CSCC Outstanding Contribution to Clinical Chemistry
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Dr. Loralie Langman has been a Clinical Biochemist for 25 years, and has been working in laboratory medicine for over 35 years. She is the 2025 recipient of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) Outstanding Contribution to Clinical Chemistry, an award for outstanding achievement in and/or contribution to the field of clinical chemistry. Dr. Langmanis an exceptional character who has contributed immensely to our profession in many facets, and her contributions are truly outstanding.
Dr. Langman is a true leader, a mentor and collaborator. Her character has been shown over the years during our formal events with the many different and inspiring hats she has worn. At the same time, Dr. Langman engages in multifaceted aspects of our profession, as she figuratively wears many “hats” through her work as a certified Clinical Biochemist (CACB and ABCC), Toxicologist (ABCC), Forensic Toxicologist (ABFT) and Molecular Diagnostics (ABCC).She has also continued her active certification as a medical laboratory technologist.
Dr. Langman has received numerous awards throughout her career, such as theAward for Outstanding Scientific Achievements by a Young Investigator(Association forDiagnostics & Laboratory Medicine [ADLM];formerly American Association for Clinical Chemistry), Service Award (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)), Research Excellence Award (CSCC), Professor Alvin Dubin Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession and the Academy (ADLM), and the Irving Sunshine Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Toxicology (International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology [IATDMCT]).
Service to her community is a very important part of the work that Dr. Langman does. She has served countless hours on numerous committees, boards and societies. Her commitment spanslocal, national, and international initiatives. Nationally, she has shown immense support to CSCC through councillor,
annual meetingsparticipation, education, public outreach,toxicology interest group involvement, and participation in theCanadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (CACB) syllabus update reviews. She has also held numerous board, committee, and/or chair roles in ADLM, Alberta Society for Human Toxicology, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and CLSI. She’s also served as a member, councillor, and boardmember for IATDMCT, and held committee and chair positions within theInternational Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC)
Dr. Langman also has an immense passion for teaching and education, as exemplified by her numerous accomplishments. She has supported curriculum developed within Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, IFCC and CSCC. She has numerousteaching duties, such as those with the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Chemistry (Rochester, Minnesota), Clinical Biochemistry & Immunology Clinical Core Laboratory Services Biochemical Genetics (Rochester, Minnesota),and Mayo Medical School (Rochester, Minnesota). She also engages in additional academic development through education oversight, grand rounds planning, and graduate medical education support.
Academically, Dr. Langman has made invaluable contributions, with 98 peer-reviewed articles, in addition to 32 book chapters, 91 abstracts, and several non-peer reviewed articles, editorials, commentaries, audio/visual resources.She has presented at numerous local, national and internationalevents in areas ranging fromlab challenges, pharmacogenetics, therapeutic drug monitoring, to new technology, toxicology screening, pain management andpostmortem toxicology.
A special area of recognition has been her exceptional work as editor-in-chief of Clinical Biochemistry. During the challenging and unprecedented “COVID years,” her leadership became even more critical. The pandemic presented unique obstacles, not only to the clinical biochemistry community, but also the world of publishing. Dr. Langman adapted to these challenges by continuing to ensure timely publication of high-quality papers and helped maintain the journal’s standards. She has been a highly committed and exceptional leader in paving the course of the journal over the past several years.
Despite many of Dr. Langman’s significant contributions spanning both international platforms and within the United States, she remains professionally rooted in her Canadian identity. Her dedication to the CSCC and the laboratory medicine community in Canada is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the profession of clinical biochemists in Canada. Dr. Langman is a global citizen, yet carries with her the values and pride of being a Canadian and devoted member of CSCC.
CSCC Award for Innovation in Laboratory Medicine
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The CSCC Award for Innovation in Laboratory Medicine is presented to a clinical laboratory in Canada that has distinguished itself by outstanding accomplishment through innovation in the field of clinical chemistry, pathology, or laboratory medicine. The 2025 recipient is the GENCOV research study.
