CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTS LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CLINICO-CHIMISTES Vol. 58 No. 4
July 2016
P.O. Box 1570 Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5C8 Canada 613.531.8899 office@cscc.ca
ISSN 0826-1024
Symposia Summaries from the 2016 CSCC annual meeting The 2016 CSCC conference was held on June 19-22, 2016 in Edmonton, Alberta. This year was the first joint conference of the CCMG and CSCC, and it also marked the milestones of the 60th anniversary of CSCC and the 30th anniversary of CACB. Thank you to the organizing committee for putting together a high quality scientific program of symposia summarized below.
Sunday Opening Keynote Speaker Submitted by: Angela Fung PhD, Clinical Chemistry Fellow, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. Translated by: Eric Bonneau PhD, Clinical Chemistry Fellow, University of Montreal Dr. Timothy Caulfield started off the annual CSCC conference with an engaging keynote presentation titled “Is this Really a Revolution? Personalized Medicine and the Promise of Better Health”. Dr. Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Trudeau Fellow, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health as well as Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. Medical advances have been based on developments that benefit the population as a whole, rather than as an individual. The personalized medicine revolution is a paradigmshifting transformation of the one-size-fits-all approach to medical decisions based on the unique genetic and molecular makeup of an individual patient and is made possible through advances and applications of ‘-omics’ technology. Dr. Caulfield provided an entertaining and provocative summary of the current state and adoption of personalized medicine, highlighting examples of gaps in understanding. For instance, there is little evidence that knowledge of genetic and molecular risk information leads to lifestyle changes. Views and expectations of personalized medicine vary between physicians, scientists and the public and this carries a potential for harm through over-testing and over-treating. He urged the audience to think critically about the promises, hype, and potential harm of personalized medicine. He also outlined steps needed to minimize this gap in understanding. We were reminded that science is a slow process and the benefits of personalized medicine will be achieved in an incremental fashion. This would be facilitated if scientific findings were presented by the media in a more balanced, realistic fashion to avoid overselling and overestimating the benefits of personalized medicine. Finally, Dr. Caulfield challenged all of us to revolutionize and improve our health with six behavioral changes – smoking cessation, regular exercise, eating quality fresh food, maintaining weight, wearing seatbelts, and getting enough sleep - irrespective of our molecular and genetic makeup! Le congrès de la SCCC 2016 s’est tenu du 19 au 22 juin 2016 à Edmonton, Alberta. Il s’agissait de la première conférence conjointe CCGM et SCCC et représentait le 60e anniversaire de la SCCC et le 30e anniversaire de l’ACBC. Le comité organisateur a réussi à mettre sur pied un programme scientifique d’une très grande qualité pour ce symposium, qui est résumé ci-bas. 2
Présentation d’ouverture par le conférencier d’honneur Soumis par : Angela Fung PhD, Résidente en chimie clinique à l’Université de Toronto Le Dr. Timothy Caulfield a débuté le congrès annuel de la SCCC en engageant sa présentation nommée « Est-ce vraiment une révolution? Médecine personnalisée et promesse d’une santé meilleure ». Le Dr. Caulfield est titulaire d’une chair de recherche du Canada en droit et politique de la santé, est un lauréat Trudeau, en plus d’être professeur à la faculté de droit et à l’école de santé publique et d’être directeur de recherche à l’institut de droit de la santé à l’Université d’Alberta. Le Dr. Caulfield a débuté en mentionnant que les avancées médicales qui ont été réalisé par le passé bénéficient à la population générale mais pas nécessairement à tous les individus qui la composent. La révolution de la médecine personnalisée est une transformation qui est actuellement en cours et qui mène à un changement de paradigme, passant de l’approche « d’une dose pour tous » à des décisions médicales basées sur la génétique et le patron moléculaire unique d’un patient. Cette nouvelle médecine est rendue possible grâce aux avancées et à l’application clinique des technologies dites « omiques ». Le Dr. Caulfield a donné un résumé divertissant et provoquant de l’état actuel de l’application de la médecine personnalisée, mettant en