General Information

The Objectives of the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists are:

Message from the President 2007-2008

Dear ACLPS Members:

The Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (ACLPS) was founded in 1966 and has enjoyed remarkable growth and success over the past forty years. Major activities include the annual meeting, held at a participating academic institution; the Young Investigator Program, which supports outstanding presentations by young clinician-scientists; cooperation with the American Society of Clinical Pathology in producing the Resident In-Service Examination and the Hematology Fellowship In-Service Examination; and awarding of the Cotlove and Ellis Benson Awards for outstanding contributions in the broad discipline of academic Laboratory Medicine. The Academy also supports major educational efforts such as curriculum development in Laboratory Medicine. Individuals dedicated to the advancement of scholarship and teaching in Laboratory Medicine / Clinical Pathology are encouraged to apply for election to membership. Those who have obtained the rank of Assistant Professor or its equivalent may join as full members; those at earlier stages of their career may join as Associate members.

As the newly inducted President of the Academy, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to help kick off another exciting year for ACLPS, building on the remarkable success of recent years. The San Diego meeting in June, 2007 presented not only perfect weather and a wonderful venue for member camaraderie, but also a full roster of outstanding Young Investigator presentations. In addition, the newly initiated "Previous Young Investigator Invited Presentation Program" was a very well-received success and demonstrated the continued career advancement of the past recipients of these awards. Don Hunt was an exceptional Cotlove lecturer and Sandy Chang kept the bar high for the recently initiated Ellis Benson Award lecture. Kudos to Dave Herold and Rob Fitzgerald for such a successful meeting. The June, 2008 meeting will be held at the University of Pennsylvania and is being organized by Malek Kamoun. The meeting will provide both extraordinary science and a social setting conducive to networking and to re-acquaintance with old friends.

ACLPS' mission is "to encourage and promote the highest standards of service, education and research in academic laboratory medicine." The vitality of the Young Investigator, past Young Investigator, and award programs attests to the success of the organization in promoting its service and research mission. It also attests to the remarkable vigor of our discipline in creating an effective home for clinician-scientists. Over the last few years, ACLPS has progressively engaged in more and more activities designed to turn some of its attention to its educational mission. The CP Residency Curriculum project continues to generate discussion and innovation. Indeed, the 2008 annual meeting will include a panel discussion on "Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing a CP Curriculum". One of the issues that has arisen for pathology in general and Laboratory Medicine in particular is the need to continue to promote a clinician-scientist friendly environment, something that Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Anesthesia have addressed with "research" specific Board-approved tracks. Ellinor Peerschke and David Sacks began an initiative last year to further pursue educational discussion and options to enhance and preserve this aspect of training. Efforts by Ellinor, David, Sam Santoro, Ted Bovill, Mike Laposata, Bruce Alexander, Alan Wells, Yashpal Agrawal, and many others, remain an ongoing focus in the organization.

In addition, there is anecdotal concern that medical student training may be inadequate in Laboratory Medicine. Despite the fact that laboratory testing is accepted as being critically responsible for the majority of new diagnoses, the literature documents a feeling of "inadequacy" on the part of many non-pathologist residents and attendings in optimal utilization and interpretation of the results of laboratory analyses. The ACLPS Ad Hoc Education Committee has assembled a group of members who have begun the development of a medical school curriculum in our discipline. The group hopes to assess the status of current training, the status of perceived needs, and ultimately produce a document that might be useful for medical school educational thought leaders.

The successful participation of ACLPS in the Resident In-Service Examination (RISE) continues unabated. Henry Rinder, who has been the ACLPS representative to the ASCP committee responsible for the RISE, is now the Chair of the entire committee. The RISE group has also entered into another similar project, a Hematology Fellowship RISE examination equivalent, known as the FISH (Fellow In-Service Examination-Hematology). Again, ACLPS is playing a very significant role in that endeavor, which came to fruition this year and was very well-received by Hematology/Hematopathology Fellowship programs.

I am honored to help lead this remarkable organization during the coming year. I welcome any thoughts on all aspects of the ACLPS mission and new directions of the organization to further that mission. I wonder whether or not we should consider more actively reaching out to Laboratory Medicine Physicians and Scientists whose base is outside the United States. Although we do have a few international members, the organization is currently nearly exclusively a US entity. There are major efforts ongoing in Europe to provide greater uniformity across the continent in the practice and certification for Laboratory Medicine and these may be of some interest to our members. Similarly, the new requirements for Maintenance of Certification may provide new opportunities for the ACLPS educational and service mission. Finally, there is a recognized need for a better forum for Fellowship Directors in many of the CP subdisciplines to exchange ideas. Whether this is an area that ACLPS may be able to assist in is uncertain, but, again, I welcome thoughts on possible interventions.

Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts on these or other issues relevant to ACLPS (brian.smith@yale.edu). I look forward to productive discussions during the year with all our members.

With all best wishes for 2008,

Brian Smith

Organizational Information

ACLPS Executive Council Members at Large

ACLPS Officers 2007-2008

ACLPS Past Presidents