CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTS LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CLINICO-CHIMISTES Vol. 57 No. 6
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November 2015
ISSN 0826-1024
Countdown to Edmonton
he 2016 Joint Conference of the CSCC and Canadian College of Medical Geneticists (CCMG) will be held on June 19-22 in Edmonton, Alberta. I can just tell what you’re thinking right now: “Really? Edmonton? What am I going to do there in my free time besides visit West Edmonton Mall? How am I going to fit all of the warm clothes I need into my carry-on? I really don’t want to check an extra bag.” Well, don’t fret! The next few CSCC News articles will introduce you to the REAL Edmonton and will not only rid you of your worries but will hopefully also create excitement for your visit. A Brief History The area that corresponds to modern day Edmonton was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous groups, with the first European only arriving in 1754. Anthony Henday was an explorer working for the Hudson’s Bay Company and came to Alberta with the mission of making direct contact and establishing trade with the indigenous population. Soon afterwards, in 1795, the Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Edmonton along the north bank of the Saskatchewan River to serve as a major trading post for the fur trade. In 1871, legislation made it possible for private individuals to own land in the area and the first few private buildings sprang up outside of the Fort. The City of Edmonton was incorporated 33 years later and became the provincial capital in 1905 when Alberta joined the Confederation.
until 1947. In this year the first major oil discovery in Alberta was made just slightly south of Edmonton. While oil reserves had been discovered in the southern parts of the province thirty years earlier, none produced nearly as much oil as the reserve discovered near Edmonton. Additional significant oil reserves were subsequently discovered north of the city, thus making Edmonton the hub for the province’s oil industry. The Present Today, Edmonton is North America’s most northern city with a metropolitan population exceeding one million. It is also Canada’s fifth largest municipality behind Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and
In the early 1900s, many Edmontonians found financial wealth through speculation in real estate. However, the combination of a worldwide economic downturn and the onset of World War I ended this prosperous period and lead to a slump for the city that lasted P.O. Box 1570 Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5C8 Canada 613.531.8899 office@cscc.ca
Ottawa. The ethnic makeup of the city is becoming increasingly diverse with over 35% of the population belonging to a visible minority or aboriginal group. The economic profile of Edmonton has changed somewhat since the 1940s with the largest employers today being governments, universities, and hospitals instead of oil and gas companies. Nevertheless, Edmonton’s surrounding suburban regions are still home to most of the province’s oil- and gas-related manufacturing. Climate Edmonton has four seasons: winter (November-March), spring (April-May), summer (June-August), and fall (September-October). Even though the lowest temperature on record is -440 C, average temperatures in the winter are around -100 C during the day and -150 C at night. Summers tend to be pleasantly warm with average temperatures of 21-230 C. The climate is fairly dry all year round which makes the winters and summers a lot more bearable than in many places where I’ve lived previously (e.g. Toronto, Baltimore). West Edmonton Mall Needless to say, a visit to Edmonton would not be complete without a trip to West Edmonton Mall (WEM). Have you ever heard of the Mall of America in Minneapolis? Well, Canadians do it bigger and better! WEM was the world’s biggest mall when it was built in 1981 and remains the biggest mall in North America to this day. It contains over 700 shops and services, an indoor amusement park with more than 24 rides, an indoor waterpark with more than 17 waterslides and the world’s largest indoor wave pool, an NHL-sized ice rink, a full size replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship for his 1492 trans-Atlantic voyage, a 18-hole miniature golf course, a New-Orleans-themed bar district, and a luxury hotel. In all honesty, you can spend an entire day in WEM without becoming bored. Just be careful to remember where you parked your car or you’ll end up walking around the mall for half an hour trying to find it like I did once with a friend.
