CSCC News May 2015 by CSCC

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTS LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DES CLINICO-CHIMISTES Vol. 57 No. 3

May 2015

CSCC Award for Innovation in Laboratory Medicine SPONSORED BY: ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS The CSCC is pleased to announce that the first award for Innovation in Laboratory Medicine will go to the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC), Clinical Biochemistry Division, for their CALIPER (Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals) Project. The CALIPER Project distinguishes itself through outstanding contributions to all three focus areas of this award including: • Innovation in strategic planning and implementation of laboratory services based on best practices. • Innovation in development of new laboratory programs. • Promotion of a positive public image for laboratory medicine. This initiative has been spearheaded by the Clinical Biochemistry Division at the HSC which has been instrumental in making this an overwhelmingly successful Canadian initiative capturing the attention of the international laboratory medicine community and affecting laboratory practice around the world. The letter of nomination for this award came from Dr. Khosrow Adeli and was supported by John Racher (Managing/Clinical Director, Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine). Few recent innovations in laboratory medicine have so profoundly affected pediatric clinical biochemistry as the CALIPER Project. This project’s chief aim is to provide reliable reference intervals for accurate interpretation of biochemical markers of pediatric disease. It sets out to fill major knowledge gaps in pediatric population reference values, and reduce the risk of erroneous interpretation of laboratory data and the resulting risk of misdiagnosis, unnecessary medical follow-up and/or treatment. The initiative first began at the HSC but has continued in collaboration with several other pediatric healthcare centers in Canada. The work from the HSC has led to the recruitment of over 8,600 healthy community children and adolescents in the Greater Toronto Area, and has generated age and sex partitioned reference intervals for more than 85 biochemical markers so far. CALIPER is also working to transfer the calculated reference intervals to

ISSN 0826-1024

encompass all major clinical chemistry analyzers. The widespread applicability of CALIPER data is evidenced by the implementation of its reference intervals across many laboratories in Canadian and US hospitals, and through the adoption of CALIPER methodology by reference intervals-programs in other countries. Furthermore, the work of CALIPER has considerably raised both national and international awareness of inappropriate reference intervals, and how the new reference interval database will improve laboratory medicine. The CSCC recognizes the positive proﬁle that CALIPER brings to laboratory medicine in Canada and the direct impact it has on patient care, and is therefore pleased to recognize the CALIPER Project and the Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine at the HSC with this prestigious award. Dr. Edward Randell, Chair, CSCC Awards Committee.

CSCC Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry Originally from Newport, Monmouthshire in the United Kingdom, Trefor Higgins moved to Canada to do graduate work at the University of Alberta. He has remained in Edmonton working in the ever evolving clinical private laboratory system for more than 4 decades, and currently he is the Director of Clinical Biochemistry at DynaLIFEDx. During this time he has developed and improved many lab tests including toxicology and trace element analysis as well as routine chemistry. Early publications attest to his interest in reducing reagent costs and identifying sources of error. Trefor teaches clinical chemistry to MLS students, pathology residents and serves as a resource to the physicians practicing in Northern Alberta. He has been recognized for his teaching both locally and nationally, earning the Teacher of the Year Award in 2005 and 2012 from the General Pathology residents, and nationally, receiving the CSCC Education Excellence Award in

P.O. Box 1570 • Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5C8 Canada • 613.531.8899 • office@cscc.ca

2008. He has a keen interest in the publication process and sits on several editorial boards including Clinical Biochemistry. Trefor has developed an expertise in hemoglobin analysis and the clinical application of this testing. He has lectured on the diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias at both Clinical Chemistry and Hematology meetings. He is a co-author of the chapter on hemoglobin, iron and bilirubin in the Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Trefor is an active participant in the Lab Medicine community, his advice is often sought and he can be counted on to have an opinion which he can usually backup based on his experience and the current literature. Congratulations Trefor! Dr. Edward Randell, Chair, CSCC Awards Committee

Award for Outstanding Contributions to CACB Dr. Qing H. Meng is currently a Professor and Section Head of Clinical Chemistry and Special Chemistry Laboratoriesin the Department of Laboratory Medicine, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program in Clinical Chemistry, for one of the COMACC accredited programs in North America. Prior to joining MD Anderson in 2012, he trained and practiced in Clinical Chemistry in Canada for over 10 years. He continues to be involved in CSCC and CACB professional activities as a CSCC and FCACB member. Dr. Meng received his MD and practiced as a physician in China. In 1993, he left for Finland, where he completed his PhD in Clinical Chemistry at the University of Helsinki. He then came to Canada in 1998 and did his postdoctoral research training at the University of Toronto and 2 years later moved into the Clinical Chemistry training program at McMaster University. Following postdoctoral training in Clinical Chemistry, he assumed the position of Clinical Chemist and Assistant Professor at Royal University Hospital, the University of Saskatchewan in 2003. He took a position as a Clinical Chemist in 2006 at the Hospital for Sick Children. In 2010, he was promoted to clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Chemistry in Saskatoon Health Region at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Meng became a member of CSCC in 2001. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (FCACB) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (DABCC) and Fellow of NACB (FACB) and the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (FCACB). In addition to laboratory service, Dr. Meng has established research in the areas of diabetes, nutrition, lipids, and atherosclerosis, and now has successfully transferred to the area of cancer 2

biomarkers and biology. He has received over 20 international, national, and provincial grants in the last 7 years totaling over 2 million US Dollars. He has published over 80 papers in high quality journals. Dr. Meng has impressive records of achievements and awards. These awards include the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Clinical Chemist Recognition Award, AACC and the Van Slyke Foundation Research Award, Excellence in Research and Best Abstract Awards from the AACC Division of Animal Clinical Chemistry, the Division of Nutrition, and the Division of Patient Safety, AACC’s Outstanding Speaker Award, and the 2013 Research Excellence Award from the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC). Dr. Meng’s research excellence has also been recognized by his position on the editorial boards of 5 journals in laboratory medicine, and invitations to review manuscripts for a number of other journals. Dr. Meng has unusual strength in education. He taught clinical chemistry at various levels including undergraduate medical students, graduate students, and pathology residents at the University of Toronto and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. He served on the pathology residency program committee and as the coordinator of clinical chemistry discipline at the University of Saskatchewan. Since joining MD Anderson, he has been teaching Clinical Chemistry for Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the School of Health Professions. He started a Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Chemistry in July 2013 and the program was accredited by ComACC in April 2014. He has trained 7 postdoctoral scientists who are now at several universities in China, and he has trained 6 masters and 2 PhD students in laboratory medicine. Qing has been actively involved in professional societies and committees. He has contributed to the development of several guidelines for the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). He served as the Division Head of Clinical Chemistry and member of the Department Executive Committee and Laboratory Operations Committee at the University of Saskatchewan. He was the President of the North American Chinese Clinical Chemist Association (NACCCA)(2010-2011). He was an inspector for medical technology and medical laboratory assistant programs for the Canadian Medical Association. He is currently a member of the AACC House of Delegates and serves on AACC Nutrition Division as secretary. He is also a member of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Diagnostic Immunology Resource Committee. He has been a CAP inspector since 2005. He has served CACB for 6 years as the Secretary (2006-2009), Chair of Credentials Committee (2009-2011), and the Chair of CACB (20112012). During his tenure as CACB Chair, he witnessed the formal approval of harmonization for full recognition of the certiﬁcation and fellowship in Clinical Biochemistry by CACB and the L’Ordre des Chimistes du Quebec (OCQ). Dr. Meng is a highly deserving recipient of the CACB Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Clinical Biochemistry! Ihssan Bouhtiauy Chair, CACB Nominations and Awards Due to circumstances beyond our control the Charity Run has been cancelled. An informal walk is being organized in its place. If interested, ask at the Registration Desk onsite.

