Beyond the scientific sessions and expo floor, the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo offers a rich menu of social events and educational seminars where attendees will be able to meet old friends, connect with colleagues from across the globe, and interact informally with in vitro diagnostic leaders and conference speakers.
July 29
For laboratorians younger than age 40 and trainees, the Society of Young Clinical Laboratorians (SYCL) is hosting its annual workshop and mixer at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. Registration for both events is $50 for AACC members and nonmembers and space is limited to 75 registrants.
The workshop, Developing an Influential Leadership Role for Laboratory Professionals, will take place from 1 to 5:30 p.m. and will focus on nontechnical educational training for younger clinical laboratorians.
Speaker lineup and topics include:
- Michael Astion, MD, PhD, Seattle Children’s Hospital—How to Create Impactful Business Relationships: Academic Perspective;
- Sue Evans, PhD, BioDecisions Consulting, Los Gatos, CA—How to Create Impactful Business Relationships: Industry Perspective;
- Juan David Garcia, MBA, BS(MT), New York Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York City—How to Effectively Negotiate Lab Contracts; and
- Josie Foranoce, MT(ASCP), Florida Hospital, Orlando—Engaging Your Team from Good to Great
Once earning 4 ACCENT credits at the workshop, attendees will set sail at the annual SYCL mixer. This year’s theme is “Anchors Aweigh.” The mixer offers young laboratorians the chance to mingle with key members of AACC leadership. Festivities begin at 6 p.m., featuring a treasure hunt in which attendees will search for different SYCL programs and be eligible to win a prize.
The mixer is also hosting a raffle to raise funds for SYCL travel grants, which support North American-based SYCL members in attending the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo.
The 22ND Annual Management Sciences and Patient Safety Leadership Seminar, takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina.
Driving Quality Through a Culture of Safety is the theme of this year’s talk. Lou Ann Wyer, MS, MT(ASCP), CQA(ASQ), laboratory director for Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Virginia, plans to discuss integration and standardization processes that have improved quality outcomes for Sentara. Registration is $20 for AACC members and nonmembers.
July 30
The AACC Community Opening Mixer will take place at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina from 6:45 to 8 p.m., right after the opening plenary session. Those with a full conference registration, Sunday daily registration or guest/spouse registration may attend this event.
From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Global Lab Quality Initiative Mini-Workshop will train students and bench technicians on the basics of quality control techniques to improve laboratory medicine. Registration is $35.
July 31
The AACC Lipoproteins and Vascular Diseases Division is hosting its annual LVD Division Dinner Lecture and Awards ceremony from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. This event, which will highlight current topics in cardiovascular disease, includes a 1-hour reception and poster viewing period, an awards presentation, a three-course dinner, and a scientific presentation. Registration is $50 for AACC members and nonmembers.
Aug. 1
From 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. AACC members are invited to stop by the AACC booth (3539) on the show floor for a Boardwalk Break with popcorn, soft drinks, and socializing.
Another awards dinner, Mass Spectrometry and Separation Sciences Division Mass Spectacular, takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. Sponsored by the AACC Mass Spectrometry and Separation Sciences Division and the Proteomics and Metabolomics Division, the evening’s events will include an awards presentation for poster abstracts and contributions, followed by brief presentations on new and available technologies. It will end on a high note with live music and a raffle. Members of the Mass Spectrometry and Separation Sciences Division and the Proteomics and Metabolomics Division are invited as guests; a $10 registration for AACC members and nonmembers includes a drink and a raffle ticket.
A seminar sponsored by the AACC Nutrition Divisionfrom 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina will address Vitamin D and bone turnover markers in cancer survivors. Successful treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia has increased survival rates but has led to risk of secondary diseases such as metabolic bone disease. Clinical biochemist Edgard Delvin, PhD, of CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, Canada, will discuss how severe treatment protocols are causing aggravating factors that predispose some patients to osteoporosis and pathological fractures in early adulthood. Registration is $20 for AACC members and nonmembers.
Afterglow, the always anticipated social mixer of the AACC Critical and Point-of-Care Testing Division (CPOCT), will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. This event, which requires an RSVP, gives CPOCT division members a chance to mix and mingle while dancing the night away.
Aug. 2
The big event on August 2 will be the AACC Artery Happy Hour, starting at 4 p.m. in the AACC Member Lounge, part of AACC's booth (3539). This event, featuring hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine, and soft drinks and restricted to 75 attendees, will inject some fun and levity at the end of an action-packed day,
Aug. 3
At the San Diego Convention Center, the AACC Critical and Point-of-Care Testing Division will host its 15th Annual Point-of-Care Coordinators Forum from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Judy Prewitt, DNP, RN, AOCN, NEA-BC, program director at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, will discuss the interpersonal relationships between nursing and point-of-care testing personnel and how they can work toward the same goals. A stakeholder’s discussion and audience Q&A session will follow the presentation. Registration is $20 for AACC members and nonmembers.
Don’t miss these great opportunities to network with the movers and shakers in laboratory medicine. Register now for the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, July 30–Aug 3 in San Diego.