buildings designed by Frank Gehry and this is not a coincidence; the Gallery was designed by Randall Stout who had, at one point, worked for Frank O. Ghery & Associates. In addition to its spectacular façade, the Gallery is also worth visiting for its 6,000 works of art including paintings, sculptures, installation works, and photographs from Canadian and international artists. T h e E d m o n t o n H i s t o r i c a l B o a r d ’s w e b s i t e a t w w w. edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca provides more information on these and other architectural sights in downtown Edmonton. The River Valley The River Valley is Edmonton’s hidden gem. This park system is 7,400 hectares in size and winds along 48 kilometers of the North Saskatchewan River that divides Edmonton into two. It comprises more than 20 major parks and over 160 km of trails for walking, running, bicycling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Perhaps the best thing about the River Valley is its proximity; it allows even those of us who only have an hour or two of free time to experience the quiet beauty of nature. Dr. Anna Füzéry Co-chair, CSCC Annual Meeting 2016
Architecture Downtown Edmonton has a number of must-see sights for those with an architectural interest. The McLeod Building is right across from the Conference site and is Edmonton’s finest surviving example of the Chicago School of architecture. The building was built in 1915 and remained the tallest structure in Edmonton until 1951. Initially it housed offices for the city’s elite clientele but was converted into high-end condominiums in the 1960s. The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is a two minute walk from the Conference site and is a chateau-style hotel that was built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1915. The architectural firm that designed this hotel was the same one that designed some of Canada’s other landmark buildings including the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, and Union Station in Toronto. The City of Edmonton has provided a heritage designation not only to the exterior of the hotel but also to its lobby, the Wedgewood Room, and the Empire Ballroom. The Art Gallery of Alberta is a 5 minute walk from the Conference site. The Gallery’s current façade has a strong resemblance to 2
CSCC News • November 2015
Working towards serum creatinine method standardization in Guyana 2013 – Part I
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n early 2013, Dr. David Seccombe and I were awarded a $100, 000 grant from Grand Challenges of Canada. This was for a project aimed at standardizing creatinine measurements in Guyana to allow for routine reporting of estimated glomerular
filtration rate (eGFR) from laboratories. Guyana has a population of approximately 800,000 and is located in South America, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the southwest, Venezuela to the west and Suriname to the east. The country, previously under British control, gained independence in 1966. Guyana is the only country in South America where English is the official language. In 2012, the World Health Organization reported the gross national income per capita in Guyana to be estimated at $3300, compared to approximately $42, 500 in Canada. Life expectancy is also significantly lower in Guyana compared to Canada at 60 years of age for men and 67 years for women. In Canada these figures are 80 and 84 years, respectively. According to a Pan American Health Organization strategy report from 2014, chronic diseases represent the most significant healthcare challenge in Guyana. It is estimated that each year, 8000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the country. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a problem in Guyana where dialysis is scarcely available and, where available, is often prohibitively expensive. The cost of one dialysis session in Guyana is currently $52.76 US according to the Doobay Medical Centre, which operates 24 of the country’s 37 available dialysis machines. Earlier detection of CKD has been shown to optimize care through dietary and lifestyle modifications, leading to better patient outcomes. As Clinical Biochemists we are well aware of the benefits of routine reporting of eGFR for monitoring renal function. We also understand that accurate eGFR calculations rely on standardized creatinine methods. International initiatives aimed at standardizing creatinine measurements have been undertaken in the Developed World but have not been widely implemented throughout the Developing World in countries like Guyana. Our first objective was to assess the accuracy of creatinine measurements made by Guyanese laboratories. We travelled to Guyana in October 2013 to hold the first of three workshops. Representatives from many private and public laboratories were invited to attend the daylong workshop at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. Two local medical doctors were invited to speak on CKD as well as Dr. Seccombe and myself who gave talks on
CSCC News • November 2014
method standardization. Patient information handouts on CKD prevention were provided to each laboratory. These pamphlets were created in collaboration with the Guyana National Kidney Foundation. The concept of our project was introduced to the laboratories and sixteen of the laboratories agreed to participate. Each Ms Torres at work in the Lethem Hospital laboratory was provided Laboratory. Lethem is located near the with creatinine reference border with Brazil. specimens (along with ice and Styrofoam containers) to take back to their laboratories with them for measurement. The creatinine values in these specimens were assigned by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. Laboratories were asked to measure each specimen three times on each of three days and provide their data to us for analysis. Each laboratory was also asked to provide us with 100 of their most recent patient creatinine results along with age and gender information. While in Georgetown, I had the opportunity to visit several laboratories and meet with representatives from the Guyana Ministry of Health. Analysis of each laboratory’s data revealed imprecision to be a major issue for most creatinine methods in-use with coefficients of variation (CVs) of up to 39% for some methods. Many laboratories in Guyana operate heterogeneous testing systems, purchasing calibrators and reagents from different manufacturers. We discovered that many Technologists were unsure how to monitor daily quality control performance and lacked an understanding of quality control and assurance practices. Visit to Guyanese Rain Forest During this first trip to Guyana, I stayed a few extra days and visited part of the vast Guyanese rain forest, much of which remains untouched by humans. I flew from Georgetown to Annai in the
The departures lounge at the Annai air strip.