CSCC News • May 2015

CSCC Award for Research Excellence SPONSORED BY: ORTHO-CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS RECIPIENT: Dr. Loralie Langman The CSCC is pleased to recognize the outstanding contribution of Dr. Loralie Langman to research in the field of clinical chemistry by honoring her with the 2015 CSCC Research Excellence Award. Loralie has made many contributions to clinical chemistry but this award especially recognizes her research achievements in the areas of toxicology and TDM. Although making her present home Rochester, Minnesota, Loralie comes from Canada and is an active member of the CSCC. She received both graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Alberta. She completed a BSc in Medical Laboratory Science and began work as a registered technologist in 1988. She continued to work as a lab tech at the University of Alberta Hospital, primarily second shift and weekends, while attending grad school. She completed her PhD degree under the supervision of Randy Yatscoff (who received the award for Research Excellence in 1996) in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Following completion of her PhD degree (1996) she continued her academic pursuits through completion of her clinical biochemistry training at University of Toronto diploma program (1999). During her post-doctoral studies she was mentored by David Cole who was the recipient of the Award for Research Excellence in 2002. Her training in Toronto well prepared her for eventual certification and fellowship in the CACB (2000). In addition to this, Loralie became trifold certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in Clinical Chemistry (2000), Molecular Diagnostics (2002), and Toxicological Chemistry (2006); certified in Forensic Toxicology (2004) by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology; has achieved certification from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists Board as a Medical Technologist (since 1988); and holds bronze level certification by the Mayo Clinical Quality Academy (2014). Loralie’s career as a clinical biochemist took her from the Department of Clinical Pathology at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto (1999-2000), to CJ Coady Associates in Surrey BC (2000-2004), and to the Division of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota (2005-2007), where she currently holds the position of Director of Toxicology and Drug Monitoring Laboratory. Loralie has also remained very active in the work of several professional and laboratory medicine related bodies including IATDMCT (President-Elect), CLSI; American Academy of Forensic Sciences and American Board of Forensic Toxicology, AACC, ABCC, NACB, IFCC, and CSCC, to name a few. Loralie holds the rank of Professor of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and her previous research activities have been recognized through many awards including CSCC Best Poster Award in 1995 and 2000, the Max E. Chilcote Young Investigator Award (AACC Upstate NY Section; CSCC News • May 2015

1999), the Young Investigator’s Award (AACC, TDM/Tox Division; 2006), and the award for outstanding scientiﬁc Achievements by a Young Investigator (AACC 2007). Loralie’s research and academic standing is recognized through her role on the editorial board of well-established journals in our area. Loralie serves as a member of the editorial board and as Associate Editor for Clinical Biochemistry journal, and also serves as an editorial board member and Reviews Editor for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring journal. She also serves as Invited Reviewer in many other journals including Clinical Chimica Acta, Journal of Forensic Sciences, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings, to name a few. Loralie’s expertise in toxicology and TDM has resulted in numerous teaching and speaking opportunities at local, national, and international forums. She has more than 50 articles in peerreviewed journals and at least 65 abstracts of work at scientiﬁc conferences. Furthermore, Loralie has to her credit 8 non-peer reviewed articles on toxicology and drug related topics, jointly authored 5 books, has authored or co-authored 17 book chapters, has a commentary in Clinical Biochemistry, plus many other scholarly endeavors. This brief overview does not do justice to Loralie’s many remarkable accomplishments which, without hesitation, presents her as an obvious choice for recognition by the CSCC 2014 Award for Research Excellence. Dr. Edward Randell, Chair, CSCC Awards Committee.

CSCC Award for Education Excellence SPONSORED BY: BECKMAN COULTER CANADA INC. RECIPIENT: Dr. Arlene Crowe The CSCC is pleased to recognize the remarkable contributions of Dr. Arlene Crowe as the 2015 recipient of the CSCC Award for Education Excellence. Through this award the Society honors her distinguished career and more than 50 years of continued involvement in clinical biochemistry as educator and archivist, especially through involvement with CSCC News and the CSCC Archives Committee. During her career she has contributed to the training of many laboratory technologists, university students, and her clinical biochemist colleagues. Arlene was born in Wakaw, Saskatchewan, but completed her ﬁrst post-secondary degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1950. She later received her MSc degree from McGill University in 1956, which she completed part-time while working full-time as a research assistant in the Department of Pathology at McGill University. Following this, she worked as Chief Technician in Biochemistry at the Montreal Children’s Hospital for 2 years, which she considers one of the highlights of her career. Arlene later went on to pursue her PhD degree in Biochemistry at McGill (1962), and shortly afterward began working as a Clinical Chemist at the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston Ontario, where she remained until retiring about 30 years later in 1992. 3

Arlene with the Ames Award at the Canadian Congress of Laboratory Medicine in Winnipeg, June 1978.

Arlene joined the CSCC back in 1958, prior to completing her PhD degree, and became a certified member in 1965 and eventually a founding fellow of CACB. Thereafter, she continued to serve as an active member, transitioning from full member to emeritus in 2004, and was then recognized as an honorary member at the 50th anniversary of CSCC in Victoria in 2006. Her many other contributions to CSCC include her first term on CSCC Council during 1971 to 1973 as membership secretary; and then from 1985 to 1991 she served as president-elect, president, and then past president of CSCC. Outside of CSCC, she is a member of numerous organizations with interests in clinical chemistry. Her hard work and commitment to the field has also earned her many awards including the CSCC award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in 1978. Arlene’s role as an educator quickly ensued in 1963 where she took on the Directorship of the HDH School of Medical Laboratory technology in Kingston Ontario, a role that continued until the school was absorbed by the newly built St. Lawrence Community College in 1973. During this period she also began teaching at Queen’s University as Adjunct Lecturer and then Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry until her retirement in 1993. Following her retirement she relocated to Calgary. Arlene’s contributions to activities within CSCC and other Laboratory Medicine Organizations continued beyond her retirement from full time work. Her work with the CSCC Archives Committee began over twenty years ago (1994) when she began as chair. In this role she coordinated videotaped interviews which helped to create the 50th anniversary video produced by filmmaker David R. Tonks, son of CSCC founding member David B. Tonks. She also served as co-editor with Robert Baynton for the special issue of Clinical Biochemistry and authored the lead article “The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists: Highlights of Its First 50 Years” which was published in Clin Biochem 39 (2006): 427-36. Her involvement in CSCC News began about 40 years ago, initially serving as editor of the newsletter, and continues to the present as writer of the majority of bimonthly Archives Corner columns for CSCC News. In addition to this, she also served as Assistant Editor of Clinical Biochemistry during 1981 to 1985. Through these and many other contributions, Arlene continues to impact and enrich the collegial experience within our Society 4

and for which we are grateful. It is a therefore a pleasure to honour Dr. Arlene Crowe with the 2015 CSCC Award for Education Excellence. Dr. Edward Randell, Chair, CSCC Awards Committee.

2015 CSCC Grants Awarded CSCC GRANT FOR LEADERSHIP AND/OR ADMINISTRATION SPONSORED BY ABBOTT This year’s Grant was awarded to fund the inaugural “Oral Exam Prep Weekend” initiated and organized by Dr. Stephen Hill held in April 2015 in Toronto. The participants were given half size exams on Saturday with lots of feedback, and then each was given a full size exam on Sunday in the true exam style. This ﬁrst ever course was considered to be a great success by all involved.

