2024-2025 Education Roundtable Series
1Save today! Club members are entitled to join any or all of the Roundtables. Register once only and automatically receive an invitation for each Roundtable and access to the slides and recordings of past roundtables for the current year.
- Registration is by pre-payment only using the online registration form.
- Each registration is restricted to one (1) phone line; you may have as many participants using that line as you wish. You are welcome to sign up more than one (1) phone line but each line must be a separate registration and payment.
- Participants will be sent a link to the zoom session.
2024/2025 Roundtable Series Dates:
2024
| Date | Time (Eastern) | Presenter(s) | Topic | |
| 1 | September 19 | 14:00-15:00 | Samantha Logan | Implementation of an intrasite quality assurance program in a high-volume clinical laboratory |
| 2 | October 3 | 14:00-15:00 | Qian (Katie) Sun | Beyond Intended Use: designing validation protocols for accurate PSA testing for patients under 50 |
| 3 | October 17 | 11:30-12:30 | Katharine Hayden / Rob Shorten | The laboratory’s role in achieving Net Zero healthcare |
| 4 | October 31 | 11:30-12:30 | Heather Paul | Transcutaneous Bilirubin (TcB) Testing – Triumphs and Tribulations |
| 5 | November 14 | 11:30-12:30 | He Sarina Yang | AI Chatbots in Laboratory Medicine: From Foundations to Clinical Applications and Emerging Trends |
| 6 | November 28 | 14:00-15:00 | Kika Veljkovic / Matthew Nichols | CSCC Abstract Awards |
| 7 | December 12 | 11:30-12:30 | Anna Fuezery | New advances in solving an age-old problem: The role of the laboratory in curbing rising syphilis rates |
2025
| Date | Time (Eastern) | Presenter(s) | Topic | |
| 8 | January 23 | 11:30-12:30 | Abdi Sokoro / Allan Garland | Reducing Unnecessary Diagnostic Tests: Issues and Opportunities |
| 9 | February 6 | 11:30-12:30 | ||
| 10 | February 20 | 11:30-12:30 | (1) Victoria Higgins; (2) Matthew Henderson | (1) CliCK – The Clinical Chemistry Knowledge Study Tool; (2) Canadian Clinical Biochemistry Syllabus Review |
| 11 | March 6 | 11:30-12:30 | Fang Wu | Implementation of the Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPYD) PGx Program to Guide 5-Fluorouracil Dosing for Cancer Patients in Saskatchewan |
| 12 | March 20 | 14:00-15:00 | ||
| 13 | April 3 | 11:30-12:30 | ||
| 14 | April 17 | 14:00-15:00 | ||
| 15 | May 1 | 11:30-12:30 | ||
| 16 | May 15 | 11:30-12:30 | ||
| 17 | May 29 | 14:00-15:00 |
| #1. September 19, 2024 | Implementation of an intrasite quality assurance program in a high-volume clinical laboratory |
| Speaker: | Dr. Samantha Logan, Alberta Precision Laboratories and the University of Calgary |
| Overview: | This presentation will highlight the rationale, advantages, and challenges of implementing a quality assurance program examining the comparability of multiple chemistry autoanalyzers in a high-volume community laboratory in Calgary. An overview of accreditation requirements for assessing comparability between instruments will also be discussed. |
| Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #2. October 3, 2024 | Beyond Intended Use: designing validation protocols for accurate PSA testing for patients under 50 |
| Speaker: | Dr. Qian (Katie) Sun, Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Michigan
Dr. Sun is a board-certified Clinical Chemist at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Michigan and Assistant Professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. She serves as the Technical Director of the Automated Chemistry and Urinalysis Laboratories. She has been highly productive in clinical service, scientific research, and in the professional community as evidenced by her publications and presentations nationally and internationally. Dr. Sun has published more than 30 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles in journals including Clinical Chemistry, Blood, and JAMA Cardiology. The many awards she has received include the Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award from the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists and Outstanding Speaker Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. Her research interests include endocrine and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as quality improvement in the clinical laboratory. |
| Overview: | This session delves into the complexities of designing validation plan for detecting PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) in a patient population beyond intended use specified by manufacturers. Real world examples will be presented for analytical and clinical validation of PSA tests for patients under 50 years old, as well as for comparison of validation results from different institutions using various PSA methods. Professionals attending this session will be better equipped to implement testing methodologies beyond the intended use, ensuring that needs for diverse patient populations are met. |
| Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #3. October 17, 2024 | The Laboratory’s Role in Achieving Net Zero Healthcare |
| Speakers: | Dr Rob Shorten, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, and Katharine Hayden, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Manchester Foundation Trust, both representing the Association for Laboratory Medicine (as a note we changed the name of our Association earlier in 2024 from the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine).