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interior and stayed at Rock View Lodge, a short two-minute walk from the Annai airstrip. While at Rock View, I visited the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, a non-profit organization that manages 371,000 hectares of rainforest. One of the highlights of my visit was an early morning walk over several suspension bridges built over the rainforest The Iwokrama canopy walk. My guide is out in canopy. Howler monfront, clearing the railings of bullet ants to prevent keys could be heard me from being stung. in the distance while parrots and toucans were about. I’m told I was extremely lucky to have encountered a jaguar on the road back from Iwokrama to the lodge. It seemed he was as shocked to see us, as we were to see him. I had the privilege of visiting a traditional Amerindian village where my guide took me on a canoe ride down the Burro-Burro River. We passed two fishermen who were more than willing to show me their catch of the day, a sizeable piranha; I kept my hands in the canoe after that.
2014 – Part II
I returned to Guyana in December 2014 to give a second workshop on the basics of quality control and quality assurance. Participating laboratories were provided with spreadsheets to help them perform calculations necessary for monitoring daily quality control. Specific performance data were shared with each laboratory privately and strategies aimed at improvement discussed. I had the opportunity to visit several laboratories around the country and work with their Technologists on developing quality control practices.
Data from participating laboratories for reference specimen measurement revealed an average positive bias of 11% across creatinine methods. Using patient measurements provided by each lab, we calculated eGFR with and without bias correction and, not surprisingly, found that a large number of patients would be mis-classified as having stage 3 or higher CKD based on their creatinine mea-
On the edge of Kaieteur falls.
surement. We therefore could not advocate for implementation of routine eGFR reporting from Guyanese laboratories until method performance improves. Attempts were made to standardize measurements but data revealed that imprecision remains a major challenge Visit to the World’s Largest Single Drop Waterfall I visited Kaieteur Falls, the World’s largest single drop waterfall, four times higher than Niagara Falls. The falls are located in the Pataro river in the centre of the Guyanese rainforest. Catering largely to tourism, a two-hour flight from Georgetown lands you at an airstrip within walking distance of the falls. There are several vantage points for viewing and I was amazed at being able to stand right on the edge of the falls.
2015 – Part III
We have the opportunity to apply for stage 2 funding from Grand Challenges of Canada, which can be up to $1M Canadian. In order to qualify for additional funds, matching funds must be guaranteed from the host country. Unfortunately, many of our contacts at the Ministry of Health in Guyana are no longer there after the recent federal election in Guyana. We are currently trying to re-establish contacts within the Ministry of Health in the hopes of obtaining funding. Dr. Seccombe working with staff at the Guyana Ministry of Health.
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Submitted by Dr. Julie Shaw CSCC News • November 2015
Overview of Lab Tests Online and CSCC and CSMLS contribution to it Lab Tests Online (LTOL) (https://labtestsonline.org/) was established by the AACC in 2001 with the stated objective of making laboratory testing information more understandable and relevant to the status or condition of any individual patient. It is also intended to support professionals who might need comprehensive information on lab tests and related conditions.