The GENCOV study brought together highly skilled teams of clinicians, laboratory professionals and researchers, and it was extensively driven by laboratory data to understand the pathobiology of COVID-19. This multi-year interdisciplinary study ultimately led to an innovative risk score that can transform clinical practice. More specifically, it had a novel study protocol that involved implementation of serological and molecular tools from clinical laboratories, and was able to identify critical characteristics of antibody responses, the role of genetic differences in infection severity, and the impact of viral lineages on patient response. Additionally, the study assessed patient-reported outcomes to evaluate the communication and understanding of complex SARS-CoV-2 test results.
The GENCOV study had 3 primary goals outlined below:
- Identify factors influencing COVID-19 severity and immune response.
- Identify gaps and associated strategies to improve public understanding of SARS-CoV-2 test results.
- Create a framework for returning genomic and antibody results to patients.
- Disseminate findings to inform public health and clinical practice.
Key findings of GENCOV included identifying patient factors and clinical biochemistry markers associated with hospitalization and mortality to inform the development of a laboratory-based risk score to predict mortality in hospitalized patients. It also contributed to the COVID-19 Host Genetic Initiative by identifying 51 genome-wide loci associated with COVID-19 severity and susceptibility.
The engagement with the public was a unique and beneficial outcome, as it helped to empower public understanding of complex test results. The work in this study brings positive visibility of lab medicine professionals,and it offers an opportunity to apply improvements for clinical laboratories to optimize return of all laboratory results.
This study involved several clinical laboratories that provided the technical expertise and infrastructure necessary for its success. This included Mount Sinai Hospital’s clinical microbiology and biochemistry laboratories that performed PCR and serological testing. Other hospital and community laboratories (Dynacare, William Osler, Mackenzie Health, The Hospital for Sick Children) were involved in biochemistry testing, viral sequencing, genetic sequencing or ancestry estimations. Research laboratories at University Health Network and Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Institute facilitated HLA genotyping and antibody profiling respectively. The clinical laboratories at Mount Sinai Hospital (clinical microbiology, genetics, biochemistry) collaborated with bioinformaticians and clinicians to integrate genomic and clinical datasets, facilitating the discovery of genetic loci influencing COVID-19 severity and immune responses. It also led the implementation of a return-of-results framework, integrating genomic and antibody data with clinical counseling to improve patient understanding of laboratory results and engagement. The lab team involved not only provided all this substantial technical expertise, but also were instrumental in the eight different publications and over 30 presentations to help in disseminating study findings.
The teams’ leadership in innovation, standardization, and collaboration established the GENCOV study as a model of excellence in laboratory medicine.It also provided transformative advantages to Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto by strengthening its reputation asleaders in cutting-edge research and innovation.The study’s success also elevated the profile of the principal investigator, Dr. Jennifer Taher, who was invited to join a $19-million pandemic preparedness research study based out of Mount Sinai Hospital as the sole representative clinical biochemist. This further highlights the value of clinical lab medicine, and specifically clinical biochemistry in supporting impactful lab medicine research. Dr. Taher, in part due to her successful role in GENCOV, was recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2023.
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Taher (principalinvestigator), Dr. Steven Friedman (co-investigator), and the entire GENCOV team for the success of their research study.
CSCC Award for Research Excellence
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Dr. Lawrence de Koning is the recipient of the 2025 CSCC Award for Research Excellence. This award is presented to an individual or group for their contribution to research directly or indirectly related to clinical chemistry in Canada.
Dr. de Koning has contributed significantly to the field of clinical biochemistry in Canada. He is recognized as a passionate advocate for clinical biochemists’roles in research, innovation and patient care. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and a Clinical Biochemist with Alberta Precision Laboratories in Calgary, Alberta. He completed a PhD in Health Research Methodology (nutritional and genetic epidemiology) from McMaster University in 2009, and concurrent postdoctoral fellowships in nutritional epidemiology and clinical chemistry at Harvard University from 2009-2012. He became board certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in 2013 and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry in 2015.Dr de Koning has been directing the pediatric clinical biochemistry testing laboratory at Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada since 2012.
