhabdomyolysis than a positive urine myoglobin result. Our clinicians found it valuable to see how serum CK and urine myoglobin are related in the local patient population.

As Clinical Biochemists we are in the unique position of having access to LIS data extracts and understanding the clinical laboratory. Extracting useful information from the LIS can be diffi cult and rewarding. Our fi eld has often lead the charge to greater effi ciency through increased automation of lab testing. The result is an enormous amount of data. Clinical Biochemistry can also lead the way as an important resource for analysing and making sense of information that is needed in quality management, operations support and research.

References

1. Wickham H, Tidy Data. J Statistical Software. 2014 2. Rodríguez-Capote K, Balion CM, Hill SA, Cleve R,

Yang L, El Sharif A. Utility of urine myoglobin for the prediction of acute renal failure in patients with suspected rhabdomyolysis: a systematic review. Clin Chem. 2009

3. Bosch X, Poch E, Grau J. Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. N Engl J Med. 2009.


Some months ago while still Editor of CSCC News, Dr. Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon, Chairperson of the 2015 Annual National Conference requested this column take a look back at the three prime movers who participated

in the founding of our Society in 1956: Drs. Edward H. Bensley and Wiilliam S. Bauld, at Montreal General Hospital (MGH) and Dr. Abram H. Neufeld, at Queen Mary Verterans' Hospital. Dr. Sanfaçon remarked that I [AC] am “one of the few” still around who knew these men and could perhaps bring them to life with some little anecdotes that did not necessarily deal with the positions they held within the newly born Society, and their numerous professional awards, but rather with more personal attributes. I am not sure I am able to achieve that, but a replay of the contributions these individuals made in CSCC’s earliest days will underline how important they are in our history. While I am not a founding member, (surprise, surprise!) having joined CSCC only in 1958, I will try to fulfi ll Mary-Ann’s request in both this column and the next. However, I will also include some basic facts about each as I feel they bear repeating. I will fi rst introduce to our younger readers Drs. Bensley and Bauld, and in the next issue of the newsletter, Drs. Neufeld and David B. Tonks. While Dr. Tonks was working at the Laboratory of Hygiene in Ottawa in 1956 when he was invited to give the keynote talk at the founding meeting, it was only a few years later that he accepted a position at MGH and had the major part of his career there.

Dr. Edward Bensley (1906 - 1995)

Dr. Bensley, a Torontonian, obtained his M.D. from the University of Toronto in 1930 and then moved to Montreal to do his internship at MGH. Quoting from CSCC News (Oct. 1979, 21,#5:2), “his active connection extended over a period of 31 years” in the Dept. of Metabolism, becoming its Director in 1947 and Consulting Physician in 1961, with appointments at McGill also held onwards from 1932 in Medicine, Experimental Medicine, Toxicology and Metabolism, and the McGill University Medical Clinic. When CSCC formally came into existence at the 1st Annual Meeting in Ottawa in October, 1957, Dr. Bensley was named its fi rst President (at that time for one year, in contrast to the two-year term of offi ce nowadays). While not listing awards in this particular column, I do wish to comment that in 1979 CSCC’s 23rd annual meeting in Montreal was combined with the spring meeting of the Upstate NY Section of the AACC and the fi nal meeting of the now-defunct Quebec Association of Hospital Biochemists (ABHQ); this meeting was called a Joint Congress on Clinical Chemistry, and each association chose one individual for a special prize, “an original sculpture by a well-known Quebec sculptor, Yves Trudeau” as I (then the Editor) stated in the August 1979 issue of CSCC News. After his term as President of CSCC,

The Archives Corner

Caption: Edward H. Bensley (left) being presented with the Special CSCC Award by David Tonks (right) while President Marc Francoeur looks on.

Dr. Bensley took a back-seat in our young Society, although he certainly stayed in touch. He became an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at McGill in 1977, and then Honorary Osler Librarian of the Osler Library at McGill 1979-92 as well as Editor of the Osler Library Newsletter.