LTOL site and have direct links. LTOL has had a global impact from beginning. This has evolved with the establishment of corresponding international partner sites. These sites are developed locally with cooperation between the LTOL US parent and local laboratory professional Associations or Societies. While the outlines of the international sites content is modeled on the parent LTOL site, the final presentation takes into account local issues and practices thereby making the information more relevant and useful. There are now 17 sites, including the
The site has been designed to help the individual better understand the many clinical laboratory tests that are part of healthcare today as well as their relation to the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases. LTOL fulfills a vital need for medical laboratory information that is easy to read and understand. It is a goto reference for questions ranging from why a lab test is ordered to what the results might mean. The site includes information (pages) on specific tests, various conditions and disease groups, as well as articles on leading edge items such as new diagnostics, updated guidelines and treatment options. The trend to increasing involvement of the patient in their personal care includes more direct access to laboratory test results. This makes LTOL even more relevant. As noted, LTOL helps understand why particular testing is done and what the results may mean. This leads to more informed discussion and decision making between the healthcare professional and the patient. To provide a broad and relevant perspective on all aspects of laboratory diagnostics, from the beginning the AACC has partnered with a number of professional societies to review and maintain content. There are presently 17 partner Societies representing the clinical laboratory profession. These include, for example, the American Society of Microbiology, the American Society for Hematology, CLSI and the CAP. The CSCC has been a partner from year two. The logos of the various partner organisations, including the CSCC, appear on the LTOL site and have direct links to their respective sites. Representatives from the various professional societies who have partnered with the AACC in this venture comprise the Editorial Review Board (ERB). Thus, at least one member expert from each society sits on the ERB and contributes to the development and review of all content on the website. The ERB meets every 2 weeks with the Editor, an AACC appointee, to review and approve articles to be posted on the site. The home page of the site also lists the various representatives to the ERB. Canadian partners including the CSCC and the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS, are represented respectively on the ERB by Patrick St.Louis and Keith Steinbach (Alberta Health Services). Another Canadian, Wes Schreiber (Vancouver) is also on the ERB, representing the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The site is funded by the AACC and a number of Sponsors from the Diagnostics industry. Current Sponsors are also listed on the CSCC News • November 2014
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parent LTOL site, covering Europe, Asia and North and South America. The “Visit Global Sites” link on the LTOL home page (https://labtestsonline.org/global/sites/) brings up a page listing these sites by language, providing direct links to the Partner sites. In the section for English, there is a “US & CA*” link to the main LTOL site with the following comment: “* AACC partners with the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists and the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science to provide information inclusive of Canadian lab test policies and practices for the US Site.” Of note the site now includes, where possible, both the SI and conventional unit formats in recognition of the more global use of the SI units. All pages on the site are subjected to a review cycle to maintain the information content current. In addition, priority setting meetings are held at beginning of each year to select new items to be added. Topics for consideration are selected based on the number of queries received by the site for a particular test or condition. The professionals on the ERB then decide based on the consensus opinion of the relative significance or value of each item. In this way, the site maintains a high level of pertinence and currency in the information it provides. LTOL continues to be a high traffic site with the number of visits increasing each year (see figures). It has also won numerous awards for content and presentation including several from various health-related organisations. This is an indicator of the continued, even increasing, relevance of LTOL and the quality of the information it provides. Submitted by Dr. Patrick St. Louis
