Highlights from the CSCC Spring Council Meeting, May 3rd, 2026
Submitted by Dr. Ashley Newbigging, CSCC Councillor
Dear CSCC members, the CSCC Council continues to advance key initiatives. Below are highlights and updates from the in-person Spring Council meeting held on May 3rd, 2026 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
President’s Report (Dr. Jennifer Shea)
IFCC
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Taher as a new member of the IFCC Committee on Standardization of Thyroid Function Tests for the term Apr 2026-Dec 2028.
Council has approved CSCC as an official supporting organization of a new survey concerning laboratory workforce career perspectives beyond traditional laboratory medicine roles. The survey is being conducted by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) Division of Communication, with the active involvement and support of the EFLM Committee for Young Scientists (C‑YS). CSCC is represented by Dr. Victoria Higgins. Results of the survey will be shared with members when available.
NAFCC
Dr. Shannon Haymond, NAFCC Rep, will be presenting at an upcoming EFLM Strategy Meeting in a session titled “Cooperation and Sharing Best Practice”. Her presentation will highlight some CSCC global affairs initiatives.
Other activities
Dr. Julie Shaw is representing CSCC on a Diabetes Technology Society (DTS) panel tasked with developing consensus guidelines on analytical performance specifications for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices.
President’s Elect Report (Dr. AbdulRazaq Sokoro)
Preparations are underway for future CSCC meetings. The next meeting will take place May 2-5, 2027, at the Delta Hotels Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, BC and will be co-chaired by Dr. Teralee Burton and Dr. Kristin Hauff. The 2028 meeting is scheduled for April 23-26, 2028, and will take place at the Westin Harbor Castle in Toronto, ON, chaired by Dr. Dana Nyholt.
Education and Scientific Affairs Division (Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou)
The 2026 Critical Care Lectureship, delivered by Dr. Christine Snozek on Practical Guidance for Labs Supporting Emergency Department Toxicology Testing, was well attended on April 9.
The CliCK Study Tool remains impactful with international engagement. CliCK Study Tool continues to be supported by CSCC with approved budgeting which includes updating its platform on the website.
In addition, a new intake form is being developed to streamline applications for starting Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Working Groups with more updates to come!
Professional Affairs Division (Dr. Dorothy Truong)
Job postings
Five new biochemist positions were posted, including four new roles, reflecting a growing demand for biochemists.
Regulation of the Profession and Advocacy Subcommittee (RPAS)
RPAS continues its work to advance professional recognition and awareness. A public facing version of the clinical biochemist description is currently in development. In the interim, a link has been added to the CSCC website so non-members can request a copy of the position description. CSCC is continuing to determine how to best support sharing and use of the position description and how this can be leveraged for regulation.
Awards and Nominations Committee
CSCC congratulates the following award recipients:
- Anna Füzéry – Education Excellence
- Lei Fu – Research Excellence
- Andrew Lyon – Outstanding Contribution to Clinical Chemistry
- Alberta Precision Laboratories – Innovation in Laboratory Medicine
Council Positions
The council welcomes Dr. Jennifer Taher, who begins her role as the Head, Publications Division (2026-2029), Dr. Lily Olayinka, who enters her first term as Treasurer (2026-2029), and Dr. Cody Lewis who has renewed for a second term as Councillor (2026-2028).
Council expresses sincere gratitude to Dr. Nicolas Tetreault and Dr. Saranya Arnoldo for their contributions to council over the last several years. They will be missed!
Publications Division (Dr. Nicolas Tétreault)
Newsletter
Congratulations to Dr. Mary Kathryn Bohn who is now editor in chief for the newsletter and thank you to Dr. Dorothy Truong for her work thus far on the newsletter, and for continuing to support Dr. Bohn as she transitions to her new role.
Look out for an upcoming survey for feedback on the updated newsletter format, which is included as one of the new initiatives undertaken by Dr. Bohn.
Website
Council is currently exploring a new discussion forum that will replace the CSCC listserv. This work is being led by Dr. Angela Fung, along with co-chairs of the Analytics in the Clinical Laboratory Special Interest Group, Dr. Amir Karin and Dr. Dennis Orton. Work will continue on this initiative over the summer, with plans to introduce members to the new discussion forum at the CSCC Town Hall next Fall.
Clinical Biochemistry Journal
The impact factor continues to decline, but this reflects broader patterns observed across other major clinical chemistry journals.
The special issue, Sustainable Laboratory Towards a Green Lab by Andre Mattman and Janet Simons has now been published.
Current available opportunities include a Social Media Editor and two new openings on the Senior Editorial Board/Associate Editors.
Public Outreach Division (Dr. Lori Beach)
The division continues to be active with several ongoing initiatives in progress expanding CSCC’s public presence. The activities of the Content Creation Committee (3C) will include public outreach work to various social media platforms. It was noted that videos have substantially more engagement and this will be leveraged to further drive-up engagement.
The LinkedIn follower count successfully grew to 814 as of May 1!
Additionally, a new Boilerplate description for use in public-facing domains has been drafted and successfully approved by the council.
Treasurer’s Report (Dr. Saranya Arnoldo)
CSCC’s financial position remains the same. A new initiative is underway to develop a Budget Request form to better facilitate council review and approval of future budget requests.
Secretary’s Report (Dr. Jennifer Shea for Dr. Teralee Burton)
CSCC membership remains stable at a total of 323 with a small number of renewals still outstanding.