CSCC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT SPONSORED BY CSCC Dr. Marie-Ève Habel-will use this grant to attend and present her work at the 21st IFCC-EFLM European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EuroMedLab Paris 2015; June 21-25).

CSCC News • May 2015

Countdown to Montreal

Château de Ramezay

Montreal Museum of Fine Art

Pointe-à-Callière Archeology and History Museum

CSCC News • May 2015

An overview of what to do in Montreal The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts founded in 1860 is a not-tobe-missed destination for art lovers. This internationally renowned museum has dedicated itself to curating a collection of Canadian and international art that is a delight to behold. This summer the museum will be presenting a special exhibit entitled Metamorphosis through which we can get a glimpse of the secret world of Rodin’s studio and contemplate several works of this master sculptor. For history buffs the Pointe-à-Callière Archaeology and History Museum offers a trip back in time. There, the old fortifications of Ville-Marie the “ancestor” of Montreal have been preserved for our viewing. The Chateau de Ramezay situated in Old Montreal and facing City Hall gives tourists a glimpse into life in colonial times in Montreal! Like all old cities we have our share of ghosts. Join a ghost tour of Old Montreal and get your spine tingling (see website fantommontreal at the end of this article) In 1881 Mark Twain described Montreal as the city of church spires: This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn’t throw a brick without breaking a church window. Stroll through Old Montreal and you will see what Mark Twain meant; admire the architecture of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Architecture aficionados should venture further afield and explore the Montreal neighborhoods like Plateau Mont-Royal and its main street: Rue Saint-Denis with their typical greystone buildings and outdoor

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Biking in Montreal Music on Rue Saint-Denis

winding wrought iron staircases. The concept “Space for Life” groups together four institutions dedicated to nature and science: the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens, the Insectarium and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. The Biodome, inaugurated in 1992 has recreated under one roof some of the most beautiful ecosystems of the Americas. The Botanical Gardens , recognized as one of the most important worldwide, is the ideal place to breathe deeply and recharge. It has twenty themed areas spread over 75 hectares, a real oasis in the heart of the city. At the Planetarium, newly reopened in 2013, you can see the following shows: Vertige and Tempo, the ﬁrst exploring concepts of time and the second, the cycles of the heavens. Botanical Gardens

BIXI bikes on the Plateau

For those who prefer water to land, the Old Port of Montreal offers several excursions so that you can view Montreal from the St Lawrence River with a day or evening cruise. The more adventurous who don’t mind getting a bit wet can go rafting on the Lachine Rapids – a thrilling experience against the backdrop of Montreal skyscrapers. And yes, Montreal is a surﬁng destination (see links at the bottom of this article)

Biodome

Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium Cruising the St Lawrence

Insectarium

Montreal is also a haven for sports nuts and weekend warriors. Discover Monteal by bike. This city has one of the most extensive bicycle path networks in North America. From Old Montreal to the Mountain (Mount-Royal) to the Lachine Canal, not to mention Montreal neighbourhoods, all (or almost all) can be visited by bike. You don’t even have to bring your own vehicle as Montreal’s BIXI bike service lets you get a bike almost anywhere in the city whenever you want and leave it at one of the BIXI stations when you have ﬁnished. 6

Rafting on the Lachine Rapids

CSCC News • May 2015

You are coming to Montreal at the start of summer festival time. The 26th International Montreal Jazz Festival , from June 26 to July 5, has an atmosphere like no other for the music lovers among you. So stay a few days longer and treat your ears and eyes to this week-long extravaganza. All outdoor events are free. Montreal is all this and more...Take advantage of your visit to discover what the largest francophone city in North America has to offer! Dr Luce Boulanger Social Activities, Joint CSCC CAP Congress 2015 (translated by Dr. Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon) Surfing near Habitat ‘67

CSCC working to enhance communication with the public and government It has been agreed by CSCC Council to work with a media relations person to establish a public proﬁle and governmental awareness of the contributions the profession of Clinical Biochemistry and the members of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists make to health care and community health. A subcommittee has been struck to develop strategies in this regard and work with the media relations person, Rose Anna Schick (RAS Creative), to move these ideas forward. This subcommittee provides a great opportunity to give back to the society by building a portfolio of our society that ensures a continued understanding by the public and key stakeholders of our relevance. We are looking for members of the CSCC with an interest in sitting on this subcommittee. If you consider yourself innovative and a good networker (as most of us do), this is a good ﬁt for you. I look forward to your participation. Kind regards, Curtis Oleschuk Head of Publications Division, CSCC

CSCC News • May 2015

Petit aperçu touristique de Montréal…

Montréal est une ville qui offre plusieurs trésors à découvrir! Il y en a pour tous les goûts… Pour les amateurs d’art, le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, fondé en 1860, est un incontournable. Ce musée de réputation internationale nous permet d’admirer leurs collections consacrées à la promotion de l’art canadien et international. Présentée cet été, l’exposition « Métamorphoses » nous permet d’entrer dans le secret de l’atelier de Rodin en présentant quelques œuvres de ce maître de la sculpture. Pour les férus d’histoire, le musée d’archéologie et histoire de Pointe-à-Callière offre un retour dans le passé au pied des anciens murs de Ville-Marie, l’ancêtre de Montréal. Également situé dans le vieux Montréal, face à l’hôtel de ville, le Château de Ramezay nous plonge dans la vie de Montréal aux temps des colonies! Comme dans toutes vieilles villes, nous avons notre part de fantômes. Joignezvous à un tour de fantômes dans le vieux Montréal et vous aurez surement la chair de poule. (voir le site Web à la ﬁn de l’article). Mark Twain en 1881 décrit Montréal comme une ville aux cents clochers. Proﬁtant d’une balade dans le vieux Montréal, les amateurs d’architecture seront ravis de pouvoir jetter un œil sur la basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. ..ou de découvrir de beaux quartiers typiquement montréalais comme le Plateau Mont-Royal et sa rue Saint-Denis avec ses bâtiments en pierre grise et ses escaliers extérieurs en colimaçon en fer forgé. Le concept « Espace pour la vie » est un lieu regroupant le Biodôme, le Jardin botanique, l’Insectarium et le Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan. Ces institutions forment un ensemble où la nature et les sciences sont à l’honneur. Le Biodôme, inauguré en 1992, recrée sous son toit certains des plus beaux écosystèmes des Amériques. Le Jardin botanique, reconnu comme un des plus importants au monde, est l’endroit idéal pour faire le plein d’air pur et de beauté. Avec sa vingtaine de parcs thématiques répartis sur 75 hectares, c’est un oasis au cœur de la ville. Le Planétarium, nouvellement ouvert en 2013, vous permet de vivre les spectacles « Vertige » et « Tempo ». Le premier explore le concept du temps et le second les cycles célestes. Les grands sportifs…et ceux qui le sont un peu moins, pourront 8

découvrir la ville à bicyclette. Montréal est parcourue d’un réseau important de pistes cyclables. Du vieux Montréal, au Mont-Royal en passant par le canal Lachine et tous les quartiers de la ville, tout se visite en vélo (ou presque). Et comble du bonheur, BIXI, un service de vélo en location libre vous permet de trouver une bicyclette presque partout en ville, quand vous le désirez puis laissez-la à l’une des stations BIXI quand vous avez terminé. Pour ceux qui préfèrent la voie maritime à la voie cyclable, plusieurs croisières partant du vieux port de Montréal, vous permettent d’observer la ville à partir du Saint-Laurent, le jour, comme le soir. Ceux qui aiment leur séjour sur l’eau moins au sec, il est également possible de faire du rafting sur les rapides de Lachine…toute une expérience sur fond de gratte-ciel montréalais! Et oui, vous pouvez faire du surf à Montréal (voir les liens à la fin de l’article). Pour ceux qui aiment fêter, qui aiment la musique et une ambiance d’enfer, la ville revêt ses plus beaux atours pour tenir le 26e Festival international de Jazz de Montréal du 26 juin au 5 juillet prochain. Demeurez quelques jours de plus à Montréal et gâtez vos oreilles et vos yeux en profitant de ce spectacle fabuleux d’une durée d’une semaine. Tous les spectacles extérieurs sont gratuits. Montréal, c’est tout ça et plus encore…Profitez de votre séjour en ville pour goûter les plaisirs que peut vous offrir la plus grande ville francophone d’Amérique du Nord!

