ULM's Clinical Laboratory Science department recently celebrated National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, held this year during the week of April 18-24, with several activities.

Wisenor

Chapman

ULM Clinical Laboratory Science faculty, Debbie Wisenor and Melanie Chapman, along with 16 CLS students attended the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) of Louisiana and Mississippi 2010 Joint Annual Meeting in Biloxi, Miss., April 6 – 8.

The ULM CLS senior class participated in student bowl competition on three separate teams. Twenty teams from CLS programs in Louisiana and Mississippi participated in the competition. ULM junior students served as time-keepers and score-keepers for the student bowl games. All students participated in educational sessions.

Several ULM CLS students were honored with awards and elected to serve in the Louisiana Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (LSCLS). Katelyn Moore was elected president and Jessie Thomas was elected secretary of the student forum. Mandi Hollis received the Student Member of the Year award.

Two ULM CLS seniors, Katherine Pedro and Katelyn Moore, received awards for papers they wrote and submitted. Debbie Wisenor, CLS Program Director, received the 2010 LSCLS Presidential Service Award.

CLS seniors competed in the LSCLS student bowl.

Established 35 years ago by the American Society for Medical Technology, now known as the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, NMLP week is facilitated by a coalition of 11 laboratory medicine organizations, led by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

The goal of NMLP week is to increase professional and public awareness about the vital role practitioners of laboratory science play every day in diagnosing and preventing disease. Every day, these scientists provide information that detects many serious diseases earlier, prevents complications, assists with patient monitoring, and helps reduce the cost of medical treatment.

Today, it is estimated that approximately 70 percent of diagnostic decisions are made on the basis of laboratory test results. Unfortunately, only half of the vacancies for the professionals who generate those test results will be filled by laboratory-science program graduates despite high U.S. unemployment.

Some 10,000 new laboratory scientists and technicians are needed every year for the next ten years to satisfy the unmet demand, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.





Photos of Debbie Wisenor and Melanie Chapman by ULM's Office of University Relations

LSCLS student bowl photo courtesy Debbie Wisenor