évidence certains déficits dans la compréhension de cette science. Par exemple, il y a peu d’évidences que la connaissance du risque génétique et moléculaire amène des changements dans le style de vie des patients. La vision et les attentes de la médecine personnalisée varient entre les médecins, les scientifiques et le public, entrainant des problèmes potentiels, par exemple en sur-testant et en sur-traitant des patients. Il a exhorté l’audience à penser de façon critique à propos des promesses, de l’engouement et des dommages potentiels de la médecine personnalisée. Il a aussi souligné les étapes requises pour minimiser les écarts de compréhension de cette nouvelle forme de médecine. Il nous a rappelé que la science est un processus lent et que les bénéfices de la médecine personnalisée seront atteints de façon progressive. Ceci sera facilité si les découvertes scientifiques sont présentées dans les médias de façon plus nuancée et réaliste pour éviter la surestimation des bénéfices de la médecine personnalisée. Finalement, le Dr. Caulfield nous a défié d’améliorer notre santé par la modification de six habitudes de vie : l’arrêt du tabagisme, l’exercice régulier, la consommation d’aliment frais et de qualité, un maintien adéquat de notre poids, le port d’une ceinture de sécurité en voiture et un sommeil adéquat et ce, peu importe notre génétique! Traduit de l’anglais par : Éric Bonneau PhD, Résident en biochimie clinique à l’Université de Montréal Monday June 20, 2016
CSCC Symposium 1: Interpretation of Results Submitted by Albert Tsui, PhD, Clinical Biochemistry Fellow, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB The first symposium for the annual CSCC conference started off with the lecture on “Generation and Application of Data on Biological Variation – Newer Concepts” by Professor Callum Fraser from the CSCC News • July 2016
University of Dundee, Scotland. Biological variation (BV) describes the changes of hormones and analytes in the body over the course of the day, month, season, and life span. The applications of BV data in clinical chemistry are diverse and include setting quality performance criteria for tests and assessing significant changes in serial results. In this lecture, Professor Fraser discussed the current and future progress on BV. First, he advocates for harmonization of terms and symbols used in describing BV to avoid confusion. Second, he recommends that setting analytical performance specifications should be a joint effort by clinical laboratories, manufacturers, and reference method/material providers. Third, the strengths and weakness of current BV database were discussed and a more comprehensive version of the BV database is being developed. Fourth, there should be guidelines and recommendations on the procedure for generating BV data to ensure quality BV data. Finally, methods for reference change values (RCV) and its clinical application were discussed. The second speaker of the day was Dr. Kent C. Dooley from LifeLabs on “Uncertainty of Measurement: Application to Laboratory Medicine”. Uncertainty of measurement (UM) is the dispersion of values around the result of any measurement, and it is now sponsored by ISO and IFCC to provide UM in the laboratory measurements. Dr. Dooley provided an overview of the bottom up and top down models of UM, outlined the Guide to the Uncertainty of Measurements, and discussed the appropriate use of UM in the clinical laboratory. The lecture was ended with an open end discussion on whether UM is part of the solution or part of the problem for laboratory. The third speaker was Dr. Vathany Kulasingam from University Health Network. The title of the lecture was “Translational Omics: Over-testing and Over-Treatment”. Translational omics are the technologies which enable simultaneous measurement of large numbers of biomolecules. These technologies are often associated with the concept of precision medicine and it is usually claimed by the industries that the large amount of information generated could be beneficial. Dr. Kulasingam presented several examples of current omics projects initiated by private organizations and the government and discussed the challenges for omics as screening test. While omics technology can identify abnormal results in a normal individual, it may not improve patient care due to the consequence of over-testing and over-treatment. This concept was supported by examples of screening programs that are successful (cervical, colon cancer) and controversial (breast and prostate cancer). At the conclusion of the lecture, Dr. Kulasingam cautioned us that overtesting and over-treatment may not be beneficial, and in some cases harmful, for patient care.