Cruising the St Lawrence

CSCC News • May 2015

The Archives Corner

his column brings to you a brief description of Dr. Abram H. Neufeld, the third person who, with Drs. Edward Bensley and William Bauld, form the trio of Montrealers credited with bringing interested clinical chemists from across Canada to CSCC’s founding meeting held in October, 1956. The column is then completed with a look at Dr. David B. Tonks, whose role in the founding meeting was the keynote speaker for the occasion. Dr. Abram Herman Neufeld, 1907-2007 Dr. Neufeld came to Canada with his parents in the fall of 1923 from Russia. As a young adult he held jobs in non-academic areas until he was able to attend the University of Manitoba where he obtained his B.Sc.(Hons.) in Medical Biochemistry in 1934 , followed immediately by his M.Sc. (1935) and Ph.D. (1937), all at U. of Manitoba. In 1936 he moved to McGill University where he rose from Lecturer to Professor of Biochemistry and Endocrinology under Dr. J.B. Collip, Chair of Dept. of Biochemistry at that time, and well-known for his discovery of Calcitonin. Dr. Neufeld interrupted his academic career during 1943-46 by serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps as Major, Medical Liaison Ofﬁcer to the Ofﬁce of the Surgeon General in Washington, DC. He was

Incoming CSCC Council The following members were elected by acclamation for the upcoming Council term. Nominations The following members were elected by acclamation: Dr. Vathany Kulasingam – Councillor 2015-17 (2nd term) Dr. Danijela Konforte – Councillor 2015-17 (1st term) Dr. Curtis Oleschuk – Head, Publications Division 2015-18 (2nd term) Dr. Jennifer Shea – Secretary 2015-18 Dr. Stephen Hill – President-Elect 2015-17 Awards The following recipients for the 2015 awards and grants were approved: Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry – Mr. Trefor Higgins CSCC Research Excellence Award – Dr. Loralie Langman CSCC News • May 2015

awarded Canada’s War Medal (1939-45) and the Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Overseas Bar in 1946. It should be mentioned too that Dr. Neufeld received the American Association of Military Surgeons Gold Medal in 1945 and the U.S. Legion of Merit, Degree of Ofﬁcer (presented by Pres. Harry S. Truman in 1947). In 1946 he began a long and productive stint at the Queen Mary Veterans Hospital in Montreal as Chief of Biochemistry and Nuclear Medicine, where he served until 1960, and at McGill during those same years as Honorary Lecturer. In that period, he also obtained his MD from McGill in 1950. In 1960 he moved to London, Ontario to take up the position of Head of Pathological Chemistry at the University of Western Ontario and was cross-appointed as Head of Clinical Pathology at Victoria General Hospital. From 1950 to 1960, he served as Consultant in Laboratory Services to all the Veterans Hospitals across Canada for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Neufeld retired from Victoria General Hospital and UWO in 1972. His CV states he had “hundreds of publications” extending from 1936 to the 1970’s, that covered a broad range of topics from bromine in human tissues, through experimental pancreatic diabetes, many individual hormones, serum proteins in myelomas, to the use of radioisotopes in diagnosis and research, and medical laboratory technology education. Because of his many trips across the country, Dr. Neufeld was largely responsible for the impressive list of biochemists and researchers in related areas who were invited to CSCC’s founding meeting in 1956. If I may be allowed a personal anecdote, in 1957 when I had returned to Montreal from a year in England, I had an appointment with Dr. Neufeld for an advertised job for the Clinical Chemistry lab at Queen Mary Vets’, and when I arrived at his outer ofﬁce

CSCC Education Excellence Award – Dr. Arlene Crowe CSCC Innovation Award – Hospital for Sick Children, Clinical Biochemistry Division Leadership and/or Administration Grant – Dr. Stephen Hill Professional Development Grant – Dr. Marie-Ève Habel Application for Certification in Clinical Chemistry Now Available Online: A fillable online application form is now available for applications for meeting accreditation in both English and French. You can check it out here: http://cscc.ca/images/Academy/ Application_certification_revised_Jan.2015_Fill.pdf Introducing NAFCC! The AACC and CSCC have formed the North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry (NAFCC) which has been accepted by IFCC as a Regional Federation. The Federation will send a representative to IFCC Executive Board meetings beginning in 2018. Dr. David Kinniburgh will be the first representative.

at 9 a.m. on the stated Friday morning and told his secretary who I was, she jumped up from her desk and exclaimed, “That man! He’s forgotten all about you, and gone to Ottawa for the day!” She immediately followed up on that by saying, “I know what I’ll do; Dr. Eleanor Harpur at the Montreal Children’s Hospital is looking for a chief tech’ so I’ll phone her and see if she still has that position available”! Without further ado that’s exactly what the secretary did, and Dr. Harpur told her to send me right down to MCH for an interview as her chief tech’ was leaving the following Wednesday. I took the appropriate streetcar down to MCH at Atwater and Tupper Streets, and within little more than a half-hour had the job I held from 1957 to 1959 when I returned to McGill to do my Ph.D. Jobs were like that in those days, no resumes or tough questions, just facts were all one needed to give; Dr. Harpur often said that I had “walked off the street into her arms” as she was worried she would be short-staffed the next week! By way of a P.S., I’d like to add that Dr. Harpur took me along soon afterward to a monthly meeting of the Biochemical Circle at McGill, which consisted of a couple short presentations by hospitalbased and university-based biochemists; during the coffee-break following the talks, I wandered over to Dr. Neufeld and said to him, “Dr. Neufeld, I have a bone to pick with you – you stood me up a few Fridays ago”. At this, he playfully bumped his shoulder against mine and, smiling at me, asked “Would you like an interview now?” I assured him I was very happy at MCH. Actually, my years at MCH were probably my most enjoyable years in the lab; we had a staff of just three in Clinical Chemistsry, all of us with M.Sc.’s, and I still recall some of the most fascinating cases that were presented at monthly Grand Rounds which we all could attend when workload allowed. Before I leave the topic of Dr. Neufeld, I would like to mention that very early in CSCC’s history, he was charged with working out the requirements that Council would consider to institute certiﬁcation; this was a very valuable contribution to the beginnings of frequent discussions about what CSCC hoped would arise out of codifying certiﬁcation requirements, procedures, examinations and continuing education. He was already past 90 when David R. Tonks taped a brief interview with Dr. Neufeld, with Dr. Yeshoua (Shieky) Brownstone as an able support for Dr. Neufeld , for the 50th anniversary video interview. Dr. Neufeld’s daughters were most helpful in helping arrange this, and the Archives Committee is forever grateful to them.

