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 It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1980 Outstanding Contributions in Education
Roger J. Thibert will receive the 1980 AACC Award for Outstanding Efforts in Education and Training, sponsored by SmithKline Clinical Laboratories. This is the tenth year that this award has been made.
Dr. Thibert was born in Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada. He received his B.A. from Assumption College of The University of Western Ontario, his M.S. from the University of Detroit, and his Ph.D. from Wayne State University. Further training included: a radioisotope technique course at the Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Institute of Nuclear Studies; a computer science course at the University of Windsor; research associate, Department of Pathology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine; and associate director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratories, Detroit General Hospital (the last during his sabbatical leave).
He currently is professor of chemistry and director of clinical chemistry at the University of Windsor, where he started his academic career in 1953. He was Associate Dean of Arts and Science from 1964–1970. Since 1972, he has also been professor of pathology at Wayne State University, School of Medicine, and associate director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratories, Detroit General Hospital.
Dr. Thibert developed many courses and programs in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Windsor, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He organized the clinical chemistry program 10 years ago at the M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels, and two years later at the postdoctoral level. His doctoral and postdoctoral student graduates have been widely placed, both in Canada and the United States. He has been instrumental in helping to establish the clinical biochemistry program (a joint program between the departments of biochemistry and pathology) at Wayne State University, School of Medicine.
His research interests include: the study of the mechanisms of the Zimmerman, Jaffé, and Liebermann-Burchard reactions; diagnostic procedures for evaluation of fetal lung maturity; new methods for the determination of sulfur-containing amino acids; toxicology; alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes; and trace-metal analysis.
He is the author or co-author of several papers and has been a reviewer for the Canadian Journal of Chemistry in the area of polarography, for Mikrochimica Acta in the area of analytical biochemistry, for the Canadian Journal of Biochemistry, and for Clinical Chemistry.
Dr. Thibert is a Fellow of The Chemical Institute of Canada (chairman of the Essex-Kent Section 1967), of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. He is also a member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC); American Chemical Society; Sigma Xi; Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; American Society of Biological Chemists; Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists; Education Committee, Ontario Society of Clinical Chemists, chairman, 1973–76, member of the committee 1976– ; Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario; Canadian Federation of Biological Societies; Canadian Biochemical Society; and Canadian Association of University Teachers.
He has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry since 1973 and a member of the board of directors of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry since 1978. In 1973 he was certified by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists.
He received the Union Carbide Award for Chemical Education of The Chemical Institute of Canada in 1978 for his development of clinical chemistry programs in a chemistry department, the first such program in a chemistry department in North America.