CSCC Symposium 2: Diabetes Care Submitted by: Jessica Gifford, PhD, Clinical Biochemistry Fellow, University of Calgary and Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary AB Tuesday morning’s session focused on Diabetes care. Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn from the University of Calgary first presented an example of how the laboratory can play a role in improving clinical care. Focusing on a common complication of diabetes, chronic CSCC News • July 2016
kidney disease (CKD), Dr. Hemmelgarn discussed the value of lab data in overcoming a care gap often associated with diabetes patients. Defined as an eGFR of <60 mL/min for more than 3 months, the prevalence of CKD increases with age and 40 % of cases are linked to diabetes. Effective treatments are available to manage CKD but up to 50 % of adult patients with this disorder are not on appropriate medication. To combat this, the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN) maintains a repository of lab data used to identify patients with CKD and the Network implemented eGFR reporting on lab reports in October of 2004. This led to a significant increase in the referral rate for patients with an eGFR of <60 mL/min and even for those with an eGFR of <30 mL/min. More recently, the AKDN has added albuminuria to the definition of CKD as a higher albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) is an additional marker of kidney damage and is associated with excess mortality. This move has been mirrored in the National Guidelines on CKD but there is a challenge in getting clinicians to adopt them. As primary care providers treat the majority of patients with CKD, lab results now contain a hyperlink to the CKD Clinical Pathway (www.CKDpathway.ca) with the hope that this will address knowledge barriers that exist. In the Clinical Pathway, eGFR, ACR, and the presence or absence of hematuria serve as input into the form and a diagnosis and drug recommendations are the output. Next at the podium was Dr. Peter Senior from the University of Alberta (U of A) who gave an update on the progress of islet cell transplantation as a diabetes treatment. Through islet cell transplantation, a diabetic patient can achieve freedom from hypoglycemia, stable blood glucose levels, and excellent glycemic control. To date, the U of A has performed 548 transplants in 236 patients. These patients generally have had type I diabetes for greater than 30 years, are more often female than male, are slim, and have an insulin use of 0.6 units/kg/day. Islet transplants are the safest transplant in the world by far and are deemed lower risk than having type I diabetes in this population. Islets are isolated from donated pancreases in the Islet Isolation Lab at the U of A and up to 65 % of donated pancreases can be used. The program has been quite successful. After 16 years, 22 % of patients remain insulin free, 37 % of patients are taking <10 units/day, and 69% are still C-peptide positive (these patients started out C-peptide negative). Dr. Senior’s group has now implemented the Beta-2 score to best assess beta-cell function post islet transplantation. The final speaker in this session was Dr. Philip Chen from Sonic Healthcare USA who gave a presentation that focused on patient centered testing. The goal of his research was to improve patient care coordination with an emphasis on prevention. Gaps in diabetic patient care and diagnosis were identified through lab values for fasting glucose and HbA1C and the presence or absence of a diabetes diagnosis code. It is not uncommon for a clinician to suspect a patient of having diabetes, order lab tests, have the tests be positive, and not have the patient return to the clinic. If they do come back, many patients are not seen for more than 12 months. Through the use of a patient tracker, informatics can enhance the clinical workflow and prevent this gap in patient care. Dr. Chen studied if and how (robo call, text, email, etc.) patients wanted to be contacted to remind them to go to the lab. In his study, 30-50% of patients returned to the clinic 3
and had their care gaps fulfilled, 35-45 % of patients did not return to the clinic due to engagement issues, and 7 % of patients chose to opt out of the automated engagement service. His informatics approach has been expanded to address care gaps in CKD and Pap/ HPV follow ups, and has enabled informatics teams to transition from being a “commodity vendor” to part of the integrated care team. Tuesday June 21, 2016
CSCC Symposium 3: Maternal Serum Screening Submitted by : Terence Agbor, PhD, Clinical Biochemistry Fellow, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Tuesday afternoon was dedicated to maternal serum screening. The first speaker of the afternoon was Dr. Nathalie Lepage from the University of Ottawa and head of the Division of Clinical Biochemistry at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Her presentation was entitled “Prenatal Screening for Down Syndrome: The Role of Biochemical markers”. Dr. Lepage gave an overview of the maternal serum biomarkers in prenatal screening for Down syndrome, Trisomies 18 and 13, and open neural tube defects. These markers include nuchal translucency (ultrasound), PAPP-A, hCG, PLGF, and AFP for the first trimester; and AFP, hCG, and uE3, with or without DIA for second trimester. The screening algorithm for overweight pregnancies and calculations of the multiples of median (and correction factors) used to express results were discussed. The integrated prenatal screening (ultrasound + maternal serum markers) is the best option. Dr. Barry Hoffman from Mount Sinai Hospital Laboratory in Toronto then presented on the emerging area of cell free DNA and its applications in prenatal screening. His presentation