Edited by Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACB IFCC members may send … · 2012. 4. 10. · IFCC members may send news to: Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACB, Head, Dept of Clin Biochemistry, CHU

In November 2011, the beautiful city of Poprad, “Capital” of the Slovak High TatrasMountains greeted the biennial international conference Labkvalita 2011, on quality in

clinical laboratory diagnostics of the Slovak Society of Clinical Biochemistry(www.sskb.sk). Since 1993, this conference, accredited to give continuing medicaleducation credits, attracts Slovak and foreign laboratory professionals, practitionersand specialists.

This year the program focused on new trends in predictive, preventive, and person-alized medicine (PPPM) not only from the technology and quality points of view butalso from those of ethics, law, finance, and politics. Approximately 180 delegates reg-istered, and 19 suppliers and manufacturers provided exhibits to promote new prod-ucts in the field of clinical laboratorydiagnostics.

The Scientific program was dividedinto 5 sections: Preanalytics; Predictive,Preventive, and Personalized Medicine;Cooperation between the laboratory andthe clinicians; Accreditation and qualityin medical laboratory; and Quality ofhealthcare policy, visions, and ethics.Lecturers from Austria, Belgium, CzechRepublic, Finland, Germany, UnitedKingdom, and Slovakia gave the varioustalks on particular topics. Details of theprogram are available at www.sskb.sk.

Among invited lecturers, there werealso top representatives of EuropeanAssociation for Predictive, Preventive,and Personalized Medicine (EPMA) whokindly accepted the invitation and weredelighted by warm welcome and theinterest of SSKB in promoting PPPMamong clinical laboratory professionalsin Slovakia. Implementation of PPPM atdifferent levels has been repeatedly pre-sented as an attribute of increased qual-ity in healthcare.

Highlighted Themes and DebatesThe lectures given and the subsequentdiscussions have emphasized the role ofnew predictive markers, role of informa-tion systems, importance of good coop-eration between laboratory and clini-cians, essential role of education, inter-active communication with health insur-ance, greater participation of Slovak lab-oratory professionals on shaping thehealthcare policy for the benefit of thepatient, and the role of communicationwith the patient. Among the highlightedthemes were also the following:• PPPM will have impact on laboratory

diagnostics and it may substantiallyimprove the quality and complexity ofthe services in the field of laboratorydiagnostics if implemented into dailyroutine of clinical laboratories.

• Accreditation of the clinical laborato-ries in Slovakia continues and morelaboratories realize that the benefitsof accreditation outweigh the trou-bles, paperwork, and the requiredenergy dedicated to keeping theaccreditation once the lab is accredit-ed. On the other hand, accreditation

Slovak Conference Focuses on Quality Control in Lab Diagnostics

Contributed by Marko Kapalla, Slovakian EPMA Representative and Program Committee Chairman

Edited by Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACBIFCC members may send news to: Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACB, Head, Dept of Clin Biochemistry, CHU Ste-Justine, 3175 Cote Ste-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec H3T1C5Tel: (1) 514-345-4831 (ext. 5635); E-mail: [email protected] NEWS

33 LabMedica InternationalApril/2012

Cont’d on page 34

Photo: (From left to right) Katarina Danova, president of the Slovak Societyof Clinical Biochemistry, Jan Balla, IFCC representative in Slovakia and pro-gram committee member, Marko Kapalla, EPMA representative in Slovakiaand program committee chairman. Photo by Magdalena Kacaniova

The purpose of spending my sab-batical period in Prof. Maurizio

Ferrari's laboratory was to improvemy capacity of applying advancedtechnologies, particularly molecularbiology, in the of diagnosis of dis-eases, and in research in the field ofreproductive endocrinology. Myexposure to the “state of the art”molecular biology techniques in Prof.Ferrari's Laboratory has allowed meto fulfill my dreams and aspiration.My attendance at the InternationalFederation of Clinical Chemistry and

Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) coursein Molecular Biology in Milan (Italy) in2006 was intended to achieve theabove objective but time was short,and facilities were then unavailable inour laboratory to continue with whatwas learnt.