Dr. William S. Bauld (1919 - 1958)

Dr. Bauld, a Maritimer, obtained his M.D. at McGill University in 1949 after serving during World War II and achieving the rank of Major. He then went to Scotland, to study for his Ph.D. under Dr. Guy Marrian at Edinburgh University where he “established his international reputation as an authority on estrogens”, and returned to Montreal in 1954 to take up a position as Assistant Director in the Dept. of Metabolism and Toxicology at MGH, plus an appointment as Lecturer in Medicine and Clinical Medicine at McGill. In 1957 he was promoted to Associate Director of the Dept. at MGH and Assistant Professor at McGill.

CSCC members who have the 2006 archival set of DVDs that contain the interviews with slightly over one dozen founding and senior members videotaped in the years leading up to the 50th anniversary of CSCC in 2006 may recall that Dr. Bauld was Dr. Givner’s Supervisor for his M.Sc. degree from 1954 to ‘56 and then for his Ph.D. program until Dr. Bauld’s tragic death in 1958. Dr. Ronald Hobkirk then became Dr. Givner’s Ph.D. Supervisor until his graduation in 1959. Dr. Givner describes Dr. Bauld as “a well-organized and very hard-working clinical chemist...a straight-shooter who would let you know if you are performing or not performing well...a charming man”.

In July, 1958, mere weeks after CSCC’s 3rd annual meeting held at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, the shocking news was received of the tragic car accident near Sussex, NB, which took the lives of Dr. Bauld, his wife and two of their children, with only two other children surviving. I was working under Dr. Eleanor Harpur at the Montreal Children’s Hospital at that time, and I remember vividly how white Dr. Harpur’s face was after she had taken the phone call relaying to her the dreadful news.

Dr. Bensley paid tribute to Dr. Bauld at the 1959 annual meeting held in Toronto, and this was re-printed by CSCC News Edtior Dr. Andrew MacRae in 1984 in the newsletter’s 25th year of regular publication, and again in my own 2006 “Highlights” article in the special issue of Clinical Biochemistry when CSCC was celebrating its 50th anniversary: “The Society was born in the fall of 1957 at a meeting in Ottawa. However, it was conceived long


before that by Bill Bauld and without his energy and interest that meeting would not have been held. It is true that I was Chairman of the Organizational Committee and later fi rst President of the Society; but Bill Bauld was the real leader, not I. If any one person deserves the name of Founder it is Dr. Bauld. In a Resolution adopted by the Montreal General Hospital, we said that the hospital is forever in his debt. This is true also of the Canadian Society for Clinical Chemistry”. Dr. Tonks became the second Secretary of CSCC after Dr. Bauld’s passing, and similarly gave a brief eulogy in what we now call Newsletter No. 1 in 1959.

Dr. Arlene CroweMember, Archives Committee

Countdown to the 2015 Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (June 20-24, 2015) in Montreal, Quebec.

This summer will mark the fourth the annual joint meeting of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemistry (CSCC) and the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP). Here is a preview of the topics that have been selected for the four symposia. The moderators that have been busy selecting speakers and we have an exciting program waiting for all the delegates joining us in Montreal this summer.

Symposium Monday AM, June 22, 2015. Clinical Biology and Preventative Medicine. Moderator for the symposium: Mathieu Provencal

This symposium will review different strategies and new biomarkers within the clinical laboratory which can assist both patients and doctors in achieving disease prevention. The speakers will review the recent data on disease epidemiology and discuss how good and bad habits could impact the quality of life for patients

The three speakers for this symposium will be:Dr. Martin Juneau (Director, Prevention Chief, Prevention

Service, Department of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute)Dr. Richard Beliveau (Director, Molecular Medicine

Laboratory, Researcher, Department of Neurosurgery, Notre-Dame Hospital)

Dr. David Katz (Yale University School of Medicine)

Symposium Monday PM, June 22, 2015. Clinical Biochemistry of Extreme Physiological Conditions. Moderator for the symposium : Alexandre Benoit.

What can we consider extreme physiological conditions? Are abnormal results, in fact, considered normal while being in extreme environmental or physical conditions? This symposium aims to discuss specifi c extreme or extraordinary conditions that infl uence normal physiology and to identify what and how these parameters

may infl uence clinical follow-up.Dr. Marc Poulin is Professor of Physiology in the Faculties

of Medicine (departments of Physiology & Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences) and kinesiology and member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, at the University of Calgary. He holds the Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Alzheimer Research. He leads a graduate training specialization program in mountain medicine and high altitude physiology. He will aim to identify the consequences of intermittent hypoxemia in the patient with long standing obstructive sleep apnea; explain the effects of acute exposure to intermittent hypoxemia (molecular and physiological) in otherwise healthy young adults. He will assess the implications of above fi ndings to high altitude workers who travel from sea level to high altitude for work. Given the current questioning of both the benefi ts (to performance) and the (cardiovascular) risks of prolonged intermittent hypoxemia, it seems important to determine for each individual when the risks might exceed the benefi ts.