was entitled “Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT): Technical, Quality and Clinical Aspects.” Fragments of fetal DNA circulating in maternal serum are used to determine fetal karyotype, making this technique non-invasive as opposed to the gold standards of amniocentesis and CVS. This is achieved using next-generation sequencing techniques. The analytical and technical aspects as well as challenges in utilizing this technology were discussed. These challenges include relatively small amounts of circulating fetal DNA, isolation of fetal DNA from maternal DNA, cases of placental mosaicism or diseased placenta and multigravid pregnancies. The major advantage of this technology is excellent sensitivity and specificity compared to traditional maternal serum screening; however, it cannot replace AFP screening for neural tube defects. Dr. Radha Chari from the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services concluded the afternoon with her presentation entitled “Options for Prenatal screening for Trisomies in Canada”. Her conclusions were that first trimester screening should be combined, i.e. nuchal translucency (NT) and maternal serum markers (PAPP-A and hCG or free hCG) and should be done between 11-14 weeks of pregnancy. In multifetal pregnancies, only NT should be used. The quad screening should be performed if screening occurs in second trimester. Dr. Chari concluded by discussing the impact of the PEGASUS initiative as well as what the future holds for prenatal screening beyond aneuploidies. 4
Wednesday June 22, 2016
CSCC Symposium 4: Women’s Health Symposium Submitted by: Dorothy Truong, PhD, Clinical Chemistry Fellow, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON The last symposium of the MGCC 2016 Conference was dedicated to women’s health. Three invited speakers discussed the unique obstacles and health barriers faced by women, strategies for improving women’s health and the importance of gender identification for the clinical laboratory. Dr. Ann M. Gronowski, Professor of Pathology and Obstetrics & Gynecology from the Washington University School of Medicine started off the symposium by presenting “The importance of studying women’s health.” Dr. Gronowski suggests that in addition to the biological differences between the sexes, social and behavioural differences may also have an impact on women’s health outcomes. Dr. Gronowski suggests that improving women’s health will require more studies on diseases unique to women, and increased focus on sex-specific medicine, such as sex-specific drug dosages and reference intervals. Furthermore, increasing healthcare access for women, as well as supporting and encouraging women in biomedical careers, will be highly beneficial towards improving women’s health. The second speaker was Dr. Beth Abramson, Associate Professor of Medicine from the University of Toronto. Dr. Abramson presented a talk entitled, “Women’s CV Health – we’ve come a long way baby – or have we?” She highlighted the care gap for women with cardiovascular disease, and suggests that this gap may be due to both biology and bias. She presented data from the POWER study which suggested that women were less likely to receive treatment after a myocardial infarction than men. Dr. Abramson continued by presenting data highlighting underdiagnosis, undertreatment and underestimation of risk for women. When it comes to cardiovascular health, Dr. Abramson suggests that patients should be individualized and that using a ‘gender-lens’ may lead to incorrect conclusions and inappropriate denial of therapy. The third speaker for the symposium was Dr. Dina Greene, Assistant Professor from the University of Washington, who presented “Providing effective healthcare and laboratory testing to the transgender community”. Dr. Greene highlighted the system barriers, social obstacles and physiological obstacles faced by the transgender community. System barriers included the lack of insurance coverage for treatment to help with gender dysphoria and the inability to document affirmed gender identity on healthcare forms. In the context of social obstacles, the transgender community have been refused care, verbally abused or physically assaulted when attempting to access healthcare. Lastly, with regards to physiological obstacles, there is a lack of specific reference interval studies for transgender patients (a Pubmed search revealed only 7 hits). Dr. Greene emphasized that transgender identity is not pathological. Rather, it is about “embracing diversity, not about diagnosing a disease.” Dr. Greene’s take home message: “sex and gender can be related but should not be assumed equivalent.” CSCC News • July 2016
Toxicology Interest Group Presentations Submitted by: Drs. Loralie J Langman, Penny Colbourne, and David Colantonio Well over 20 people attended this year’s discussion group. We had 2 speakers: Drs. Penny Colbourne and David Colantonio. Dr. Penny Colbourne is Clinical Professor, University of Alberta, and Clinical Toxicologist Alberta Health Services, University of Alberta Hospital. Her presentation outlined the role of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Toxicology Network in evaluating toxicology testing being performed throughout the province with an eye on standardization and utilization; specifically, the utility of qualitative toxicology testing in the emergent situation. It became very clear that the practice of ordering this type of testing is not consistent throughout the province. Following an evidence-based medicine approach, including an extensive literature search and seeking expert medical opinion, a position statement was drafted. Extensive discussion with medical colleagues also took place to obtain their endorsement of the position statement.
