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 It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1986 Outstanding Contributions in Education
Edward C. Knoblock will receive the 16th the AACC Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education. The award is sponsored by SmithKline Bio-Science Laboratories.
Mr. Knoblock was born in Cortez, Colorado. He received his undergraduate education at Western State College of Colorado and his graduate education at the University of Colorado and the University of Maryland. His career in laboratory science began in the Army Medical Department as a biochemist. During his 28 years of service he saw duty in Europe, Japan, and Korea and was Director of the Laboratory Section of the Medical Department Enlisted Technician’s School, which he was responsible for instituting. In 1950, he became the first director of the Biochemistry Division at the Army Medical Service Graduate School and established courses in laboratory medicine for graduate training of pathologist and laboratory scientists. He also established a cooperative graduate program with the University of Maryland to provide advanced training of the staff of the Graduate School with emphasis on new applications of electroanalytical chemistry to the problems of clinical chemistry. During this period, he served as laboratory representative to the debriefing team of NASA for evaluation of astronaut response to weightlessness during Project Mercury and Project Gemini and was a member of space medicine advisory group for planning biological experiments in space.
Col. Knoblock retired from military duty in 1970 and joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine as Assistant Professor in Medicine and Director of Clinical Chemistry. In 1974, he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and remains Director of Clinical Chemistry for the clinical laboratory services at the University of Maryland Hospital. In this capacity he helped organize the first classes for the medical technology program and started a postdoctoral program in clinical chemistry at the University. Fellows from this program and from the Army Graduate School included Fulbright Scholar, faculty in various universities and responsible appointments in industry and clinical chemistry laboratories in both the United States and foreign countries.
He has been a member of AACC since 1959 and is certified by the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry. He served as vice chairman for the 1968 National Meeting of AACC and twice as chairman of the Capital Section. He was a member of the Board of Editors of Clinical Chemistry from 1970 to 1978 and a member of Board of NCCLS from 1976–1982. With NCCLS, he has chaired committees for standards management and for toxicology and therapeutic drug monitoring. In 1983 he was member at large of the Council Steering Committee of the ADLM and chaired this committee in 1984. He was special assistant to the president for divisional affairs in 1985 and a member of the Nominations Committee in 1985 and 1986. Membership in professional societies include AACC, fellow in the Washington Academy of Sciences and Sigma Xi. His previous honors recognizing professional contributions include the Joseph H. Roe Award of the Capital Section, presidential recognition award of the AACC for leadership and performance on behalf of the AACC, and the Russell J. Eilers Award of the NCCLS for outstanding contributions to development of clinical laboratory standards.
An extracurricular activity is managing a working farm with his wife Elaine, who has been supportive of the AACC during two National Meetings sponsored by the AACC.