Dr. de Koning is passionate about novel biochemical markers for dietary intake and inflammation, and assessing their impact on cardiovascular risk. He has published several high impact articles on abdominal obesity and dietary patterns that have received media coverage. He is also driven by lab quality improvement andpediatric clinical biochemistry. He has 76 peer-reviewed papers, 79 conference presentations and 2 book chapters, and has shared his knowledge at over 70presentations. His research contributions focus on clinical biochemistry and data science to solve problems in maternal health and all areas of pediatric medicine, and he engages in epidemiologic investigations to help find innovative solutions.
Dr. de Koning has been successful throughout his research career at securing grant funding for his research, both on his own and in collaboration with others. He engages in mentoring young researchers, such as clinical biochemistry fellows, medical residents, and medical laboratory technologists. He also works to mentor colleagues within their clinical research andcontinues to encourage many across his teams to build their involvement in lab medicine research through collaborative projects and publications. He is a faculty member of the University of Calgary / Alberta Precision Laboratories Clinical Biochemistry Fellowship Program, an active mentor in the University of Calgary Bachelor of Health Sciences Mentorship program, and has been a member of several graduate supervisory committees.
Although research is a passion for Dr. de Koning, he is also heavily involved in demanding clinical service. His comprehensive knowledge, understanding, and experience supports solving challenging clinical investigations, fosters positive relationships with other healthcare providers, and ultimately enhances the clinical biochemistry profession. Dr. de Koning further supports the field of clinical biochemistry professionally at the local and national level, including through his roles with the CSCC (previous Councillor; current Co-Chair of the Pediatric and Perinatal Biochemistry Special Interest Group), the Alberta Association of Clinical Laboratory Doctoral Scientists (AACLDS; current Chair), and the Alberta Society of Clinical Chemists (ASCC; Past President, Past Secretary). He also supports numerous activities within the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), the University of Calgary, andis an active peer reviewer for multiple journals.
CSCC Award for Education Excellence
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Dr. Cynthia Balion is the recipient of the 2025 CSCC Award for Education Excellence. This award is presented to an individual or group as a mark of recognition of outstanding contribution to education in the field of clinical chemistry.
Dr. Balion is a Clinical Biochemist at Hamilton Health Sciences and the Program Director for theClinical Biochemistry program at McMaster University. She is an Associate Professor,Department of Pathology andMolecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, and an Associate Member,Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Heath Science at McMaster University. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. She has made exceptional contributions to the education of Clinical Biochemistry fellows atMcMaster University.
Dr. Balion has significantly contributed to the learning environment and the fellowshipexperience for clinical biochemistry fellows. She worked tirelessly to increase the salary for McMaster Clinical BiochemistryFellows, advocating for better recognition of the fellows’ efforts in healthcare services.Furthermore, Dr. Balion addressed long-standing issues with the McMaster Clinical BiochemistryDiploma that did not accurately reflect the degree earned. She also ensured that fellowshad access to dedicated study rooms in each of the four hospitals for rotations to create an ideal environment for learning.
Many clinical biochemists have had the pleasure of training with and being mentored by Dr. Balion. She encourages learners to engage in hands-on research projects and practicalexperiences, takes immense amounts of time to teach complex topics to both learners and lab staff, and engages in seeking feedback for opportunities to improve training. She fosters an open environment to discuss academic and personal challenges that leads to continuous improvement opportunities. Despite her demanding schedule, she always makes herself available for support, offering guidance to learners and lab staff whenever needed.
Dr. Balion has left anineradicable mark on the professional development of fellows, through her exceptional dedication or education. Her kind approach and ability to be nurturing while providing an inclusive learning environment is commendable. Her commitment to fosteringgrowth and confidence in her trainees is unparalleled. Through her value in engaging with current literature and practiceguidelinesto critically appraising and challenging current standards, she is able to instill the value and direction for process and quality improvements. Teaching future clinical biochemists is no small task, and Dr. Balion continues to do so this with grace, positive vision and kindness to support very successful careers.
Dr. Balion’s mentor and education role extends to sharing her insights and knowledge in publications, at conferences, and through other collaborative opportunities with colleagues. She has held numerous roles with the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC), Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (CACB) and theOntario Society of Clinical Chemists (OSCC) to enable further mentorship, and has shared her knowledge through numerous lecturesand supervisorship at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate level at McMaster University.