All.” He reviewed a case of a 40-year- old female with repeated hospital admissions over a 12-month period for unknown metabolic acidosis, renal tubular acidosis (RTA) like symptoms and a urine that turned black/darkish upon standing. With each admission to the hospital, the patient would get well after a few days and discharged only to return a few months later. After consults with nephrology, gastroenterology, metabolic genetics and even psychiatry, the case came to the attention of the Poison Control Center when they were asked if chemicals or drugs may cause the presentation observed in this patient. Following analysis of multiple samples from this patient that were collected over time for inherited metabolic disorders and toxicology, the only thing that was identified as a potential culprit was ibuprofen. Cases from the literature were reviewed where metabolic acidosis and RTA-like symptoms were identified as a result of ibuprofen consumption. Although nephrology and GI were skeptical that ibuprofen use could cause these symptoms, discontinuation of the medication by the patient did result in resolution of her symptoms. Both of these presentations highlight the important role clinical biochemists play in helping patients and physicians as well as a reminder to get out of the lab and interact with our medical colleagues.
Qualitative toxicology testing in an emergent setting or situation is not recommended because it has not been shown to impact management or disposition of patients. Qualitative toxicology testing will continue to be available but will have an expected turn-around time of >24 hours. Quantitative toxicology testing (e.g. salicylates, acetaminophen, ethanol) will not be affected. The reasons stated that support the recommendation are as follows: Qualitative toxicology testing is rarely of any value in emergency situations for several reasons: • It does not confirm or rule out significant poisoning. • It almost never provides information that leads to a meaningful change in acute medical management. • Countless drugs contribute to common clinical symptoms seen in an emergency department that are not tested for by immunoassay screening tests. • The testing is not specific (i.e. there are multiple false positives, which then require explanation and perhaps needless investigations). • A positive test does not mean that this is what is contributing to the patient’s symptoms. Most impressively, following implementation in one region up to a 95% decrease in emergency room STAT testing was noted, with no measurable change in patient outcomes. The Toxicology Network continues to work on province wide implementation. Dr. David Colantonio is an Assistant Professor in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto and a clinical biochemist at the Hospital for Sick Kids where he oversees the TDM-Toxicology Laboratory as well as routine testing. His presentation was entitled “A Perplexing Case that Stumped Us CSCC News • July 2016
The Archives Corner
Happy 60th to the CSCC and 30th to the CACB! Submitted by: Dr. Christine Collier on behalf of the Archives Committee, including Arlene Crowe, Robert Moore, Isolde Seiden-Long, Cristiana Stefan-Bodea, with the support of Pam Lyons and Heather Wagner from Head Office. The CSCC Archives committee had a fun and productive year preparing, along with the local organizing committee, for the celebrations in Edmonton. One of our major efforts was to develop a series of “slide decks” to be shown before different symposia, during breaks, and at the CSCC booth. A slide deck was created for each of the CSCC/CACB awards, and photos were found of all but one awardee (does anyone have a photo of George Luxton?). The slide deck of the CSCC presidents was updated from the 50th anniversary, and one was created for the CACB Chairs. To acknowledge the work conducted by members of council and the board over the years, a slide deck was created which included an estimate of total number of volunteered meeting hours. The sixty CSCC annual meetings were highlighted in a slide deck using a map of North America to illustrate locations of our national and joint meetings. Another slide deck presented the CACB fellows 5
from 2001 to 2016: thanks to the fellows who provided a photo of themselves around the time of their fellowship exam, just to add a little authenticity to the archival process! These slide decks will be posted on the CSCC website for the viewing pleasure of our members. As a couple of other slide decks were started and a few more are planned, the Archives committee welcomes all photos, as well as suggestions for other slide decks as this is certainly an easy and fun way to document and recognize our society and its members over the years. Let us know what you think of the slide decks, and if you might be able to do a slide deck over the next 6 months or so …e.g. CSCC Travelling Lectureship awardees, CACB fellows from 1983 – 2000, CSCC poster awards, CSCC members who have received awards from other organizations, golf tournaments, local organizing committees, interest groups, retirees, statistics (members, fees, salaries), industry partners and exhibits…and the list goes on!