published in AACC’s journal(“the red journal”) his seminal paper on quality control, “A study of the accuracy and precision of clinical chemistry determinations in 170 Canadian hospitals. Clin Chem 1963; 9:217.” – in today’s online terminology, I suppose you could say it went “viral”. Dr. Tonks was very active in international associations also, particularly the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and the upgrading of the Section on Clinical Chemistry to a full Division within IUPAC was largely due to Dr. Tonks’ influence. From 1971 to 1975 he served as President of the Division on Clinical Chemistry, and he was one of the founders of the Commission on Toxicology (1973). In fact, the listing of the offices Dr. Tonks held within IUPAC takes more than one full page of his CV. As late as 1994, Dr. Tonks was writing informative articles on IUPAC activities for CSCC News, acquainting all CSCC members with IUPAC’s many and varied activities. . In recognition of his work on certification, he was the first person (of three) grandfathered by Council as Certified, to form the first CSCC panel to act as examiners. When CSCC’s premier award for outstanding contributions to clinical chemistry was created (then called the Ames Award), Dr. Tonks was the first recipient (1968). Dr. Tonks was always delighted to meet new members at conferences, and had a unique chuckle that was his alone – I have sometimes asserted that if you heard that chuckle behind you at a meeting, you would not even need to turn around before you would say, “Hello, David”! His wife Em usually accompanied him to meetings and, like him, thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone. In the year 2000, for the Archives Committee’s ongoing project of videotaping founding members, I taped Dr. Tonks in the office area of his home in Dorval, and it was a great interview, if I do say so. Sad to say, on my way back to Calgary, the car was burgled in Sault Ste. Marie, and all the luggage stolen, including that videotape – I still mourn that lost interview. It was Dr. Tonks’ frequent mention to the Archives Committee of his son David R.’s expertise in film and video production that led to CSCC Council providing generous funding for the 50th anniversary video’s production by David R. and that was shown in the IMAX theatre in 2006 in Victoria as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. A final bittersweet note: while neither Dr. Neufeld nor Dr. Tonks was well enough to attend the Victoria conference and showing of the anniversary video, David R. was able to show it to his father before David B. passed away in the autumn of 2006.

Dr. David Bayard Tonks, 1919-2006 I think there are few comments about Dr. Tonks one can make that readers are not already familiar with! From CSCC’s founding meeting, where he was already known for having a signiﬁcant reputation in the use of quality control in clinical chemistry labs, Dr. Tonks was a dedicated CSCC member who always worked hard to broaden CSCC’s activities nationally and internationally. After he left the Laboratory of Hygiene (later renamed the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control) in Ottawa for a short stint at the Hospital for Sick Children (1958-62) in Toronto, he moved to the Montreal General Hospital where he remained until his retirement (1962-85). He successively held every position on Council for the ﬁrst ten years of CSCC’s existence, and chaired or sat on several CSCC committees. He was a member of multiple related associations, and faithfully attended just about every annual meeting that each and every one of those associations held. He

In conclusion, I would like to say that, in addition to this small series of Montrealers who contributed so enormously to CSCC, there were also many others from Montreal: Dr. Shieky Brownstone who worked with Dr. Neufeld in both Montreal and London, past presidents (like Dr. Brownstone) Drs. Reuben Schucher , Marc Francoeur, and Sam Levy; Dr. Guy Letellier who served many years as CSCC’s able translator for documents from English into French, and who was responsible for the daily demonstration of Notre Dame Hospital’s SMA 12/60 at Expo’ 67, which entranced huge numbers of visitors to the pavilion. I could grow this list to be considerably longer! It goes without saying that the upcoming annual national conference in Montreal in June will bring us many other CSCC members’ names to take note of, and who may before long have a similar introduction to readers of CSCC News..

Dr. Arlene Crowe, Member, Archives Committee CSCC News • May 2015

CSCC Leadership in Quality Management Certificate Program: Update The CSCC Quality Management Working Group (CSCC WG-QM) is now just a few months away from releasing the CSCC Leadership in Quality Management Certificate Program. This Program will focus on bringing Clinical Biochemists, as laboratory leaders, to a level required to provide competent leadership and oversight to the Quality Management Systems (QMS) in their laboratory. The certificate Program will be released in the form of a course in quality management. The original idea for such a Program arose out of informal conversations among a few organizers, participants and speakers presenting at the Joint CSCC-SQBC conference in Quebec City in the one-day symposium on “Patient Safety and Medical Error”, in 2012. A small working group was formed and a teleconference was held in December of 2012 to discuss continuing education needs and opportunities for quality management education for Clinical Biochemists. This was followed by a survey to the membership to assess the needs for, and the level of interest in, further continuing education on quality management. The group was formalized as the WG-QM and its focus has been the development of an educational program for Clinical Biochemists wanting to play a more active role as leaders in the QMS in their own laboratories, and to provide a certificate to acknowledge advanced study and competency of those completing the Program. And here we are, approximately 30 months later, in the final stages of formalizing a web-based course for quality management. The membership of the CSCC WG-QM has grown and evolved, most dramatically over the last year. The need for timely production and release of the course coupled with competing time commitments of the WG members, and the need for special expertise in certain course components, led to efforts to recruit new members to the original group. The concerted efforts of all the members have brought us to today where we have all the course components at a near-final state. The group currently consists of nine members (Lynn Allen as Chair, Ed Randell, Edgard Delvin, Jay Kalra, Berna Aslan, Annu Khajuria, Adam Ptolemy, Ihssan Bouhtiauy, and Rose Djiana) and we rely on the able assistance of Pamela Lyons and Elizabeth Hooper. The WG wishes to thank John Krahn, a member of the original WG, who made major contributions in drafting one learning module for the Program and in reviewing another module; after serving for over 2 years, he decided to step down. All WG-QM members are actively involved in finalizing course materials, developing assessment activities, posting material on the CSCC website, and completing the application for CSCC News • May 2015

accreditation. The Certificate Program consists of five modules, each with a different focus, that are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of quality management. The modules are: Laboratory Quality Management Standards Analytical Performance Goals for Laboratory Tests Control of Nonconformities Culture of Quality and Patient safety Ethics and Risk Management The Program makes use of available educational resources, including CSCC Education Roundtables, CSCC Travelling Lectureship talks, CSCC Workshop talks, references (mainly open access), IFCC presentations, WHO documents, and other educational material available in the public domain through web access. Each module is divided into subsections with learning objectives and written text that guide learning and augment materials covered in linked presentations, recommended readings, and other reference materials. Mastery of the materials contained within each module will take about 10 hours of self-learning, and will be assessed for credit through a web-based 10 question shortanswer quiz. The WG-QM members will serve as course faculty. The first module of the course should be ready to launch at the CSCC conference this summer. Course materials are now in their final draft form and under review by the CACB Professional Development Program for accreditation and PD credits. A live demo of the Program will be presented at the Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC) (Joint Conference of CSCC & CAP), June 20- 24, in Montreal. Dr. Lynn Allen and Dr. Edward Randell

New Website Page for CSCC Member Publications Members are invited to provide their personal google scholar link to post on our new Member Publications page: http://cscc.ca/en/chemistlibrary/member-publications. html or Chemist Library/Member Publications (login to access) 11