Dr. Michel White is Professor of Medicine at Université de Montréal and Director of the Research Program in Heart Failure at the Montreal Heart Institute. He holds the Carolyn and Richard Renaud Research Chair in Heart Failure. Dr. White also plays a pivotal role in some humanitarian and extreme physical adventures fi rsts (he reached the summit of Mont Blanc alongside with the fi rst organ transplant recipient to do so; He brought 2 transplant recipients above 6000m in Bolivia; He reached both the North and South Pole with a heart transplant recipient). He will review the impact of chronic and intense exercise on physiological responses and on biomarkers. He will identify the changes in biochemistry parameters associated with the marathon and Ironman challenges. He will present the impact of training and conditioning on those responses.

Dr. Kathleen A. McMonigal is Director of Clinical Laboratories for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Tx. She oversees astronaut and occupational medicine laboratory testing at NASA. She is past chair of NASA’s Institutional Review Board. Her clinical laboratory team supports operational and research activities in the NASA space fl ight program. She will review how the medical team (with emphasis on clinical laboratory) supports space fl ight missions, identify the effects of long-duration space fl ight on the human body and discuss international cooperation in the Space Program. The presentation will include introduction to biomarker detection technologies, including hardware and devices that may be deployed on future space fl ight missions.

Symposium Tuesday AM, June 23, 2015. The future of Point of Care Testing- what a revolution! Moderator for the symposium: Nathalie Lepage

This symposium will present the latest developments related to some of the preanalytical and analytical aspects of POCT. Four speakers will present the most recent development in selected aspects of an ever-growing fi eld of testing.

Dr. Julie Shaw (University of Ottawa) will present “Overview of POCT in Canada”. POCT has been implemented in Canada slowly, starting with glucose meters in most institutions. Dr Shaw, in her role of the chair of the CSCC POCT interest group, will be able to provide the overall status of POCT in every province.

Dr. Nathan Ledeboer (Medical College of Wisconsin) will present “POCT is invading the microbiology laboratory”. Even

MONTREAL • JUNE-JUIN • 20-24 • 2015


CSCC REBATE FOR CONFERENCE HOTEL ROOM

Members registered at Le Westin Montreal Hotel for the 2015 Conference will receive a $40 per night rebate on the hotel rate of $239. Simply

book your hotel room in the specifi ed room block as usual. The rebate will take place at the time

of the conference.

Le Westin Montreal Hotel270 St Antoine ouest, Montreal

T. 514-380-3333(link to online reservation available on

the website at:

www.clmc.ca/2015/accommodation)

'You Make It, We Measure It' - the 5km Charity Walk/Run Event The CSCC is once again supporting the 5 km Charity Walk/Run event, “Blood, Sweat and Tears Walk and Run 2015: You Make It, We Measure”. The race is being organized by a subcommittee of EPOCC (Educating the Public on Clinical Chemistry) and will be held at the annual conference in Montreal on June 21, 2015. The start time will be 11:45 am at the Old Port of Montreal, which is very close to the conference hotel.

Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the Foundations at the two local children’s hospitals: Montreal Children’s Hospital & CHU Sainte-Justine. The race is being supported and assisted by The Running Room to help ensure the event is a success. We are excited to have CSCC members, vendors and the general public in Montreal to participate in the event together. Encourage your friends and colleagues to join you as you see some of the old sites of Montreal. Families and children (even those in strollers/carriers) are welcome!

See the poster on page 13 of this newsletter and the annual conference website for race registration details! If you have questions/comments, please contact [email protected].

Good luck!

though POCT may have been previously limited to clinical biochemistry, with the advent of new methodologies and the pressing demands of physicians wanting access to FAST and ACCURATE laboratory results, microbiology was an obvious fi eld of laboratory medicine to implement POCT. Dr. Ledeboer will discuss about the POCT tests in microbiology in his institution.