The Archives Corner The retirement early this year of Elizabeth Hooper, CSCC’s Executive Director for over 25 years, has prompted me to think that this might be the optimum time to relate to readers a brief episode from the autumn of 1987, when CSCC moved its business management from Nason and Associates in Toronto to Events Management in Kingston. To “set the scene”, in June of that year CSCC’s annual national conference was held in Ottawa; it was a great conference that everyone in attendance enjoyed. At the Winter Council meeting earlier in 1987, before the conference, President Dr. Raymond Ogilvie had requested members of the Executive (Drs. Arlene Crowe, Pres.-Elect in Kingston, and Wm. Godolphin, Secretary, in Vancouver) to investigate business management firms in their respective cities (outside Toronto!) as he had growing 6
concern about the affordability of continuing with Nason. At the Third Council Meeting held in Ottawa immediately prior to the conference, Dr. Crowe reported on her meeting with Events Management (EM) and Dr. Godolphin did likewise on his meeting with a Vancouver firm. While EM submitted a proposal to CSCC, the Vancouver firm that Dr. Godolphin had met with never came through with one, and so it was decided tentatively to accept the proposal from EM. At the First Meeting of the new Council that as usual followed the end of the annual conference, Dr. Crowe struck a committee of two, namely Dr. Ogilvie, now past-president, and Dr. Lynn Allen, retiring treasurer, to meet with Events Management principals, Elizabeth Hooper and her business partner, Sheila McKirdy. This was a very thorough interview on which Dr. Ogilvie reported to the September meeting of the “new” Executive (Drs. Crowe, Jean-Claude Forest as the new Pres.-Elect, Bill Godolphin as Secretary, and James Wesenberg, the new Treasurer); Drs. Ogilvie and Allen jointly and strongly recommended that CSCC contract its business management with Events Management for November 1987 onward, with provision for a brief overlap of a month or two with Nason so that the hand-over would cause no delay in matters such as distribution of Minutes, membership fee invoices for the coming year, etc. When the Executive meeting had completed its agenda, someone remarked that his/her cheque for registration at the Ottawa conference in June hadn’t come out of their bank account, and a few minutes of recall on everyone’s part revealed that in fact, no one present had had their cheque withdrawn! It is an understatement to say this was a bombshell amongst the Executive, as we quickly realized the cheques by now were stale-dated from the early registration deadline in the spring, and members know very well that the annual conference each year is one of CSCC’s chief sources of income. Phone calls were made between the Executive and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the Ottawa conference, and (“long story short”) it was discovered that all the cheques received were contained neatly together in a shoebox in the home of the Ottawa member who had temporarily filled the position of treasurer when the original treasurer of the LOC had cardiac problems that necessitated him taking a leave of absence from work and his volunteer treasurer position. Dr. Tom Hindmarsh, then of Ottawa and President of the CAMB (Canadian Association of Medical Biochemists), much to the admiration of the rest of us, in fairly short order performed what we have since referred to as the equivalent of “a midnight run”, and retrieved the box. As your brand-new president, I wrote a letter that was then mailed to all the delegates who had attended the Ottawa meeting, to explain that his or her cheque had in error not been deposited, and requesting a replacement. Far more concerning was the fact that all the cheques from the companies of the sponsors and exhibitors had also to have replacements requested, hopefully without confusing the appropriate company department (Finance, Purchasing, or whatever) between the stale-dated cheque for the previous budget year (1987) and the planning for the forthcoming Winnipeg conference (1988). While individual letters were mailed out to all CSCC members who had been at the Ottawa conference, the staff of Events Management phoned each and every Exhibitor CSCC News • November 2015