Updates from the Maintenance of Competence Committee As we continue to move towards the future as a regulated professional body, maintaining fellowship in the CACB will be of utmost importance. This has been reinforced by the proposed bylaw change that specifically states compliance with the Professional Development (PD) Program as a requirement for good standing and to remain a Fellow in good standing. The PD program is the conduit by which we demonstrate to our stakeholders that the competence of our members continues well beyond certification alone. This article highlights the successes and challenges of the annual audit for the PD Program of the Academy for the 2014 year, and where we are headed in the future. Similar to many other health care groups, the audit of educational activities aims to verify the integrity of submissions for learning credits. Every year, 20-25 Fellows are audited most of whom are randomly selected. Some are audited as they have failed to comply with the previous year’s audit, or have not been audited for an extended period of time. I am pleased to say that all Fellows in this year’s audit passed. A particular success is that 10 members passed without further request for documentation because all entries were already complete in the PD program module. For others, we do express our thanks for the very prompt replies when missing documentation was requested by the Head Office. Some of the challenges highlighted during the audit process were due to inadequate or inappropriate evidence of a learning activity. Most frequently, the supporting document does not clearly provide information that reflects the specific title, length of time, or some form of attestation. Most of these issues are resolved after further clarification. While only Category 1 claims (those without a CSCC attendance code) require documentation at the time of submission, it is strongly suggested that documentation be uploaded for all claims. This will save the time required to search for them later and greatly facilitate audits. Please refer to the article in the January 2015 issue of CSCC News on tips for submission of claims. Non-compliance with the minimum credits for the annual requirement (25 credits) or the 3-year rule (150 credits) has raised concern in some cases. Such instances automatically trigger an audit and are reviewed by the MOC Committee. Efforts are made to investigate the reason and rectify the situation to ensure a Fellow can be restored to full compliance and maintain good standing. The Academy page on the CSCC website outlines the requirements of the PD Program. The consequences of non-compliance include withholding the annual certificate of compliance and removal of the individuals’ name from the published list of Fellows who have met the requirements of the PD Program. As we move forward with regulation of the profession, repeated non-compliance may even mean the loss of fellowship in the CACB in the future. Of course, no one would prefer this path due to potential ramifications with one’s employer, regulatory body, or other stakeholder. The Board takes these matters seriously and continues to educate members on any changes. We respect each member’s unique situation while balancing the overall expectations that everyone must uphold. Finally I wish to extend my thanks to the members of the Maintenance of Competence (MOC) Committee who conducted 12

the audit. They work diligently to verify the accuracy of claims but also provide important feedback to individuals to help improve the documentation and submission of claims. Further efforts will be made to keep members apprised of their PD Program status and be more proactive in fulﬁlling the Program requirements. Paul Yip, PhD, FCACB Chair, Maintenance of Competence Committee

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 specified room block as usual. The rebate will take place at the time of the conference.

Le Westin Montreal Hotel

270 St Antoine ouest, Montreal T. 514-380-3333 (link to online reservation available on the website at: www.clmc.ca/2015/accommodation)

CSCC News • May 2015

ASHT Annual General Meeting The Alberta Society for Human Toxicology (ASHT) held its Annual General Meeting in scenic Kananaskis, Alberta from March 6-7, 2015. The Alberta Society of Human Toxicology is a group including Clinical Chemists, Toxicologists, Pharmacists and other professionals working in the field of either Clinical, Forensic or Environmental toxicology. The scientific program was kicked off by Dr. Hamid Habibi, Professor and Director of the Institute of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Calgary. His engaging presentation described an impressive body of work on the biological monitoring and health impact assessment of emerging contaminants present in Southern Alberta. Dr. Habibi stressed that one man’s waste is another’s drinking water, and showed compelling data arguing that contaminants present in river water may influence the sex ratio of the Longnose Dace (a fish common in Southern Alberta). He also outlined research illustrating that both bisphenol A (BPA) and its replacement bisphenol S (BPS) increase neurogenesis within the hypothalamus of zebrafish, which later leads to hyperactive behavior. Dr. Robert Middleberg, Laboratory Director and VP of Quality Assurance at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, then delivered a compelling talk on post-mortem pediatric toxicology. He started with a historical account of child killing/poisoning, describing several chilling examples of serial child killers. Dr. Middleberg pointed out that children are ‘grazing animals’ and emphasized that the average home contains more than 63 chemicals that can potentially harm kids (including vitamins, herbals, medications, bathroom cleaners, laundry detergent, batteries etc.). He provided a detailed description of the differences in absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of substances between children and adults, and worked through several challenging cases of pediatric poisoning. Meeting attendees had the afternoon free to enjoy the outdoors and beautiful weather. Some ventured to nearby Canmore for shopping and dining, whereas others enjoyed skiing and hiking near the hotel. The after dinner speaker was Mr. Patrick Steffes, who gave a light-hearted talk on his recent journey to Africa. Through pictures and videos, he shared the incredible sights he saw and insights he learned about African wildlife. The star of the show was the Mountain Gorilla of Rwanda and Uganda, which was brought back from the edge of extinction by poachers and is now the centre of a vibrant and successful tourism industry. Dr. Mathew Estey

From left to right: Mr. Stewart Winfield (ASHT President), Dr. David Kinniburgh, Dr. Hamid Habibi, Mr. Patrick Steffes, Dr. Robert Middleberg. Photo taken by Dr. Penny Colbourne.

CSCC News • May 2015

CSA Technical Committee Z252 Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and SCC Mirror Committee (SMC) to ISO/TC 212, Clinical Laboratory Testing and In Vitro Diagnostic Test Systems The CSA Technical Committee Z252 Medical Laboratory Quality Systems and SCC Mirror Committee (SMC) to ISO/ TC 212, Clinical Laboratory Testing and In Vitro Diagnostic Test Systems (The Committee) is responsible for developing and maintaining standards in the ﬁeld of medical laboratory quality systems relating to equipment, instruments, and procedures, such as: • Quality management and quality assurance; • Performance requirements; • Reference systems; and • Safety The Chair of the CSA Committee is the head of the Canadian delegation to ISO/TC 212, Clinical Laboratory Testing and In Vitro Diagnostic Test Systems. Lynn Allen is the CSCC representative on the CSA Technical Committee, and Isolde Seiden-Long is also a CSA committee member currently cross appointed to ISO/TC212 Working Groups 1 and 2 as a working group expert. Role with respect to CSA As such, this Committee is responsible for the review and approval of CSA standards that fall within its mandate: CAN/CSA-Z316.6-14 - Sharps injury protection - Requirements and test methods - Sharps containers (Adopted ISO 23907:2012, ﬁrst edition, 2012-09-01, with Canadian deviations) Z316.5-04 (R2014) - Fume Hoods and Associated Exhaust Systems Z316.7-12 - Primary sample collection facilities and medical laboratories - Patient safety and quality of care - Requirements for collecting, transporting, and storing samples Role with respect to ISO/TC212 The Committee supports the function of the Canadian Advisory Committee (CAC) to ISO/TC 212 Clinical Laboratory Testing and In Vitro Diagnostic Test Systems, ensuring active Canadian delegate participation at ISO/TC 212 meetings. Members have input into the Canadian position on approval of ISO standards that are within the purview of ISO/TC212 by voting to accept or reject these standards; the Chair then develops and submits the Canadian position. It may also adopt ISO standards as Canadian standards, with or without Canadian deviations. However, standards such as ISO 15189, ISO 15190 and ISO 22870, which are used for purposes of accreditation, are adopted as Canadian standards by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). 13