CACB Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession of Clinical Biochemistry
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CACB is pleased to announce that Dr. Jay Kalra will be receiving the 2025 CACB Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession of Clinical Biochemistry. This award recognizes an individual who has made unique and significant contributions to laboratory medicine.
Dr. Kalra is currently a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He has served as Department Head of Pathology and Department Head of Laboratory Medicine in the Saskatoon Health District. Dr. Kalra has been working as an active clinical/medical biochemist for over 35 years. Dr. Kalra received his PhD in Biochemistry and MD from Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada. After finishing his internship at St. John’s, he completed his residency training in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Ottawa.He is a Fellow of the Royal College ofPhysicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC), Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (FCACB), NationalAcademy of Clinical Biochemistry (FACB), a Founding Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences(CAHS) and a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, UK.
Dr. Kalra has served as national president of numerous medical associations and scientific societies, including theCanadian Association of Medical Biochemists, the Intersociety Council of Laboratory Medicine of Canada, theCanadian Chairs of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and the Canadian Association of Pathologists. He hasserved as a council member of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, on the board of directors of theCanadian Academy of Health Sciences, and as a member of the Council on Health Policy and Economics, theCanadian Medical Association, and the Legislative Committee of Saskatchewan Medical Association. In all theseorganizations, Dr. Kalra was instrumental in bringing to the forefront discussions and solutions related to qualitycare and patient safety.
Dr. Kalra is a pioneer in the Canadian medical profession, demonstratinga continual commitment to innovative clinicalresearch. He has been acclaimed for his research in oxygen-free radicals andantioxidants in various clinical diseases, including heart failure and atherosclerosis. In addition, he has been apioneer in cardiac pharmacology and digoxin and has established several laboratory clinical guidelines/utilizationstrategies in healthcare. He was the first in Canada to introduce the assessment of sensitive thyrotropin (s-TSH) asa first-line test for thyroid function testing. He has conducted “path-breaking” research in Quality Care and PatientSafety, including strategies to reduce medical error and effectively disclose adverse events. He continues tocontribute to the profession of biochemistry through his involvement as a committee/working group member forthe protein electrophoresis reporting recommendations and Choosing Wisely Canada for appropriate laboratorytesting utilization.
Dr. Kalra’s passionate advocacy and research in patient safety culminated in the publication of a widely acclaimedbook, “Medical Errors and Patient Safety: Strategies to Reduce and Disclose Medical Errors and Improve PatientSafety.” He has championed establishing a non-punitive “no-fault model” to address clinical/medical errors anddeveloping educational programs to create standardized clinical guidelines reflecting evidence-based medicine. Inaddition to his award-winning work in knowledge translation, Dr. Kalra has an internationally recognizedpublication and research funding record. He has given over 125 invited talks to scientific and healthcare audiencesprovincially, nationally, and globally.
Dr. Kalra is widely regarded for his excellence as a teacher of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students.He initiated a Master’s (MSc), Doctoral program(PhD), and Clinical Biochemistry Fellowship Training program in his department and was instrumental in creating a curriculumon “Improving Patient Safety Medications and Infection Control” for residents in the College of Medicine andSaskatoon Health Region. He was instrumental in helping create clinical chemistry and Quality Assurance programs inIndia, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Dr. Kalra maintains a lifelong association with his students and residents—many ofwhom are now in key global positions in the public and scientific sectors.
Dr. Kalra has been the recipient of several awards and honours including, RBC 2013 Top 25 Canadian ImmigrantAward; CTV 2015 Saskatoon Citizen of the Year Award; CSCC Awardfor Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry (2016); 2012CAME/ACÉM Certificate of Merit Award for Outstanding Contributions to Medical Education, CanadianAssociation for Medical Education (CAME); Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Achievement Award inClinical research (2005); CSCC Excellence of Research Award (1994), among many other honours.
In summary, Dr. Kalra is an exemplary academic with a lifelong commitment to the profession of biochemistry,healthcare clinical research, and impactful involvement in the field of medicine in Canada and around the globe.Congratulations Dr. Kalra!