In the last few months, I have beenthrough various aspects of moleculardiagnosis of 21β-hydroxylase enzymedeficiencies. Southern blotting andhybridization as well as polymerasechain reaction (PCR) and sequencingwere applied after having extracted

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).Observation and hands-onexperience in the variousphases of this process havegreatly improved my confi-dence in the use of thesetechniques. These analysesrequire top quality controlsand laboratory safety, towhich the staff strictlyadheres. The environmentand friendly atmosphere areconducive to the success ofthe laboratory. I am nowapplying what I have learnedto the molecular diagnosis ofazoospermia. I designed therequired primers and I ampresently setting the condi-tions for multiplex PCR.

On the social side, hospitality andcourtesy are part of the ltalian culture.I found everyone friendly and ready tohelp, even not convenient. My enrol-ment in an Italian school for foreigners2 hours a week greatly enhanced myinteraction with others, particularlyoutside the laboratory where Englishlanguage, my mode of communica-tion, is scarcely understood.

This Professional Scientific Ex-change Program was the beginningof a true collaboration between myinstitution, the University of Ibadan(Nigeria), and the Vita-Salute SanRaffaele University, in Milan (Italy).

I recommend the continuation ofthe IFCC PSEP program in settingswith advanced technologies, in partic-ular for individuals from developingcountries. This will, beyond coursesorganized by the IFCC both within andoutside their countries, build capacityand increase confidence in the use ofadvanced technologies in their labora-tories. The additional knowledge andexperience I have gained in Milan willimpact on my colleagues and stu-dents, and the Association of Clinical

Chemistry of Nigeria (ACCN).I am very grateful to the IFCC for

granting me the PSEP. It was finan-cially very stressful before this aid,because of the relative cost of trans-portation and accommodation bet-ween Nigeria and the EU.

I must extent my wholeheartedthanks to Prof. Maurizio Ferrari, whogenerously opened his doors, andoffered his staff and facilities in thedevelopment of my career. I am partic-ularly grateful to Dr. Paola Carrera (incharge of my training) and Dr. MasciaDi Marzio (who supervised my hands-on experience in 21β-hydroxylaseenzyme work, including interpretation),and the whole laboratory staff of theDepartment of Molecular Biology andCytogenetics for their assistance andfriendliness. I am also grateful to Ms.Denise Bottoni (Prof. Ferrari'sSecretary) and Dr. Monica Zanusi fortheir availability that made my staysocially comforting. I cannot thankthem enough. I also wish to thank Prof.E.O Agbedan, my Department Head atthe College of Medicine, University ofIbadan, for his support and advice.

My IFCC Professional Scientific Exchange Program (PSEP) Experience

by Dr. Mabel A. Charles-Davies, Immediate Past IFCC NationalRepresentative (Nigeria), Department of Chemical Pathology,

College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

News from the World of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

Visit www.ifcc.org for more informationNEWS

itself cannot guarantee the qualityunder insufficient quality of health-care policy where there are numer-ous distortions in the field of laborato-ry diagnostics.

• Distortion of professional attitude isrepeatedly noticed in the case werecompeting laboratories, being underpressure from investors, try to gatheras many samples as possible, oftenforgetting that the service they offeris done for the patient and not for thesheer profit of the investor.

• Distortion of laboratory services anddecreasing quality is also caused bythe attitude of the health insurancecompanies, which often “reimburse”money according to very question-able policy that frequently ruins anypossible and essential progress inclinical laboratory diagnostics. Thisdistortion of the common sense

comes from the utterly underestimat-ed role of the laboratory diagnosticsin healthcare by the government andpoliticians.