Dr Rob Shorten is a Consultant Clinical Scientist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. He has broad experience in clinical microbiology and is the departmental lead for research, and the pathology lead for clinical audit. He is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, and his research interests have included tuberculosis, laboratory diagnostics, and viral haemorrhagic fevers. His current interests include diagnostic stewardship and environmental sustainability. He is also the current Chair of the Microbiology Professional Committee of the Association for Laboratory Medicine. Kath Hayden is a Consultant Clinical Biochemist at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Following training in South Manchester, she has held posts in hospital laboratories in Manchester and Liverpool for over 35 years, overseeing advances in analytical technologies, point of care testing and harmonisation of laboratories, and her research interests include endocrinology and renal medicine. She is an honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester and her last role was as Clinical Head of Division for Laboratory Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, before taking up her current role as President of the Association for Laboratory Medicine, UK. Current interests include sustainability of laboratories and appropriate test utilization. |
| Overview: | This lecture will outline the importance of the climate emergency and its consequences for the planet and health. It will detail the role that healthcare, and in particular diagnostic laboratories plays in contributing to the carbon footprint. Challenges, and opportunities of how laboratory services can contribute to making patient pathways more environmentally sustainable will be explored. |
| Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #5. November 14, 2024 | AI Chatbots in Laboratory Medicine: From Foundations to Clinical Applications and Emerging Trends |
| Speakers: | Dr. Sarina Yang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical Director of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory, and Co-Director of the ComACC accredited Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. She is board certified in both Clinical Chemistry and Toxicological Chemistry by ABCC. She currently serves as the Chair of Artificial Intelligence Working Group in the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), and is a member in the ADLM Academy Council, Education Core Committee, and Data Analytics Steering Committee. She serves as an Associate Editor of Clinical Chemistry Journal, and in the Editorial Board of Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Annals of Laboratory Medicine. Her clinical and research interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, clinical mass spectrometry, and toxicology/TOM. |
| Overview: | This lecture will provide learners with an overview of the history of Al chatbots in medicine, knowledge about the latest development of ChatGPT and other large language models, as well as opportunities and challenges of using chatbots in laboratory medicine field. I will discuss the cutting-edge research that assess the accuracy and reliability of chatbots in answering questions related to laboratory tests or interpretation of laboratory data. I will use ChatGPT demo to show the functions and inherent limitations of chatbots, including issues such as “hallucinations”, and further elucidate the root causes of these limitations. |
| Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #6. November 28, 2024 | CSCC Abstract Awards |
| Title 1: | Implementation of CKD-EPI 2021 and KFRE in Ontario community laboratories – expected impact on eGFR results and referral to nephrology |
| Speaker 1: | Kika Veljkovic is a clinical biochemist living and working in Ontario. She is a graduate of the Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Biochemistry at McMaster University and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. She is professionally involved with the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare, as chair of the IQMH Endocrinology and Immunology Scientific Committee, and is a part-time faculty in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University. She joined LifeLabs laboratory 12 years ago as a staff clinical biochemist, later moving into the role of Discipline Head for high volume chemistry, which includes core chemistry and immunochemistry, urinalysis, HbA1c testing and FIT. |
| Overview 1: | This presentation will describe the implementation of CKD-EPI 2021 equation for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) in two large Ontario community laboratories. CKD-EPI 2021 and KFRE were introduced in Ontario community laboratories as part of the Ontario Health (Ontario Renal Network) efforts aimed to encourage appropriate diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease in primary care. We assessed the expected eGFR result changes and the nephrology referral rates in the population served by community laboratories in Ontario. |
| Objectives 1: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| Title 2: | Analyzing M-proteins by Mass spectrometry: A view from the driver’s seat |
| Speaker 2: | Matthew Nichols is a clinical biochemist at London Health Sciences Centre where he oversees trace elements, therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicology. His focus is on clinical applications of different mass spectrometry platforms. |
| Overview 2: | This presentation will quickly cover our M-protein method including sample preparation with the liquid handler, LC-QTOF data acquisition and data analysis. The focus of this presentation will be on data analysis where the screen will be shared as we work through a QC (positive and negative), 1 patient for GAMKL and a reagent blank as if you were the biochemist signing the case out.
