Two sessions at AACC’s newly redesigned Professional Practice in Clinical Chemistry conference delve into the rapidly developing arenas of toxicology and pharmacology and fluid and electrolyte regulation. According to conference co-chair Tiffany K. Roberts, PhD, “Just Say NO—Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology” and “Balancing Act—Fluid and Electrolyte Regulation” will cover the latest developments in these fields and how clinical laboratorians can use their knowledge in these areas to directly impact patient care by interfacing with care teams.
Another objective is to discuss analytical methods for clinical testing, added Kamisha Johnson-Davis, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine and medical director of clinical toxicology at ARUP Laboratories. Johnson-Davis will present on two topics during the toxicology session, “Tox Rocks” and “Kinetically Toxic.”
In the “Balancing Act” session, participants will learn how to tackle patient cases related to water, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders, according to presenter Brenda Suh-Lailam, PhD, DABCC, FADLM, director of clinical chemistry and point-of-care testing at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “This session has been redesigned to be case-based and very interactive. An online polling system will be used to engage participants as we walk through different case scenarios,” Suh-Lailam told CLN Stat.
Johnson-Davis and Suh-Lailam both serve on the conference’s organizing committee with Roberts, an assistant professor of pathology and a transplant immunologist at the University of Louisville, and Octavia Peck Palmer, PhD, an associate professor of pathology, critical care medicine, and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of UPMC automated testing laboratories.
Session participants will also learn about effective communication between laboratory medicine and healthcare professionals, Peck Palmer told CLN Stat. “Laboratory medicine professionals are critical in aiding healthcare professionals in identifying their clinical testing needs and in interpreting the results within a patient’s context,” she said. Not only do they participate in test development, validation, and test selection, clinical laboratory professionals play a key role in writing national practice guidelines focused on patient safety and clinical testing needs, she added.
Professional Practice in Clinical Chemistry—The Clinical Laboratorian: Critical Member of the Healthcare Team takes place from April 25 to April 27. The newly revamped biannual conference features shortened on-site meeting time, online prep work, and a case-based approach to understanding lab principles and practices.
“We want this conference to engage participants as much as possible so we are using novel learning modalities to involve them in the material rather than just lecture from a podium,” said Roberts.
Take advantage of this tech-accessible meeting on lab strategies today; register now and earn 19 ACCENT credits.