Dr. Jonathan Claussen (Iowa State University) will present “ABC of real-time monitoring using biosensors”. Venipuncture or fi nger- or heel pricks maintains its essential role for specimen collection. However biosensors have clear benefi ts from both the patient and the physician perspectives. Dr. Claussen will provide an update.

Dr. Aaron Wheeler (University of Toronto) will present “Digital microfluidics for POCT”. For most laboratorians, mass spectrometers have to be fl oor model instruments requiring suffi cient space and ventilation. Small size matters, when it comes to POCT instruments. Dr. Wheeler will present on new methodologies that could revolutionize POCT test menu and instrumentation.

Symposium Wednesday AM, June 24, 2015. Pharmacology-Toxicology . Moderator for the symposium: Pierre-Olivier Hétu

This symposium will focus on contemporary methodological approaches and novel testing settings, with an emphasis on interpretation of the results in a patient-oriented manner. The session will consist of four presentations given by three speakers.

Dr. Marie-Pierre Dubé (Laboratory Director at the Centre de Pharmacogénomique Beaulieu-Saucier of the Institut de cardiologie de Montréal) will discuss why pharmacogenomics has now been around for a long time, but it still fails to be usefully incorporated in the clinical setting. Dr. Dubé will review the principle of pharmacogenomics and the potential applications of this fi eld of pharmacology in a clinical setting, with special focus on targets currently in clinical use and on promising new targets.

Dr. Christiane Ayotte (Laboratory Director at the Laboratoire de Contrôle du Dopage of the Institut Armand-Frappier) will discuss sports doping screening and the challenges in keeping up with new cheating strategies both from an analytical and an interpretative point of view. These concerns in sports doping testing are the same as those faced by clinical chemists who try to keep up with new designer drugs that are being synthesized faster that the methods to detect them are validated.

Dr. Adam Negrusz (Laboratory Director at United States Drug Testing Laboratories) will give two presentations on drug testing in hair. Hair testing is increasingly being used to detect substances for longer periods of time. However, interpretation of the results is not always as straightforward as one would believe. The fi rst session of Dr. Negrusz will be a general discussion on the use of hair for drug testing purposes, with highlights on the pre-analytical specifi cities and interpretative considerations in relation to testing in this matrix. In his second talk, Dr. Negrusz will talk about the use of hair in screening for alcohol use or abuse, and he will compare this testing strategy with more conventional markers in urine or serum.


Thank you to our Sponsors!

PLATINUM Beckman Coulter Canada LP Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Novartis Roche Diagnostics Roche Pharma

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GOLD Merck Siemens Canada

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SILVER Abbott Laboratories Limited Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

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BRONZE Actavis Specialty Pharmaceuticals Col DAKO Canada Inc. Gamma-Dynacare LifeLabs McGill University Pfizer Sonic Healthcare Limited The Binding Site

Actavis logo Gamma-Dynacare McGill Sonic Healthcare

DAKO logo Lifelabs Pfizer The Binding Site

FRIEND Dr. C.J. Coady Associates | Université de Montréal

PLATINUMBeckman Coulter Canada LPBoehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.NovartisRoche DiagnosticsRoche Pharma

GOLDMerckSiemens Canada

SILVERAbbott Laboratories LimitedOrtho Clinical Diagnostics

BRONZEActavis Specialty Pharmaceuticals ColDAKO Canada Inc.Gamma-DynacareLifeLabsMcGill UniversityPfi zerSonic Healthcare Limited

FRIENDDr. C.J. Coady Associates | Université de Montréal

Thank you to our Sponsors!

PLATINUM Beckman Coulter Canada LP Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Novartis Roche Diagnostics Roche Pharma

Novartis logo Roche logo

GOLD Merck Siemens Canada

Merck logo

Siemens logo

SILVER Abbott Laboratories Limited Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

Abbott logo

Ortho logo

BRONZE Actavis Specialty Pharmaceuticals Col DAKO Canada Inc. Gamma-Dynacare LifeLabs McGill University Pfizer Sonic Healthcare Limited The Binding Site