– if you look back at CSCC News for February ‘88 (Vol. 30, #1) in which Elizabeth Hooper and Sheila McKirdy introduced EM and its operations to CSCC members, you will see this statement I am now quoting: “...Our staff members are the backbone of our operations. We work as a team and we are proud of their loyalty to us and to Events Management...They provide efficiency, effective information-processing and personalized service.” These words of Elizabeth’s describe truly the magnificent way Events Management acted on CSCC’s behalf. I am happy to tell you that none of the exhibitors balked at sending a new cheque, and of all the CSCC members who had been to the Ottawa conference, only one proved slightly awkward in replacing the stale-dated cheque, preferring to submit the amount split into successive cheques, until Jim Wesenberg had a chat with the individual to resolve the situation. There is no describing the relief of everyone on the Executive that literally thousands of dollars had been recovered and, more particularly, that the brilliant way Elizabeth and her staff had rescued what might have proven to be a very costly situation, not only in terms of funds but also with respect to CSCC’s reputation as seen by its sponsors and exhibitors. Though this was almost 30 years ago, readers will recognize that the memories of those of us on the fledgling 1987-88 Executive remain sharp as ever concerning the experience, and we are forever grateful to Elizabeth and her staff for what was certainly the most worrisome episode of our term of office! Dr. Arlene Crowe, Member, Archives Committee
Why I should submit an abstract for Edmonton 2016 The word is out and the dates for the 2016 CSCC-CCMG joint conference have been saved! While it's easy to just sit back and let the meeting organizers take care of the planning, the poster session is at the heart of any scientific meeting. It's an opportunity for all members to contribute to a successful meeting, but more so, to participate in the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and action. Good quality abstracts are the basis for travel awards, poster awards, and oral presentations. While the depth of content may range from preliminary findings to in-depth analysis, acceptance by peers enables the publication of an abstract where it becomes widely disseminated to the scientific community. Many of us are working on a variety of initiatives whether related to research [basic], practice [applied], or management [QA] that can be distilled into meaningful abstracts. However, preparing a high quality abstract does take time and effort. Start working on your abstract now to ensure your objective is clear and that you have enough time to gather the data. The submission deadline is roughly 3 months away and it may be necessary to have your collaborators ready to work with you. It's a great way to profile your expertise or experience which is essential to one's career development. CSCC News • November 2014
The website for abstract submissions is up and running <http://www. mgcc2016.com/abstract-submission/>. Please read AND follow the instructions very carefully. Past abstract reviewers have lamented repeatedly about poor abstracts that fail to adhere to the rules. Also, adequate data is essential in order to draw any conclusions. Lastly, coherent language and structure will unify the abstract from beginning to end. There are many resources on the internet on how to write a good scientific abstract <https://www.google.ca/search?q =how+to+write+a+good+scientific+abstract>. While the reviewers can provide constructive feedback, it is up to the authors to set the bar high at the beginning. Too much revision would only lead to mutual disappointment. I welcome Dr. David Kinniburgh and Dr. Peter Kavsak who will lead the adjudication of abstracts with me. We look forward to your submission in the near future! Dr. Paul Yip Chair, CSCC Abstracts Committee
London Health Sciences Centre is pleased to make the following announcements: Dr. Vipin Bhayana has accepted the position of Division Head Biochemistry & Immunology and Division Head Core Labs & Point of Care Testing in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Dr. Saranya KittanakomArnoldo has accepted a position as Clinical Biochemist in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
CSCC congratulates Dr. Mary Anne Kallai-Sanfaçon, who is now Head, Clinical Biochemistry Division at L’Hôpital Jean-Talon.
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Class of 2037 Brief glimpses of little aspiring chemists have been sighted at the annual meeting, visiting in the cafeteria, or heard over teleconferences. By our calculations these munchkins should be ripe and ready for board exams
Lydia Elizabeth Morrison was born on mommy’s birthday in 2014 to chemist Tracy Teodoro Morrison. In this picture, she is 1 years old. Lydia is now 15 months.
by 2037! Here are just a few of the newest generation. We also asked parents to take a guess at what area of medicine their young’uns could have a tendency for; here are some of the answers we received…
Allison Venner’s little chemist, Mackenzie, is 19 months old. As for the area of medicine…parents agree that she will be in the field of cybernetic implants, with a particular interest in memory and brain…yep, Mackenzie will be making cyborgs.
Introducing Violet Burton Paziuk, born Sept 3 2015, 7 lb 2 oz to Chemist Teralee Burton.
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Noah Siboni was born March 16, 2012 to chemist Danijela Konforte. When asked about his future medical career, mom offered: Batman or Biomedical Engineer.