Several members of the CSA Committee are also members of various working groups of ISO/TC212 and participate directly in the development of international standards concerning clinical laboratory testing. This role allows Canadians to directly contribute and influence the content of these highly valued and adopted documents worldwide. Standards Council of Canada (SCC) The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is a full member of the International Standards Organization (ISO) and represents Canadian interests in the international group. Although the SCC does not develop standards itself, it coordinates the Canadian National Standards System (NSS) and accredits other standardsdeveloping organizations within Canada, including the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) . International Standards Organization (ISO) ISO is the international body mandated to produce standards which help ensure that materials, processes and services are fit-for purpose. Technical committees develop these standards on a consensus basis. The technical committees are expert teams assembled from both government and non-governmental organizations coming from academia, industry and consumer groups. Draft international standards produced by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Approval of the standard for publication requires at least 75 % of the member bodies to cast a vote. ISO/TC212 The scope of ISO/TC212 is standardization and guidance in the field of laboratory medicine and in vitro diagnostic test systems. This includes, for example, quality management, pre- and postanalytical procedures, analytical performance, laboratory safety, reference systems and quality assurance. For more information on ISO/TC212, see http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee. html?commid=54916. ISO/TC212 currently has four Working Groups: WG-1 Quality and competence in the medical laboratory WG-2, Reference systems WG-3, In vitro diagnostic products WG-4, Molecular diagnostics (formerly, Antimicrobial susceptibility testing) The standards and/or projects for which ISO/TC212 is responsible are: ISO 15189:2012 Medical laboratories -- Requirements for quality and competence ISO 15190:2003 Medical laboratories -- Requirements for safety ISO 15193:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -- Measurement of quantities in samples of biological origin -- Requirements for content and presentation of reference measurement procedures ISO 15194:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -- Measurement of quantities in samples of biological origin -Requirements for certified reference materials and the content of 14

supporting documentation ISO 15195:2003 Laboratory medicine -- Requirements for reference measurement laboratories ISO 15197:2013 In vitro diagnostic test systems -- Requirements for blood-glucose monitoring systems for self-testing in managing diabetes mellitus ISO 15198:2004 Clinical laboratory medicine -- In vitro diagnostic medical devices -- Validation of user quality control procedures by the manufacturer ISO 16256:2012 Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems -- Reference method for testing the in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against yeast fungi involved in infectious diseases ISO 17511:2003 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Measurement of quantities in biological samples -- Metrological traceability of values assigned to calibrators and control materials ISO 17593:2007 Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro medical devices -- Requirements for in vitro monitoring systems for self-testing of oral anticoagulant therapy ISO/TS 17822-1:2014 In vitro diagnostic test systems -Qualitative nucleic acid-based in vitro examination procedures for detection and identification of microbial pathogens -- Part 1: General requirements, terms and definitions ISO 18113-1:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer (labelling) -- Part 1: Terms, definitions and general requirements ISO 18113-2:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer (labelling) -- Part 2: In vitro diagnostic reagents for professional use ISO 18113-3:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer (labelling) -- Part 3: In vitro diagnostic instruments for professional use ISO 18113-4:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer (labelling) -- Part 4: In vitro diagnostic reagents for self-testing ISO 18113-5:2009 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer (labelling) -- Part 5: In vitro diagnostic instruments for self-testing ISO 18153:2003 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Measurement of quantities in biological samples -- Metrological traceability of values for catalytic concentration of enzymes assigned calibrators and control materials ISO 19001:2013 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Information supplied by the manufacturer with in vitro diagnostic reagents for staining in biology ISO 20776-1:2006 Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems -- Susceptibility testing of infectious agents and evaluation of performance of antimicrobial susceptibility test devices -- Part 1: Reference method for testing the in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against rapidly growing aerobic bacteria involved in infectious diseases ISO 20776-2:2007 Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems -- Susceptibility testing of infectious agents and evaluation of performance of antimicrobial susceptibility test devices -- Part 2: Evaluation of performance of antimicrobial susceptibility test devices ISO/TS 22367:2008 Medical laboratories -- Reduction of error through risk management and continual improvement ISO/TS 22367:2008/Cor 1:2009 ISO/TR 22869:2005 Medical laboratories -- Guidance on CSCC News • May 2015

laboratory implementation of ISO 15189: 2003 ISO 22870:2006 Point-of-care testing (POCT) -- Requirements for quality and competence ISO 23640:2011 In vitro diagnostic medical devices -Evaluation of stability of in vitro diagnostic reagents ISO/TC212 meeting in Toronto, Oct14-17, 2014 ISO/TC212 held a meeting in Toronto on Oct14-17, 2014. Isolde Seiden-Long and Lynn Allen were among the CSA Committee members who were able to attend as observers. In the morning we attended WG-2 which was working on the “Medical Laboratories - Practical guide for the estimation of measurement uncertainty”, and in the afternoon, we attended WG1, which discussed the Strategic Business Plan for ISO/TC212. Accreditation of Laboratories in Canada to ISO 15189 SCC accredits a wide variety of laboratories, among them calibration, environmental and medical laboratories. ISO 15189 is the international standard speciﬁcally applying to clinical laboratories and emphasizes quality service and competence toward patients and health care providers. This standard is closely related to the more general ISO 17025:2005 - General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, which applies to a wide range of testing environments. ISO 15189 and ISO 17025 are both accreditation standards used to ensure technical competency of laboratories. Laboratories meeting these standards

must demonstrate that they are technically competent to produce valid results and operate a quality system. The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) offers accreditation to medical laboratories throughout Canada. For laboratories based in Quebec, the program is offered in collaboration with the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ). Under this program, laboratories are assessed by the BNQ and are accredited by SCC without having to undergo separate assessments by each organization. The Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (IQMH, formerly QMP-LS) issues accreditation certificates under its ISO 15189PLUS™ banner; in addition to ISO 15189:2012 requirements, this includes meeting requirements for safety (ISO 15190), point-of-care testing (ISO 22870), national standards for blood safety (CSA-Z902), national standards for primary sample collection facilities and medical laboratories (CSA-Z316.7-12), government regulation and generally accepted principles of good practice. IQMH is a signatory to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). ISO 15189PLUS™ certiﬁcates granted under this MRA are recognized world-wide. This program is mandated by three provinces (Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland & Labrador). Dr. Lynn C. Allen CSCC representative to the CSA Committee

CLMC’s First Mobile App! We’re excited to announce the upcoming Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC) will be providing a mobile app, allowing you to have the entire 2015 Congress program in the palm of your hand!

The core features really allow you to view it all, including up-to-the-minute information such as the latest agenda and updates if any changes arise onsite. The interactive app allows you to navigate through speaker information, evaluations for each session, maps of Le Westin Montreal Hotel, exhibitor and sponsor details, an attendee list and more. Slide decks will also be available for each session allowing you to follow along with during workshops, roundtables and symposia. A list of abstracts will also be available on the app along with poster viewing times.

Please check the website closer to the conference for download information.