The primary goal will be to showcase the software functionality as if you were the biochemist responsible for the interpretation of the results. A view from the driver’s seat. |
| Objectives 2: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #7. December 12, 2024 | New advances in solving an age-old problem: The role of the laboratory in curbing rising syphilis rates |
| Speaker: | Dr. Anna Fuezery received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A. She completed a 2-year postdoctoral clinical chemistry fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes in Baltimore, U.S.A. She is board certified in clinical chemistry by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. She holds Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Professional Certification from the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Fuezery is the North Sector POCT Medical Lead for Alberta Precision Laboratories, the sole public provider of laboratory services in the Canadian province of Alberta. In her role, she serves as the primary medical lead for POCT in the city of Edmonton and its vicinity. She also acts as a resource for general pathologists, clinical chemists, and laboratory technologists that support POCT in Northern Alberta. She has experience with a wide range of POCT devices and programs, including glucose meters, blood gas analysis, coagulation testing, urinalysis, and infectious disease testing. When not busy with clinical service, Dr. Fuezery co-directs the University of Alberta Postdoctoral Clinical Biochemistry Fellowship Program and serves on various local, national, and international committees. |
| Overview: | Syphilis is a highly infectious, sexually transmitted disease. Primary syphilis typically presents as a single, painless ulcer at the site of inoculation 2-6 weeks after infection. If left untreated, the infection progresses through several stages that have more severe symptoms and sequelae. Historical treatments for syphilis included guaiacum, mercury, and arsenic, but they were ineffective and/or extremely toxic. The advent of penicillin in 1943 was a turning point in disease treatment and led to a decline in syphilis cases by more than 75% in just 10 years. Rates of syphilis started increasing again in the early 2000s, and they have skyrocketed in Canada since 2017. This presentation will provide a brief history of syphilis over the centuries, followed by a discussion of the present state of syphilis screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Diagnostic testing will be discussed in detail, with a particular focus on recent developments in point-of-care testing (POCT). |
| Learning Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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| #8. January 23, 2025 | Reducing Unnecessary Laboratory Tests: Issues and Opportunities |
| Speaker 1: | Dr. Allan Garland received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and M.A. from Harvard University. He completed his MD, Internal Medicine residency, and research/clinical fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of Chicago. In faculty positions at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio, he was the director of their Medical Intensive Care Units. He came to the University of Manitoba in 2007, where he is Professor of Medicine and Community Health Sciences, adjunct scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and since 2012 has been co-head of Critical Care Medicine. His research interests include: (1) epidemiology and long-term outcomes of critical illness, (2) disparities in ICU access, (3) performance improvement, especially the relationships between clinical outcomes and ICU organization/structure, (4) end-of-life care, (5) variation in medical practice, and (6) statistical modeling methods. |
| Speaker 2: | Dr. AbdulRazaq (Abdi) Sokoro is the Chief Operating Officer of Provincial Diagnostic Services at Shared Health Manitoba and Associate Head of the Department of Pathology at the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine as well as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Internal Medicine. Dr. Sokoro holds a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and Zoology from Egerton University in Njoro, Kenya as well as a PhD in Toxicology from the University of Saskatchewan, and a post-doctoral clinical fellowship training in Clinical Biochemistry from the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry, Canada and the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine in the United States. He is also the medical lead for Choosing Wisely Manitoba team. |
| Overview: | The presentation will cover the impact of clinical decisions on laboratory utilization, the fiduciary responsibilities of health practitioners, including laboratory specialist, to resource stewardship, and ways to tackle resource stewardship in the laboratory. |
