Ignorance is bliss FROM THE EDITOR


A


By Lisa Moynihan Editor


pril 2019 marks the fifth year I’ve been involved in MLO’s Lab of the Year (LOY) contest. As an MLO “newbie” in 2015, I underestimated the vital role the laboratory plays in healthcare. Even after working for 15 years within the pharmaceutical trade, it became clear I’d been working in a silo, unaware of the bigger picture. Today, thanks to MLO, I have a whole new respect and appreciation for the medical laboratory industry—especially in regard to my local healthcare system. From the phle- botomists that collect my blood at Quest, to the nurses who administer my Feraheme drip at Florida Cancer Specialists, to the Veracyte


pathologists who analyze my liquid biopsies…the list goes on. There are approximately 300,000 practitioners of clinical laboratory science in the United States.1


A medical laboratory’s chief concern is the


diagnosis and treatment of patients. There are many medical symptoms that can be caused by very different illnesses, and often the true cause (and correct treatment) can only be determined by the lab. The news they bear is vital to accurate treatment. It may sound ignorant, but five years ago, when I was wearing my patient hat, I’d never really thought about the lab after I had left it. Diagnosis and treatment had always started and stopped with my physician. Like every other consumer, I would begrudgingly forgo my morning coffee so I could get my fasting blood drawn in the early morning before work. I’d look the other way as my blood was drawn (I still do), gazing at the rainbow-colored tourniquets and wondering if I’d be left with a bruise and how soon I could escape the chair to get some food...bliss- fully unaware of what would happen to my tubes of blood after I left the facility. Now, in its 44th year, Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, which takes place April 21-27, 2019, is an annual celebration of medical labora- tory professionals and pathologists. MLO’s annual LOY contest strategi- cally coincides with this event every April (see page 16 for the 2019 LOY winners!). Unfortunately, the efforts of laboratory professionals often go unnoticed by the general public, as well as by the very institutions employing their services. With the public now demanding quality health- care and professional accountability, organizations representing laborato- rians have a responsibility to ensure that the public is well informed about their competency.


The American Society of Clinical Laboratory Professionals have some awareness materials publicly available (https://www.ascls.org/ celebrate/125-scholarships-and-awards2/new-professional-of-the- year/101-new-professional-of-the-year), however who is responsible for educating the masses? Who else is creating and disseminating patient- directed materials that showcase what goes on behind the scenes of a laboratory? On a nationwide level? On an international level? Perhaps regular PSAs are needed from the FDA or the CDC?


The enormous challenge of public health education is one I will leave to those better equipped to do so. In the meantime, I will continue to strive to provide quality content on behalf of MLO, educate and be an advocate for myself and my immediate family, and remember to thank my local healthcare team for their continued dedication and hard work. #Lab4Life


MEDICAL LABORATORY OBSERVER Vol.51, No.4


Publisher/Executive Editor Kristine Russell


krussell@mlo-online.com Editor


Lisa Moynihan lmoynihan@mlo-online.com


Editor Janette Wider


jwider@mlo-online.com


Graphic Artist Patti Connors pconnors@endeavorb2b.com


Audience Development/List Rentals Laura Moulton lmoulton@endeavorb2b.com


Ad Traffic Manager Norma Machado nmachado@endeavorb2b.com


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MLO EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD


John Brunstein, PhD, Biochemistry (Molecular Virology) President & CSO PathoID, Inc., British Columbia, Canada


John A. Gerlach, PhD, D(ABHI) Laboratory Director Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Barbara Strain, MA, SM(ASCP) Director, Supply Chain Analytics University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA


Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPH Professor of Medicine and Public Health Division of Infectious Diseases: Global Health, Dept. of Epidemiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, Karen and Jonathon Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, CA


Susan McQuiston, JD, MT(ASCP), SCy(ASCP) Instructor, Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Donna Beasley, DLM(ASCP) Director


Huron Healthcare, Chicago, IL


Anthony Kurec, MS, H(ASCP)DLM Clinical Associate Professor, Emeritus SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY


Suzanne Butch, MLS(ASCP)CM Freelance Consultant, Ann Arbor, MI


, SBBCM


Paul R. Eden, Jr., MT(ASCP), PhD Lt. Col., USAF (ret.) (formerly) Chief, Laboratory Services 88th Diagnostics/Therapeutics Squadron Wright-Patterson AFB, OH


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REFERENCE


1. ASCLS. American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists. https://www.ascls.org/about- us/celebrate/125-scholarships-and-awards2/new-professional-of-the-year/101-new-profes- sional-of-the-year. Accessed March 12, 2019.


4 APRIL 2019 MLO-ONLINE.COM


MLO - MEDICAL LABORATORY OBSERVER (ISSN: 0580-7247). Published monthly, with an additional issue in August, by Endeavor Business Media, LLC., 2477 Stickney Point Rd, Suite 221B, Sarasota, FL 34231 (941) 388-7050. Subscription rates: $127.60/ year in the U.S.; $154.88 Canada/Mexico; Intl. subscriptions are $221.43/year. All issues of MLO are available on microfilm from University Microfilms International, Box 78, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Current single copies (if available) $15.40 each (U.S); and $19.80 each (Intl.). Back issues (if available) $17.60 each (U.S.); $22.00 each (Intl.). Payment must be made in U.S. funds on a U.S. bank/ branch within the continental U.S. and accompany request. Subscrip- tion inquiries: subscriptions@endeavorb2b.com. MLO is indexed in the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Lexis-Nexis. MLO Cover/CE, Clinical Issues, and Lab Management features are peer reviewed. Title®


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