Actavis logo Gamma-Dynacare McGill Sonic Healthcare

DAKO logo Lifelabs Pfizer The Binding Site

FRIEND Dr. C.J. Coady Associates | Université de Montréal


5KmCharity Walk/Run

Blood, Sweat and Tears Walk and Run 2015: You Make It, We Measure It

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTS LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CLINICO-CHEMISTES

5km, along the waterfront Start/Finish: Old Port of Montreal When: Sunday June 21, 12:00pm Proceeds to go to: Montreal Children’s Hospital & CHU St. Justine Registration: $30, details to follow

MONTREAL, QC

HOST OF THE 59TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE


Introducing our new CSCC news editorial team!Dr. Isolde Seiden Long, Editor in Chief

We underwent a transition of editors for the CSCC newsletter for Jan 2015. I would like to fi rst and foremost thank Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon for her support and advice during this transition period as

I take on the mantle and responsibility of Editor in Chief. Kareena Schnabl has regretfully also had to leave the CSCC news team at the end of 2014 and I am thrilled that Vilte Barakauskas has accepted the role of Associate Editor starting in 2015. I would like to thank Cheryl Tomalty for staying on with the CSCC newsletter for the fi rst few months of 2015 to help transition our new associate

editors. I am delighted to also announce that Danijela Konforte has agreed to join our team as associate editor in 2015 as well. With Mary-Ann stepping down as editor, the CSCC news will need to occasionally request the services of a translator from our French speaking CSCC members. Mary-Ann has volunteered to perform French translation for now, but we are always looking for volunteers

who speak both French and English so that we can maintain French content in our newsletter.

I have now been a member of CSCC since 2005, and since then I have been consistently impressed and inspired by the myriad of activities and interests of our society members. I view the newsletter as a way to keep all our members informed of so many things that our society and its individual members are doing and involved with. I have enjoyed reading the articles, histories and updates that the newsletter has published over the years and was honored to be asked to be part of the editorial team in 2008 as Associate Editor. Since then, I have learned more about how our society functions by sitting on CSCC council, and realized that my initial impression was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg! There are so many fantastic ideas and initiatives constantly in motion within our society, and I hope that the newsletter can celebrate and share some of these with our members and with the larger international community.

Dr.Vilte Barakauskas, Associate EditorI completed a PhD in neuroscience at UBC and a postdoctoral

fellowship in clinical chemistry at the University of Utah/ARUP

Laboratories. I joined DynaLIFEDX laboratories in Edmonton and the Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta in 2013 and am excited to be back in the Canadian laboratory community. I strive to contribute to our professional and academic groups, which is my motivation for joining the CSCC newsletter

team. In addition, I look forward to communicating with CSCC members. This will be an excellent way to meet both new and established members and learn about everyone’s interests and expertise. This is my fi rst editorial position, although I have contributed as a writer to the CSCC and other newsletters before. In the past I have been involved in the AACC-SYCL seminar initiative, volunteered for local science fairs, helped organize local meetings, and currently teach and mentor in a variety of settings. I am also membership chair for the RMAACC section this year. Approaches for engaging clinical chemists, other laboratory professionals and students to actively participate in our professional communities is an interest of mine. The newsletter is certainly one avenue for doing so. I look forward to meeting all of you over the next few years, and hope to encourage and support your participation in the newsletter!

Dr. Danijela Konforte, Associate EditorAfter graduating from the University of Toronto Postdoctoral

Fellowship Program I joined LifeLabs in 2012 as a Clinical Biochemist. In 2013 I completed certification requirements to become a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical

Biochemistry. As a new member of the CSCC, I have

been looking for ways to get involved and contribute to the CSCC and to meet clinical chemistry colleagues across Canada. When a position of the Associate Editor for the CSCC Newsletter opened up, I knew this would be a

great opportunity to be in the know of all of the CSCC events and activities. I hope to apply some of my experiences and skills in the area of editing to my new role as the Newsletter’s Associate Editor. From 2012 to 2013 I served as the editor of LifeLabs’ quarterly newsletter ‘Inside Diagnostics’. Currently I edit all publications that are regularly posted on LifeLabs’ website by its Medical/Scientifi c Department, and I am Department’s representative on the LifeLabs website redesign project.

I would like to thank everyone on the CSCC Newsletter team for their warm welcome and excellent advice which will help me transition into the new role more seamlessly.

Taking the Oral Exam This Year?