The Archives committee is very happy to welcome Dr. Cristiana Stefan-Bodea to our group. Cristiana will focus on helping Arlene with writing the Archives Corner, so please send any news or suggestions to her for inclusion in upcoming columns. Finally we would like to gratefully thank two “volunteer” recruits who helped with the art work for the 25 year Service pin and the slide decks for this special anniversary year – many thanks to Charli Collier and Peter Smits!
A second major initiative was the development of a “25 year Service pin” to recognize the commitment and contributions of all CSCC members. This initiative was announced by our CSCC president, Dr. Andrew Lyon, at the opening ceremonies, and pins were individually presented at the opening reception and during the meeting. Members who were not able to attend the meeting will have their pins mailed to them, and each year others who achieve this laudable accolade will also receive their pin! In keeping with these celebratory initiatives, the CACB developed a pin for fellows and an “aviator” scarf with the CACB crest for past Chairs. The CSCC’s 50th anniversary video and the CACB coat of arms were also shown at the meeting. The video will be available on the members’ only website sometime this summer, as will all CSCC newsletters back to their start in 1969.
L to R: Drs. Stephen Hill, Tom Dembinski, Cheryl Tomalty (current chair), Khosrow Adeli, Sheila Boss, Nathalie Lepage. In absentia: Q. Meng, V. Grey, B. Vinet, P. Collins, P. Bunting, D. Gornall, M. McQueen, P. Desjardins.
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CSCC News • July 2016
2016 Award Winners
Jay Kalra, Winner, Outstanding Contribution to Clinical Chemistry, with Eric LaFleche, Siemens Healthcare Limited
Lynn Allen and Ed Randell, Winners of Education Excellence Award, with Joe Bottos, Beckman Coulter
Philip Deveraux, Juravinski Hospital & Cancer Centre, Winner of the Innovation Award, with Ian Parfrement, Roche
Ed Randell, Winner, CACB Outstanding Contribution to Clinical Biochemistry, with Eric LaFleche, Siemens Healthcare Limited
George Cembrowski, Winner, Research Excellence Award, with Sam Matsumura, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
Isolde Seiden Long with Jechem Uy, Abbott Canada, accepting the Leadership and/or Administration Grant
CSCC News â&#x20AC;˘ July 2016
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Obituary Hans Martin Heick Nov. 15, 1933 - Mar. 19, 2016 Hans Heick MD, PhD, FRCPC died suddenly on March 19 at the age of 82. Beloved husband and best friend of Nicole Bégin-Heick; loving father of Caroline and Christopher, fond father-in-law of André de Verteuil and proud Papa to Marc and Sophie de Verteuil. He was predeceased by both his siblings. Hans spent most of his career as a laboratory physician at CHEO joining the hospital before it officially opened in 1974. He was instrumental in ensuring that research became an integral part of the hospital’s mission of improving the health of children and adolescents. He was a founding member of the CHEO Research Institute and its first Director. He also served as Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at CHEO; as well, he was Director of the Clinical Biochemistry Program at the University of Ottawa where he was also professor of Biochemistry and Paediatrics. He was actively involved in committee work at the provincial and national levels and in his professional organizations, serving as President of Canadian Society for Medical Biochemistry. Following his retirement he worked as a Medical Scientist at Health Canada for a further 11 years. Hans had an inquisitive mind and a wide range of interests, from bee keeping to quantum physics, history and world politics; he was constantly trying to learn more about the world. He will be greatly missed and forever remembered by his family. Published in The Ottawa Citizen on Mar. 26, 2016
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Canada-Wide Science Fair Gold Medalist Congratulations to Lucas Penny, this year’s awardee of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists award for an outstanding senior project related to the use of laboratory testing to better patient care. Lucas is a passionate grade 11 student, scientist and athlete at Grimsby Secondary School, in Grimbsy Ontario. His project entitled “Salivary microRNAs as a Novel Tool for Microfluidic Detection of Breast Cancer”, was awarded a senior gold medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and Canada’s most prestigious innovation award from the Ernest C. Manning Innovation awards. He proposes a lowcost system for detecting breast cancer in its early stages. The study utilized a microRNA profile from saliva breast cancer samples to test early disease onset. He developed a quantum dot-based microfluidic device using saliva to test microRNA profile. The use of salivary microRNAs for diagnosing cancer is a novel, non-invasive technique that would reduce cost and risk for patients and doctors. Lucas has worked on this project with Steven Panesar (Master’s student) under the mentorship of Professor Suresh Neethirajan of BioNano Lab of the University of Guelph, since August 2015.