| Learning Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Define resource stewardship 2) Describe the importance of physician leadership in clinical resource stewardship 3) Identify ways to implement resource stewardship in clinical practice |
| #10. February 20, 2025 | Topic 1: CliCK – The Clinical Chemistry Knowledge Study Tool |
| Speaker 1: | Victoria Higgins is a Clinical Chemist at Alberta Precision Labs and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. She obtained her PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in 2019 and completed the Clinical Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2021, both at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include reference intervals, lipid testing, multiple sclerosis, and hemoglobinopathies. As part of the CSCC Reference Interval Harmonization Working Group, she co-leads subgroups to harmonize the reporting of lipids and lipoproteins as well as CSF analysis for multiple sclerosis investigation. She also co-leads The Lab Report CSCC podcast and co-developed the Clinical Chemistry Knowledge (CliCK) Study Tool. |
| Overview 1: | In today’s rapidly evolving field of laboratory medicine, professionals must continuously update their knowledge to keep pace with advancements in biomarkers and technologies, while simultaneously educating a diverse range of learners. This session will describe evidence-based protocols designed to enhance learning and retention, benefiting both learners and educators. Highlighting the crucial role of educational tools in advancing laboratory medicine education will be followed by introducing the Clinical Chemistry Knowledge (CliCK) tool. CliCK uses an evidence-based and education expert-endorsed software to enhance information recall and is the first Canadian resource of its kind. Attendees will gain insights into the content organization, interactivity, and educational approach of CliCK, ultimately understanding how this tool supports knowledge retention. |
| Learning Objectives 1: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Describe evidence-based protocols to optimize depth and rate of learning and retaining material 2) Navigate and utilize the Clinical Chemistry Knowledge (CliCK) study tool effectively 3) Understand the benefits of using CliCK for knowledge retention and teaching purposes |
| Topic 2: Canadian Clinical Biochemistry Syllabus Review | |
| Speaker 2: | Matthew Henderson is Laboratory Director and Head of Biochemistry at Newborn Screening Ontario and Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists with a subspecialty in Laboratory Biochemical Genetics. His work is focused on improving the accuracy and efficiency of newborn screening through development and optimization of biochemical assays as well as development of data analysis approaches and tools. |
| Overview 2: | This presentation will describe the goals, process, approach and structure used during the review of the Canadian Clinical Biochemistry Syllabus. |
| Learning Objectives 2: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Describe the goals of the Canadian Clinical Biochemistry Syllabus review 2) Use Bloom’s Taxonomy of Measurable Verbs when setting objectives |
| #11. March 6, 2025 | Implementation of the Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPYD) PGx Program to Guide 5-Fluorouracil Dosing for Cancer Patients in Saskatchewan |
| Speaker: | Dr. Fang Wu is a clinical chemist at the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Saskatoon. Currently, she serves as Division Head of Clinical Chemistry in Saskatoon integrated service areas SHA. Dr. Wu is also an Associate Professor and clinical chemistry fellowship program director in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine. |
| Overview: | This presentation will begin with an overview of the important roles of pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing in advancing personalized drug therapy. It will then focus on the implementation of the DPYD pharmacogenomics program in Saskatchewan, designed to optimize 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) dosing for cancer patients while minimizing treatment-related toxicity. Furthermore, it will highlight the complementary role of other testing methods, such as phenotype testing, in personalized drug therapy. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the challenges and considerations faced during the program’s launch. |
| Objectives: | At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Understand clinical Pharmacogenomics (PGx) and its role in personalized drug therapy 2) Explain the clinical significance of the DPYD pharmacogenomics program in guiding 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) dosing and reducing treatment-related toxicity. 3) Explore lab testing methods beyond PGx to enhance the precision of personalized drug therapy. 4) Recognize the challenges and considerations in implementing a pharmacogenomics program and strategies for successful integration into clinical practice. |