CSCC’s fi rst ever Exam Prep Course will take place April 11 & 12, 2015 at the Toronto General Hospital.

This session is designed for candidates who are preparing to take the CACB oral exam. There will be some discussion around what examiners will be looking for in your answers, a presentation from recent examinees, and 3 or 4 practice oral exams with individual feedback. A group of 10 faculty members will be working with candidates for the weekend. Faculty includes a mix of past examiners, program directors and those who have

recently taken the exam.Registration includes lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and dinner

on Saturday evening. Participants are responsible for their own accommodation arrangements

Register online: http://www.planetreg.com/E12619473820074

Six Trainee Travel Grants

There are now six Trainee Travel Grants available for trainees currently in an approved Clinical Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Canada (CSCC/CACB) who are presenting a poster at the 2015 Annual Conference in Montreal. Four $1,500 grants are being offered, sponsored by Siemens, and two $1,000 grants are also offered to assist with travel costs to attend the conference. Grantees will be selected by the CSCC Awards Committee.


#9, 3535 Research Road NW, CALGARY AB T2L2K8

CALGARY LABORATORY SERVICESCLINICAL BIOCHEMIST

15-EXT-006

Calgary Laboratory Services (CLS) and the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (DPLM) are seeking a full time qualified Clinical Biochemist with specialty in Analytical Toxicology, hands on experience in method development using gas and liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry techniques and experience in the day to day operations of a clinical toxicology service, as the assistant director of the Analytical Toxicology Laboratory. Candidates must have strong references and possess a strong track record of collegiality with co-workers. Interest in Quality Assurance would be an asset. The successful candidate will join our current group of ~100 laboratory physicians and scientists.

CLS is a multi-site, regionalized laboratory providing comprehensive laboratory services to Calgary and surrounding communities. CLS processes >25,000,000 tests. Successful candidates must have recent experience in a high volume setting with a similar case complexity. CLS is an independent, but publically funded organization that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alberta Health Services(AHS), and is affiliated with the University of Calgary (U of C). The successful candidate will receive a Clinical Faculty appointment at U of C based on academic credentials. The DPLM and CLS offer a residency training program in General Pathology and Fellowship training in Clinical Biochemisty.

Calgary, host of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, is located within an hour’s drive of the Rocky Mountains, and within a half day’s drive of eight national parks. There are many opportunities for indoor and outdoor activities (three nearby UNESCO World Heritage Sites, world class athletic facilities, and many cultural events).

Job Summary & ResponsibilitiesEach Clinical Biochemist takes direction from, and reports to the Clinical Section Chief, Clinical Biochemistry, who in turn reports to the Vice President Medical Operations (CLS) and the Zone Clinical Department Head (AHS). Clinical Biochemists must maintain the highest possible standards of practice including prompt delivery of services to match established performance indicators and turn-around times, must actively participate in such activities as quality assurance, quality control and quality improvement programs and must actively participate in teaching.

Qualifications Qualifications include a PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology or related discipline and certification or board eligibility by the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry or American Board of Clinical Chemistry..

CompensationCLS provides an excellent remuneration package including relocation assistance. Alberta has the lowest provincial income tax in Canada and Albertans pay no provincial sales tax. Options to function as either a contractor with or an employee of CLS exist. Startingremuneration is commensurate with certification and experience. Remuneration range for Clinical PhDs in Alberta is $143,598 to $200,921 annually.

Position is open until a suitable candidate is found.

Interested persons meeting the above qualifications should forward their curriculum vitae and contact information of three referees to: James R. Wright, Jr., MD, PhD

Professor and Head, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine9-3535 Research Road NWCalgary, AB T2L 2K8Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Calgary Laboratory Services respects, appreciates and encourages diversity.

For more information about Calgary Laboratory Services go to http://www.calgarylabservices.com/ or Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine go to http://pathology.ucalgary.ca/ .

Please note that all employees new to CLS must provide a criminal records checkin compliance with the Protection for Persons in Care Act.


Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Western University, Dental Sciences Building, Room 4044, London, ON, Canada N6A 5C1 t. 519.661.2030 ext. 82030 f. 519.661.3370 http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/pathol/

MEDICAL/CLINICAL BIOCHEMIST DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY AND LABORATORY MEDICINE

WESTERN UNIVERSITY LONDON HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE AND ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH CARE

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, the London Health Sciences Centre, and St. Joseph’s Health Care, is seeking a Medical or Clinical Biochemist for full-time clinical academic appointment.