Welcome Sebastian! On July 5, Allison Venner welcomed Peter Roy Sebastian Goodall (he goes by Sebastian).
Retirement of Dr. Jim Wesenberg Congratulations on your retirement, Dr. Wesenberg! Jim has contributed to the care of Albertans for over 35 years under many hats, including a local leader in Red Deer to the Provincial Medical/Scientific Director of Laboratory Service. He has provided immense leadership and vision for laboratory medicine in the province, and he will be greatly missed. Jim has also actively participated in many national and international roles (and continues to be involved!) The clinical biochemistry community is very fortunate to have you work so hard for the betterment of our profession. We wish you much relaxation and enjoyment in your upcoming adventures! CSCC News • July 2016
Blood, Sweat and Tears: Walk&Run 2016
CSCC News â&#x20AC;¢ July 2016
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JOB #289
Clinical BioChemist PhD, Saskatoon Health Region Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Posting Date: June 24, 2016 Position Profile - Saskatoon Health Region Department of Pathology & Laboratory Services currently seeks a full time Clinical Biochemist to provide consultation and liaison with physicians in the interpretation of laboratory test results while utilizing Lean Management methodology in providing proactive leadership. The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine combines academic, research and service components within the Saskatoon Health Region and College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. The Department has an accredited residency training program in General Pathology and provides training/teaching at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels as well as training for medical laboratory technologists and assistants. The successful candidate will join a group of laboratory professionals (pathologists, microbiologists, biochemists, hematopathologists, geneticists) providing specialty testing/consultation to health care providers at the three acute care centers in Saskatoon as well as referral and consultant services to the surrounding Regional centers and community based physicians. Compensation Details – Saskatoon Health Region offers a comprehensive wage and benefit package. Benefits – Vacation/Health/Dental benefits package as per Out of Scope Terms & Conditions of Employment The Applicant The successful candidate will hold a PhD degree with formal training in Clinical Biochemistry, be certified or a fellow (or eligible for certification or fellowship) in the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemists and be eligible for membership on the SHR Practitioner Staff. The City Saskatoon Shines – with more hours of sunshine than any other major Canadian city. With a population of 250,000, Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan, boasting small town spirit and big city amenities. World class events, festivals and attractions …strong arts and music focus … a short drive to the northern lake country. The city is noted for its outstanding walking and biking trails along the riverbank and excellent educational facilities, including the University of Saskatchewan. The Region Saskatoon Health Region is one of the most integrated and complex health delivery agencies in Canada. We are the largest health region in Saskatchewan serving more than 330,000 residents in over 100 cities, towns, and rural municipalities. Saskatoon Health Region is the largest single employer in the province with over 13,000 staff and 1000 physicians across the Region providing a complete range of health services to residents of central and northern Saskatchewan. The city’s three acute care hospitals – St. Paul’s, City, and Royal University – comprise three of the province’s tertiary teaching centres. The University The beautiful University of Saskatchewan campus is located on the shores of South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, SK, with a diverse and thriving economic base and a vibrant cultural life. The UofS is a research-intensive institution with 22,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, and a strong reputation for innovation and excellence. It is home to two of the largest science projects in the country – the Canadian Light Source synchrotron (www.lightsource.ca), the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization / International Vaccine Centre (www.vido.org) and the newly constructed Academic Health Sciences Complex (http://library.usask.ca/hsl/new-building.php). The Department’s broad range of clinical programs are well suited for educational and research activities. Apply in confidence to: Dr. Fergall Magee, Head Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine University of Saskatchewan/ Saskatoon Health Region Royal University Hospital, 103 Hospital Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada S7N 0W8 Tel: 306 655-8262 Email: fergall.magee@saskatoonhealthregion.ca