Malcolm, here at 7 months, belongs to chemist Vilte Barakauskas. Given that tapping and hammering toys are among his favourite activities, if medicine is in his future, mom and dad wonder if orthopedics, with the opportunity to break and set bones, might be his calling?
CSCC News • November 2015
Anna (right) and Audrey (left), belong to chemist Dana Bailey who hopes that when they grow up they will find something that they enjoy doing and are proud to do well. Chemist Kareena Schnabl shares a picture of Dawson at 4 months. Mom, dad and grandparents all think Dawson will be an engineer. He analyses everything and figures out how to take things apart and put them together. He also knows how to program his sleep sheep to sing whales. They envision a biomedical engineer, perhaps robotics, helping people move. He loves kicking and waving his arms all the time and would want everyone to share his joy. He is on the move at an early age and loves to shake the maracas and hit the drums and keyboard - he may also end up on a sports team and playing percussion.
If you or someone you know has a little one they would like to introduce, please contact Vilte Barakauskas so that we can build next year’s class photo!
Anastasia, 3.5 years old (left) and two year old Katarina (right) are chemist Maria Pasic’s daughters. Mom thinks that performing arts, not science or medicine, are in Anastasia’s career path, while Katarina may well be a chemist, as she loves to experiment with mixing all sorts of things together!
Happy Holidays from the CSCC Editorial team! CSCC News • November 2014
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS March 21-23, 2016 Biomarker Summit 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:
San Diego CA
December 31 February 28 April 30 June 30 August 30 October 30
https://www.gtcbio.com/conferences/biomarkers-summit-agenda
July 1-4, 2016 Advances in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology 2016
January issue March issue May issue July issue September issue November issue
Notices from members seeking employment may be inserted without charge, and boxnumber replies may be arranged. Notices from institutions will be invoiced at $150 and include a notice on the website on the Job Opportunities page.
under the auspices of the International Society for Enzymology Milos Greece
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.
June 19-21, 2016
Editor in Chief: Dr. Isolde Seiden Long
2016 Joint Conference CSCC and Canadian College of Medical Geneticists (CCMG)
Associate Editors: Dr. Danijela Konforte, Dr. Vilte Barakauskas
Westin Edmonton Hotel
CSCC News
Edmonton AB
C/o CSCC Head Office 4 Cataraqui St., Suite 310, Kingston ON K7K 1Z7 Tel: 613-531-8899 • Fax: 613-531-0626 office@cscc.ca
July 31 – August 4, 2016
Publication Office:
2016 Annual Meeting & Clinical Expo AACC
2015-2016 Executive & Council of CSCC
Philadelphia PA
President President-Elect Secretary Treasurer Councillors
November 26-29 2016 4th Asia–Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine Congress Taipei International Convention Center
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Taipei, TW
Education & Scientific Affairs Professional Affairs Publications Executive Director
CSCC 2016 June 19-22, 2016 Edmonton, Alberta
Deadline for abstract submission: February 29, 2016
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T O
O U R
2015-2017 2015-2017 2015-2018 2014-2017 2015-2017 2015-2017 2014-2016
Allison Venner Julie Shaw Curtis Oleschuk Pamela Lyons
2013-2016 2013-2016 2015-2018
2015-2016 Board of Directors of CACB
Deadline for Roundtable and Workshop proposals: January 31, 2016
T H A N K S
Andrew Lyon Stephen Hill Jennifer Shea Ivan Blasutig Danijela Konforte Vathany Kulasingham Isolde Seiden Long
C S C C
Chair Secretary Chair, Accreditation Chair Certification Chair, Credentials Chair, Maintenance of Competence Liaison, Nominations & Awards Committees
N E W S
Cheryl Tomalty Abdulrazaq Sokoro Lianna Kyriakopoulou Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon Sheila Boss Paul Yip Ihssan Bouhtiauy
2014-2017 2015-2018 2015-2018 2013-2016 2014-2017 2013-2016 2013-2016
S P O N S O R S !
CSCC News • November 2015