Medical Biochemist candidates should be certified or eligible for certification, in Medical Biochemistry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or equivalent. They must have an MD or equivalent degree, and must be eligible for licensure by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Clinical Biochemist candidates should hold a PhD in a relevant field and be a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemists. Preferences will be given to candidates with an established background of diagnostic expertise and academic activity. The salary and benefit package is competitive and attractive. Academic rank will be determined by experience and qualifications at the time of appointment.

This position is aimed at an academically orientated candidate with strong clinical chemistry skills. Experience and interest in working with clinical teams to develop testing strategies aligned with evidence and best practice would be an asset. The successful candidate will work within a group of clinical chemists to provide oversight of the clinical chemistry laboratory testing, including point of care, the development, evaluation and validation of new test methodologies, and communicating with end-users regarding test interpretation and demonstrated excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with all members of the health care team. The candidate will also have a commitment to and demonstrated aptitude for teaching, and will have opportunities to teach and supervise at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. As both London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care are teaching hospitals affiliated with Western University, the biochemist will be supported to engage in academic research and other creative professional activities.

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has 47 full time faculty members, and is one of 21 departments in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/). The Division of Biochemistry reports more than 4 million tests per year from the core laboratory and special testing laboratories such as endocrinology, maternal serum screening, immunology, trace metals and toxicology. The special chemistry laboratory is based in a brand new facility, equipped with state of the art equipment; including high resolution section field ICPMS, triple quad LCMS, GCMS and FTIR spectrometer for stone analysis. The Department has a long history of strength and excellence in many areas of diagnostic service and teaching and has an environment conducive to career and personal development.

Western is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities, and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry has a long history of excellence in basic biomedical, applied and clinical research. Western has a full range of academic and professional programs for over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. London is Canada’s 11th largest city with a population of 500,000. Located midway between Toronto and Detroit, London serves as the hub of South Western Ontario. London is known as the “Forest City and is an affordable, charming and secure place to live. London boasts an international airport, art galleries, theatre, music and sporting events as expected of a larger centre (www.london.ca). Western’s Recruitment and Retention Office is available to assist in the transition of successful applicants and their families to the university and city.

Consideration of applicants will include an assessment of previous performance and qualifications, including those which go beyond the requirements for the position, and experience. Application review will commence on May 1, 2015. Applications are sought until the position is filled.

Candidates should submit their curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and the names and contact information of three referees to the address below. Please ensure that the form available at http://uwo.ca/facultyrelations/physicians/Application_FullTime_Clinical.pdf is completed and included in your application submission.

Dr. Subrata Chakrabarti, Chair/Chief, Department of Pathology Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University Dental Sciences Building, Room DSB 4045 London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1 [email protected]

Positions are subject to budget approval. Applicants should have fluent written and oral communication skills in English. All Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Western University is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including women, members of visible minorities, aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity


Diagnostic Services Manitoba’s vision is to create a patient-first environment that provides quality laboratory and diagnostic imaging services supporting the health care needs of all Manitobans.

.

www.dsmanitoba.ca

CCMG Laboratory Biochemical Geneticist Fellowship

CCMG Fellowship Training Opportunity

The Clinical Biochemistry and Genetics Discipline of Diagnostic Services Manitoba is seeking a PhD or Post Doctoral fellow for a 2-year training program in Biochemical Genetics (see http://ccmg-ccgm.org/index.php/training/training-biochemical.html for details). The training will take place in Vancouver at the BC Children’s Hospital in the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory.

This fellowship is a full-time training position in Biochemical Genetics leading to certification by the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists and ultimately to a career practicing as a laboratory biochemical geneticistoverseeing the operations of a diagnostic Biochemical Genetics laboratory.

The fellowship is open to individuals with a PhD in genetics, biochemistry or a related biological science. Post-doctoral research or experience in a clinical laboratory would be an asset. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or individuals with Permanent Resident Status in Canada.

This is a two-year accredited training program consisting of practical laboratory training, progressive responsibility for interpretation, consultation and laboratory supervision, educational sessions and 6 months of research and development. Successful completion of training will satisfy the eligibility requirements to sit the CCMG examinations in Laboratory Biochemical Genetics.