Healthiest people ~ Healthiest communities ~ Exceptional service 10
CSCC News • July 2016
JOB #290
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the McGill University Department of Medicine is inviting applications for a permanent full time Clinical Biochemist. The MUHC is the major teaching hospital of McGill University and recently relocated to a new campus which includes both the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal Children’s Hospital. The successful candidate will join a very busy division which processes approximately nine million tests/year, providing a broad spectrum of biochemistry services to the MUHC, and other health care providers within the McGill University outreach territory. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, and an ability to communicate effectively and to interact with a diverse range of individuals and teams. This individual will join our team of two other Clinical Biochemists and seven Medical Biochemists. Responsibilities are shared amongst the team and include selection, validation and implementation of new analyzers, tests and methods; development and review of biochemistry procedures and quality improvement initiatives; point of case testing; and selection and monitoring of chemistry quality control and proficiency testing programs. The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the academic mandate of the Division. Interest in pursuing basic or applied research is strongly encouraged especially the fields of laboratory utilization and laboratory management. Participation in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching is also required. Applicants must have at least two years of hospital experience, a PhD degree or equivalent and should be certified (or eligible for certification) by the Quebec Order of Chemists or the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. Candidates must be members (or eligible for membership) in the Quebec Order of Chemists and must be capable of functioning in both English and French at a professional level. The academic appointment will be based upon the candidate's qualifications and will be negociated separately through the Department of Medicine. The successful candidate will be primarily based at the Glen campus, but could supervise clinical laboratory sections at the other sites (Montreal General Hospital and Lachine Hospital). Applications should be accompanied by a curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three references willing to provide letters of reference within 30 days of publication of this advertisement to the email or address below: anna.christopoulos@muhc.mcgill.ca Ms. Anna Christopoulos External Recruiter Human Resources and Cultural Organization 619 – 2155 Guy St. Montreal, QC, H3H 2R9 We thank all applicants that apply, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
CSCC News • July 2016
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS If you would like to announce your meeting, please send at least 3 months in advance to office@cscc.ca September 21-24, 2016 AACC Conference The Benefits and Challenges of Point-of-Care Testing Across the Clinical Spectrum Philadelphia PA
October 3-4, 2016
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 issue February 28 March issue April 30 May issue June 30 July issue August 30 September issue October 30 November issue Notices 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 Office.
IQMH Symposium 2016 The Future of Point-or-Care Testing – A Healthy Debate! Hilton Toronto, Toronto ON https://iqmh.org/Services/Centre-For-Education/Events/IQMH-Symposium-2016
October 21-23, 2016 Siemens Healthcare Innovations Symposium 2016 Educating to Advance Human Health Hyatt Regency, Vancouver BC https://creativegroupinc.com/InnovationsSymposium2016/Public/ShowPage. aspx?PageId=241796
October 26-28, 2016 LCME KSLM Laboratory Medicine Congress & Exhibition Hosted by Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine The K-Hotel, Seoul, Korea http://www.lmce2016.org/mail/m-e01.htm
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November 2-3, 2016 OSCC Annual Scientific Conference 2016 Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine: Harmonization and Beyond Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON CSCC Website – Provincial Sections/OSCC Meetings and Events
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November 26-29 2016 4th Asia–Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine Congress Taipei International Convention Center Taipei, TW
March 20-21, 2017 International Conference on Enzymology “Exemplifying the Prominence of Enzymology among Interdisciplinary Sciences” Rome Italy www.enzymology.conferenceseries.com
July 30-August 3, 2017 Joint Conference of CSCC and AACC San Diego CA
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CSCC News • July 2016