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 It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1982 Outstanding Contributions in Education
Harry F. Weisberg received the 1982 the AACC Award for Outstanding Efforts in Education and Training, sponsored by SmithKline Clinical Laboratories. This is the 12th such award.
Doctor Weisberg was born in 1916 in New York City, where he received his training—B.S. (College of the City of New York, 1936), A.M. (Columbia University, 1938), and M.D. (New York University College of Medicine, 1943). While pursuing his postgraduate work he taught at C.C.N.Y. (1936–1943) and then went to Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago for an abbreviated internship, being called to duty as a medical officer (1944–1946).
He returned to N.Y.U. College of Medicine to teach pharmacology under Severo Ochoa (1946–1947) and again left New York for Chicago to continue his training and research in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin at Michael Reese (1947–1949) under Rachmiel Levine. He joined Israel Davidsohn at Mount Sinai Hospital (Chicago) to head the Division of Clinical Chemistry and co-head the Metabolic/Endocrine Clinic (1949–1956).
In 1950 he started at the Chicago Medical School/University of Health Sciences, reaching the ranks of assistant professor of clinical pathology, research associate in oncology, and visiting professor of medicine (present). He was clinical chemist at Little-Company-of-Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, IL, from 1956 to 1969, then moved to Milwaukee, WI, to affiliate with Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he currently is chemical pathologist and associate chief of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and director of the School of Medical Technology (the June 1981 class won first place in the ASMT/CLS National Student Bowl).
His present academic appointments are: professor of pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison; clinical professor of pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and clinical professor of health sciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI.
He has been certified in Clinical Chemistry by the American Board of Pathology (1951) and the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (1952).
He has belonged to AACC since 1950, being a charter member of the Chicago Section when it was formed with the guidance and enthusiasm of Samuel Natelson. Dr. Weisberg has served on various AACC section committees—Program, Awards, Publications, Nominating, and Executive. He was chairman of the Chicago Section (1953–1955), chairman of the Planning Committee of the affiliated Milwaukee-Wisconsin Clinical Chemistry Club (1971–1978), chairman of the Continuing Education Committee for the 1977 National AACC Meeting in Chicago, and a National Councilor (1978–1979). He represented AACC as a national associate member of the IFCC Expert Panel on pH and Blood Gases (1977–1980) prior to being appointed as titular (voting) member in 1980. Other professional organizations in which he has achieved fellowship are the American Association for Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Sciences, American Society of Clinical Pathologists, American College of Physicians, Institute of Medicine of Chicago, and Association of Clinical Scientists. He is also a member of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (National Council and chairman, Illinois Section, 1956–1957), Endocrine Society, Central Society for Clinical Research, American Federation for Clinical Research, the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine, and the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters.
He has 107 published “by-lines,” with several currently in press. He is the author of the monograph Water, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance (2nd ed., 1962) and has designed four specialized slide-rules. His research interests have been related to carbohydrate metabolism in hypophysectomized animals, action of the hyperglycemic-glycogenolytic factor (now called glucagon), and electrolytes and acid-base balance. He has presented 22 scientific exhibits (1948–1967) and 73 workshop/seminars from 1965 to the present. He started his editorial experience as a contributing editor (1951–1953) to The Clinical Chemist, forerunner of Clinical Chemistry. He has also served on the board of editors of the Medical Technology Series (Lea & Febiger, 1969–1977), the Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science (1972–1977), and the American Journal of Clinical Pathology (1976–1979). Other “educational activities” have been membership on the Postgraduate Education Committee of the Chicago Medical Society (1968–1969); ASCP Council on Clinical Chemistry (Commission on Continuing Education, 1970–1975); Joint Liaison Education Committee, AACC and ASCP (1978 to present); and Coordinating Council on Physician Impairment, State Medical Society of Wisconsin and State Medical Examining Board (1980 to present).
Some of the honors and awards he has received are the Professor William Stratford Prize in Vertebrate Zoology (C.C.N.Y., 1936); Alpha Omega Alpha (N.Y.U. College of Medicine, 1943); Sigma Xi (University of Illinois, 1954); a Scientific Exhibit awarded the Gold Medal for Educational Value (CAP and ASCP, 1961); the Chicago Clinical Chemists Award (now the Samuel Natelson Award) from the AACC Chicago Section in 1973; honorary president of the First Brazilian Symposium on Water, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Balance (Brazilian Society of Anesthesiologists, 1976); the Distinguished Service Silver Platter Award (ASCP Commission on Continuing Education, 1979); and the John Gunther Reinhold Award (ADLM Philadelphia Section, 1980).