Diagnostic Services of Manitoba is sponsoring this training opportunity, and the successful applicant will be required to sign a return of service agreement with DSM to work in our laboratory in Winnipeg upon completion for the program.

Anticipated start date for training is July 1, 2015.

Application is by letter outlining your interest and suitability for training as a laboratory geneticist. A Curriculum Vitae, a photocopy of your degrees and transcripts of marks (undergraduate and graduate) must accompany the letter of application. Two letters of references are required and must be sent directly to the undersigned.

Deadline for application is Friday, April 7, 2015.

Send applications to:

Dr. Laurel Thorlacius, PhD, FCACBMedical Director, Clinical Biochemistry and GeneticsDiagnostic Services of ManitobaMS-543 - 820 Sherbrook St.Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9T 204-787-8858F [email protected]


Calendar Of EventsIf you would like to announce your meeting, please send it at least 3 months in advance to offi [email protected]

March 20-12, 20153rd EFLM-BD European Conference on Pre-analytical PhasePorto Palácio Hotel, Porto, Portugalhttp://www.preanalytical-phase.org

June 20-24, 20152015 CSCC-CAP Joint Annual Conference Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC)Clinical Biochemistry on the MoveWestin Montréal HotelMontréal Quebechttp://www.clmc.ca/2015/

June 21-25, 2015Euromedlab Paris 201521st IFCC-EFLM Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory MedicinePalais des congrès, Parishttp://www.paris2015.org/

June 29-July 1, 2015International Society for Enzymology Annual Conference 2015Corfu [email protected]

July 26-30, 20152015 Annual Meeting & Clinical ExpoAACCAtlanta Georgia

October 11-15, 201514th International Congress of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring & Clinical Toxicology 2015Rotterdam, the Netherlandshttp://iatdmct2015.org/

October 21-23, 2015SQBC Annual Conference“Dans le point de mire de la biologie clinique”Château Bromont, Bromont QC

The CSCC News is published bimonthly by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists and distributed to the members by the Society. Letters to the Editor must be signed and should not exceed 200 words in length. Chairs of Committees and Local Sections are requested to submit announcements and reports of activities.

Deadline for Submissions: December 31 January issueFebruary 28 March issueApril 30 May issueJune 30 July issueAugust 30 September issueOctober 30 November issueNotices from members seeking employment may be inserted without charge, and box-number replies may be arranged. Notices from institutions will be invoiced at $150 and include a notice on the website on the Job Opportunities page. Views and reports appearing in CSCC News do not necessarily have the endorsement of the Society. Address general communications to the Editor care of the CSCC Head Offi ce.Editor in Chief: Dr.Isolde Seiden LongAssociate Editors: Dr.Vilte Barakauskas, Dr. Danijela KonfortePublication Offi ce:

CSCC NewsC/o CSCC Head Offi ce4 Cataraqui St., Suite 310, Kingston ON K7K 1Z7Tel: 613-531-8899 • Fax: 613-531-0626offi [email protected]

2014-2015 Executive & Council of the CSCCPresident David Kinniburgh 2013-2015President-Elect Andrew Lyon 2013-2015Secretary Stephen Hill 2012-2015Treasurer Ivan Blasutig 2014-2017Councillors Isolde Seiden Long 2014-2016 Vathany Kulasingam 2013-2015 AbdulRazaq A.H. Sokoro 2013-2015

Division Heads:Education & Scientifi c Affairs Allison Venner 2013-2016Professional Affairs Julie Shaw 2013-2016Publications Curtis Oleschuk 2012-2015Executive Director Pamela Lyons

2014-2015 Board of Directors of the CACBChair Sheila Boss 2014-2017Secretary Lianna Kyriakopoulou 2012-2015Chair, Accreditation Annu Khajuria 2012-2015Chair, Certifi cation Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon 2013-2016Chair, Credentials Cheryl Tomalty 2014-2017Chair, Maintenance of Competence Paul Yip 2013-2016Liaison, Nominations & Awards Ihssan Bouhtiauy 2013-2016Committees

T H A N K S T O O U R C S C C N E W S S P O N S O R S !

Documents

CSCC News March 2015