• Distortion of fair competition in labo-ratory diagnostics resulting from thepotential conflicts of interests isanother problem of clinical laboratorydiagnostics in Slovakia, which dele-gates of the conference perceive asan unacceptable situation.Although clinical laboratory diagnostics

is essential field for medicine, and is rec-ognized by EPMA in the concept of predic-tive, preventive and personalized medi-cine, with help and political backing fromother experts and international organiza-tions, clinical laboratory professionalsmust exert substantially more effort tochange the unsustainable situation inSlovak clinical laboratory diagnostics inorder to increase the quality to the levelthat can be appreciated by the patient.

34LabMedica InternationalApril/2012

Photo: (From left to right) Prof. Maurizio Ferrari,Dr. Mabel Charles-Davies

Slovak Conference Focuses on Quality ControlCont’d from page 33

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News from the World of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

Visit www.ifcc.org for more informationNEWS


Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, December 3,2011. As a part of efforts of IFCC-Task Force

Young Scientists (IFCC-TF YS) to promote net-working between young scientists, to involve themin activities of laboratory medicine, and to promotethe future of laboratory medicine, the IFCC-TF YSin collaboration with the Association of ClinicalBiochemists of India (ACBI) held an EducationalWorkshop on December 3, 2011. The program waswell attended by more than 100 candidates fromvarious streams all over India. The event was host-ed by the ACBI Conference (ACBICON) 2011Organizing Committee under supervision of Dr.Neelima Singh (Organizing Secretary), and held atthe ITM University, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh,India).

IFCC has identified the need for young scien-tists to participate in Task Force activities and tounderstand the latest practices in laboratory health-care sector. Therefore, various Educational work-shops have been organized during IFCC andMember Societies Congresses under the roof ofIFCC-TF YS. The concept of these activities is toencourage interactions between young scientists toface challenges, and to brighten the future

prospects of self and laboratory medicine. In keeping with these objectives, the Task Force

organized Educational Workshop themed “ThinkThe Unthinkable.” For the first time, this workshop,second in continuation of the one-day workshoporganized during the 37th Conference of theAssociation of Clinical Biochemists of India inDecember 2010, brought the laboratory medicineand Industry together, stressing on Various JobOpportunities present in Industry and other sectorsrelated to Laboratory Medicine. This was an impor-tant step since it sought to share experiences,scope, and a common platform for both the labora-tory personnel and the industry, which will lead towell-thought solutions to bridge the gap.

The workshop was organized with close cooper-ation with IFCC and ACBI. Addressing the con-clave, Mr. J. Lopez (EB-IFCC & Past-PresidentAPFCB) praised the Task Force initiative andstressed upon the need to share experiences andchallenges around the world. He explained theneed of live sessions to demonstrate the laboratorymanagement to build the future leadership. Then,Dr. Sucheta Dandekar (President ACBI) addressedand summarized the ACBI initiatives for the young

biochemists. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Dabla, convener,and National Representative IFCC-TF YS dis-cussed the Task Force objectives and commitmentof focused trainings to strengthen the futureprospects of young laboratorians in absence ofDamien Gruson, Chair IFCC-TF YS. The all seniormembers and EB-ACBI were present to support thecause.

Dr. Dabla stressed, “With a robust general econ-omy and with extraordinary advances being madein biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, excellentpositions are available in a wide variety of fields forcurrent and future college graduates.” While dis-cussing various fields he emphasized on making adecision about what type of career and exactlywhat field will be best for you and the importance ofdual proficiency of management training. Dr.Elizabeth Frank (Chair of the Clinical LabManagement Committee of the IFCC & electedSecretary APFCB) explained the work strategiesrelated to jobs vs. careers. Then she discussedabout Entrepreneurship and how to start and man-aging your own business. Dr. Gurumukh Advani(Sales President Transasia) gave the view on howIndia is emerging as leading player in business andeconomy. He pointed out, “Healthcare delivery isgrowing as a largest service sector with excellent15% growth per annum in India,” and explained therole of biochemists in lab industry. In this blend ofexcellent professionals, Mr. Shankar Haveri, (HeadHealthcare Learning Academy, SiemensHealthcare) discussed the learning academy pro-grams and opportunities in various less knownareas of IVD Industry. In row, Dr. Rajesh Bendre(Consultant Pathologist & HOD Immunochemistry,Metropolis Healthcare) explained the concept ofClinical Reference laboratories, the role of labora-tory professionals and the job profiles and careeropportunities. He emphasized on the need of multi-tasking behaviour and flexibility. Dr. Dabla, endedby giving Dr. Gruson's view about the young scien-tists and laboratory medicine.