CSCC News • May 2015

MONTREAL • JUNE-JUIN • 20-24 • 2015

CSCC Business Meetings CACB Oral Exams

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CACB Oral Exams CSCC Council CACB Board Meeting CSCC-CACB Joint Meeting

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CSCC Annual Meetings Committee CACB Oral Exams CACB Training Program Accreditation Committee Pediatric & Perinatal Biochemistry Focus Group Working Group on Quality Management Point of Care Interest Group

417 717 417 Ville Marie B 617 Saint Antoine A

Monday June 22 1200-1300

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Tuesday June 23 0700-0800 1200-1300 1300-1400 1500-1600 1700-1800

CSCC Editorial Board CACB Maintenance of Competence Committee Toxicology Interest Group Laboratory Utilization Interest Group CSCC AGM and Town Hall

417 Le Moyne Montreal D 417 Montreal C

Wednesday June 24 0900-0930 1300-1400 1300-1400

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CSCC News • May 2015

Thank you to our Sponsors! PLATINUM PLATINUM

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

FRIEND

Dr. C.J. Coady Associates | Université de Montréal CSCC News • May 2015

LABORATORY SERVICES CLINICAL BIOCHEMIST/UNIT MANAGER CHEMISTRY Laboratory Services has a temporary full time opportunity for a Clinical Biochemist/Unit Manager-Chemistry. The Clinical Biochemist/Unit Manager provides consultation and liaison with physicians in the interpretation of laboratory test results and utilizes Lean Management methodology in providing proactive leadership. The incumbent is accountable for the management of the integrated Clinical Chemistry services at the Regina General Hospital, Pasqua Hospital and rural laboratory sites of the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region; and, ensures the development and provision of services to continually improve standards of excellence and recognition of the Clinical Chemistry section of Laboratory Services. This position reports operationally to the Director - Operations Laboratory Services and clinically to the Medical Section Head, Clinical Chemistry. Positions directly reporting to the incumbent are Medical Laboratory Technologists and Lab Assistants. Qualifications & Experience:            

PhD degree with formal training in Clinical Biochemistry. Certified or eligible for certification in Clinical Biochemistry by the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemists. A minimum of three (3) years recent experience in related work. Excellent decision making skills. Demonstrates utilization management abilities, skills and knowledge. Articulates theory and knowledge related to a patient centered model of care and principles of adult education. Demonstrates abilities to develop Quality Services programs/resources including needs assessment, planning, design, implementation, and evaluation. Demonstrates ability to establish and maintain effective interpersonal/consultative relationship and communication patterns including conflict resolution. Demonstrates effective communication, both verbal and in written forms. Demonstrates ability to apply research to clinical practice. Demonstrates critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Demonstrates commitment to continuing professional development. Demonstrates leadership skills and ability to be self-directed.

The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region offers a comprehensive wage and benefit package. Regina boasts clear, sunny days recording an average of 2,365 sunshine hours each year. Wascana Centre crowns Regina’s park system as a 930-hectare park. The Devonian Pathway is an eight kilometer asphalt trail along Wascana Creek designed for cycling, walking, jogging and cross-country skiing in winter. Hundreds of recreation facilities exist in Regina including an 8,300 square metre Sportplex, five municipally-owned golf courses, over 200 athletic fields, skateboarding facilities, rugby and soccer fields and a cricket pitch. Regina is the home to the Regina Symphony Orchestra, Canada’s oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra. Also, Regina is the home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the world famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police. If you are interested in finding out more about Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region or the City of Regina, please visit http://www.rqhealth.ca and www.regina.ca.

Interested applicants are invited to submit their resume in confidence to: Employment Services Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region 2180 – 23rd Avenue Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A5 Fax: (306)766-5147 Email: jobs@rqhealth.ca www.rqhealth.ca

CSCC News • May 2015

Chief, Division of Biochemistry Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) invites applications for the position of Chief, Division of Biochemistry, The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). The Ottawa Hospital, provides bilingual tertiary care and has affiliation to the University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Heart Institute, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the Rehab Centre, and Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre serves a population of 1.3 million people within the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). EORLA is an incorporated not-for-profit member based organization providing full spectrum acute care services to its 16 members. The Ottawa Hospital is one of 16 member organizations and the Division of Biochemistry laboratories at the Civic, General and Riverside Campuses process 5 to 6 million test results per year and serves as EORLA’s Biochemistry reference laboratories. Hospital-based laboratory medicine services for the Champlain LHIN are provided under the auspices of the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA). Working collaboratively with laboratory medical/scientific, administration, management and technical staff within TOH and across EORLA, the successful candidate will provide medical/scientific leadership for the Division of Biochemistry at TOH which includes a team of 5 Biochemists and 50-60 management, supervisory and technical staff. Functioning within the governance structures of TOH and EORLA, administrative responsibilities will include day to day oversight and strategic planning for TOH Biochemistry laboratories to ensure compliance with all applicable quality, regulatory and licensing standards and participation in Divisional, Departmental, Hospital and Regional committees. Within the EORLA regional biochemistry structure, the candidate will have primary overall responsibility for analytical/technical and clinical service at TOH. Additional areas of regional biochemistry subspecialty analytical supervision and clinical responsibility may be assigned based on the skills, expertise and interests of the candidate. S/he must also engage in either individual or collaborative research in basic or applied biochemistry. Outstanding research opportunities can be supported through interactions with The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and with the University of Ottawa Research Network. The successful candidate will also participate in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, as well as continuing education activities. The ideal candidate will have previous progressive leadership experience, excellent interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate and interact with a diverse range of individuals and teams including: laboratory technical, administrative and medical/scientific staff, clinicians, nurses and other health care providers as well as non-clinical staff. Written and oral French would be an asset as EORLA provides services in both of Canada’s official languages. The successful candidate must have certification/fellowship with the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry or the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons or other recognized equivalent. Salary and academic rank will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. The Ottawa Hospital is an equal opportunity employer. Upon request, accommodations due to disability are available throughout the selection process. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, but Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. Application review will commence on July 1, 2015. Applications are sought until the position is filled. Interested applicants should apply in writing enclosing their curriculum vitae with the names of three referees to: Dr. John P. Veinot Head, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Rd Ottawa, ON, K1H8L6 jpveinot@toh.on.ca

CSCC News • May 2015

Calendar Of Events If you would like to announce your meeting, please send it at least 3 months in advance to office@cscc.ca

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. Editor in Chief: Dr.Isolde Seiden Long Associate Editors: Dr.Vilte Barakauskas, Dr. Danijela Konforte Publication Ofﬁce: CSCC News

June 29-July 1, 2015 International Society for Enzymology Annual Conference 2015 Corfu Greece ediamandis@mtsinai.on.ca July 26-30, 2015 2015 Annual Meeting & Clinical Expo AACC Atlanta Georgia October 11-15, 2015 14th International Congress of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring & Clinical Toxicology 2015 Rotterdam, the Netherlands http://iatdmct2015.org/

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 2014-2015 Executive & Council of the CSCC President President-Elect Secretary Treasurer Councillors

David Kinniburgh Andrew Lyon Stephen Hill Ivan Blasutig Isolde Seiden Long Vathany Kulasingam AbdulRazaq A.H. Sokoro

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Allison Venner Julie Shaw Curtis Oleschuk Pamela Lyons

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Division Heads: Education & Scientiﬁc Affairs Professional Affairs Publications Executive Director

2014-2015 Board of Directors of the CACB Chair Sheila Boss Secretary Lianna Kyriakopoulou Chair, Accreditation Annu Khajuria Chair, Certiﬁcation Mary-Ann Kallai-Sanfaçon Chair, Credentials Cheryl Tomalty Chair, Maintenance of Competence Paul Yip Liaison, Nominations & Awards Ihssan Bouhtiauy Committees

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

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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.

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

T O

Deadline for Submissions: December 31 February 28 April 30 June 30 August 30 October 30

June 20-24, 2015 2015 CSCC-CAP Joint Annual Conference Canadian Laboratory Medicine Congress (CLMC) Clinical Biochemistry on the Move Westin Montréal Hotel Montréal Quebec http://www.clmc.ca/2015/

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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.

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CSCC News • May 2015