In July 2023, we changed our name from AACC (short for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry) to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). The following page was written prior to this rebranding and contains mentions of the association’s old name. It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1989 International Travel Fellowship
Celia J. Menendez-Botet will receive the 11th the AACC International Fellowship Award, sponsored by Becton Dickinson Vacutainer Systems, Becton Dickinson & Company.
Dr. Menendez-Botet was born in Havana, Cuba. She received her B.S. degree in chemistry from The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences (P.C.P. & S.). She was awarded the Masters and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Fordham University, Fordham, NY. As a graduate fellow at the Fordham University Graduate School in the Department of Chemistry, her doctoral thesis research and areas of specialization encompassed protein chemistry and enzymology. She was responsible for the organization of the Biomedical Techniques Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry. She spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University in the Department of Biological Sciences. She was also a research associate at Cornell University Medical College in the Department of Biochemistry, specializing in the physical chemistry of hormones.
Dr. Menendez-Botet joined the Sloan-Kettering Institute in 1973 as a research associate in the Department of Diagnostic and Applied Biochemistry, and currently is an associate attending clinical chemist in the Department of Clinical Chemistry of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Menendez-Botet’s extensive research interests are in the fields of hormone receptors in patients with breast cancer, and trace-element analysis. Her work includes evaluation of new methodologies and equipment to be used in the clinical chemistry laboratory. She is responsible for quality control in the Clinical Chemistry Department. Dr. Menendez-Botet is also the chair of the Facilities Inspection Committee of the Safety Department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Menendez-Botet has been a member of AACC since 1973, and is actively involved in the leadership of the association. In her local section—New York Metro—she has been a member of the Executive and Nominating Committees, as well as recording secretary and chair. She was responsible for obtaining the New York Metro history for the archives of the Association. On the national level, she was a member of the Safe Laboratory Practices Committee and has been its chair for the last three years. Currently she is a member of the Commission on Professional and Membership Affairs and chair of the Professional Affairs Group.
Dr. Menendez-Botet is also a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Iota Sigma Pi, Sigma Xi, the New York Academy of Sciences, the Association of Clinical Scientists, and the Laboratory Management Association. She is certified as a Clinical Laboratory Director by the City of New York and is certified as a Clinical Chemist by the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry. Dr. Menendez-Botet has served since 1984 as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Commissioner on Clinical Laboratories of the City of New York and is a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration, where she serves on the Panel of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology Services.
Dr. Menendez-Botet has been listed in “Who’s Who in Cancer,” “Who’s Who in the East,” “International Who’s Who in Intellectuals,” “The World Who’s Who of Women,” “Distinguished Leaders in Health Care,” “Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans,” “Notable Americans,” “Who’s Who of American Women,” and “Outstanding Young Women of America.” Her scholarships include the Institute of International Education and the H. and I. Griffith Scholarship (P.C.P. & S.). She also received the B. Gardner Whitecar Award (P.C.P. & S.). To exploit her language abilities and interests, Dr. Menendez-Botet has traveled extensively, lecturing on modern clinical chemistry in Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain.