Stanley F. Lo, Ph.D., DABCC, FACB, is an Associate Professor of Pathology at the Medical College of Wisconsin located in Milwaukee. At the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin he has the following responsibilities Associate Director Clinical Laboratories, Technical Director Clinical Chemistry and Biochemical Genetics, and Director of the Reference Standards Laboratory. Dr. Lo received his BA in Chemistry from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and completed his PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of Minnesota in 1992. His decision to pursue laboratory medicine let him to St. Louis, where he completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Chemistry at Washington University in 1997.
Dr. Lo has served AACC in various capacities. At the local level he served on the Legislative Committee, Corporate Liaison Chair, Nominating Committee member, and Nominating/Awards Committee Chair. Currently he Chair for the AACC Wisconsin Satellite group (2001-present). At the national level he has served on the AACC Nominating Committee (2003-4), Meetings Management Group (2005-8), and twice on the Annual Meeting Organizing Committee (2004 & 2009). He is currently serving on the ACCENT Review Board (since 1999), the Pediatric Reference Range Committee (2005) and the Pediatric Maternal Fetal Division Nominating Committee (2005). Within the Academy of AACC, the NACB, he is completing his term as a director on the Board. He has also served on the NACB Membership Committee and Publication Committee/Newsletter Editor, as well as a contributing author on two Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines (LMPGs - POCT Transcutaneous Bilirubin and Extended Newborn Screening).
Dr. Lo has served other professional organizations including American Board of Clinical Chemistry (director, secretary-treasurer), the North American Chinese Clinical Chemistry Association (President) during which he led the translation of the NACB LMPG-Thyroid was translated into Mandarin, the College of American Pathologists Chemistry Resource Committee (consultant), Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (subcommittee member C51-P and C34-A3), and the Finance Committee of the 313 physician-member Children’s Specialty Group.
Platform Statement
I am honored to be nominated for election to the Board of Directors of the AACC. If elected, I plan to provide the leadership and governance necessary to lead our organization in a manner consistent with the vision of AACC. I hope that my various past experiences and involvement with other organizations will provide me with the prudence necessary to govern AACC and to help it achieve its strategic initiatives. Our membership is very diverse, with many ideas and interests. The AACC leadership must be able to combine this diversity and unite it towards the improvement of clinical laboratory practice and healthcare, both locally and globally.
As a practicing clinical chemist, I believe the strategic initiatives are consistent with my experiences. Publishing research findings, organizing conferences, presenting educational sessions, and managing organizational meetings are accomplishments to advance the science and technology of clinical chemistry. The continued dissemination of this information by experts in our profession will allow laboratory professionals to be recognized as integral partners in the delivery of quality healthcare.
The education of our profession continues to be important in developing valued professionals. The use of traditional methods of peer-reviewed publication, dissemination of practice guidelines, and meeting presentations will continue to exist, but we must also embrace new and different ways of delivering this information by taking advantage of new technologies created for this purpose. The AACC has initiated some of these new methods of dissemination and needs to continue to explore these possibilities.
In addition, we need to continue our focus in attracting and retaining clinical scientists to maintain and improve the quality and value of laboratory science. From the medical laboratory technician to the clinical chemist, there are fewer medical laboratory professionals and fewer places for them to train. We need to continue to attract laboratory professionals as SYCL has done in attracting graduate students into training programs. Providing clarity in defining our professional and its importance in the delivery of healthcare, as well as working with other organizations may be a means to address this dilemma. We must also continue mentoring young professionals from clinical chemistry training programs. I am indebted to those that have guided me through my professional career and will continue to mentor our younger professionals knowing that they will eventually, if not already, represent our profession.
Our profession faces many challenges, especially in the changing economic climate. It is an exciting and ever-changing time to be a practicing clinical chemist. I welcome the opportunity to help guide our profession into the future.