To summarize, the workshop has provided tan-gible results for the young laboratory professionalsto select the right path after completing their stud-ies. It has provided the vision about the varioustechniques and essentials to reach the right desti-nation.

IFCC-Task Force for Young ScientistsHolds Educational Workshop in India

Contributed by Pradeep Kumar Dabla, IFCC-TF YS Member & National Representative

Photo: (Left) Dr. Pradeep Kumar Dabla, Head ofthe Department of Biochemistry, Chacha Nehru BalChikitsalya Pediatric Superspecialty Hospital, NewDelhi receiving a memento from Mr. Joseph Lopez,IFCC Executive Board Member, representing thePresident Dr. Graham Beastall.

The year 2011 has been a year ofmilestones for The Australasian

Association of Clinical Biochemists(AACB), the most notable of thesebeing the celebration of 50 yearssince the formation of the AACB inMay 1961.

Our Golden Jubilee was celebrat-ed throughout the year with specialevents held in each of the Branchesincluding the Roman Lecture tourfeaturing one of our founding fathers,Prof. Geoffrey Kellerman. TheGolden Jubilee was also the keyfocus of our annual scientific meetingin October celebrating “LaboratoryMedicine - Past, Present & Future.”

Other significant milestones forthe AACB include the induction of anew President Dr. Andrew St Johnand a new Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Mr. Peter Graham.

Prof. Leslie Burnett vacated theoffice of president at the annual gen-eral meeting of the Association inOctober with Dr. Andrew St John tak-ing the helm. In articles recently pub-

lished in the Clinical BiochemistsNewsletter, both Prof. Burnett and Dr.St John reflected on things past,present, and future.

Key issues and highlights noted inthese two reports included: • Development of international col-

laborations and cooperation withsister Associations such as theAPFCB, IFCC, AACC, and ACB

• Forging new links with the EFCCand emerging Associations inSouth-East Asia

• Progression of workforce issuesthrough the reactivation ofPathology Associations Council

• Initiation and participation in anumber of major new scientific ini-tiatives, including the introductionof reporting of the eGFR, interna-tional standardization and dualreporting of HbA1c, standardiza-tion of pathology and terminology,and most recently, pathology har-monization

• Relocation of the AACB HeadOffice from Perth to Sydney with

co-location and strategic alliancewith the Human Genetics Societyof Australia (HGSA) to better posi-tion the AACB for the genomicrevolution The relocation of the Office has

also brought about another of the sig-nificant changes to the “face” of theAACB in 2011 with the recent retire-ment of our CEO, Mr. Tony Prior. TheAACB is indebted to Tony's dedicated

service over the last ten years, whichwas recognized with the presentationof an outstanding service medallionat the annual scientific meeting. Thegood news is that we have a newCEO in Mr. Peter Graham who bringsa wealth of laboratory and manage-ment experience with him. The AACBlooks forward to long and productiveworking relationship with Peter as wemove forward into our next 50 years!

News from the World of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory MedicineVisit www.ifcc.org for more information NEWS

AACB News: Looking Back to Look Ahead

Contributed by Sandra Klingberg, Chair AACB Media and Communications Committee; Editor, Clinical Biochemist Newsletter


Photo: Celebrating the AACB's 50th Birthday: Prof Geoffrey Kellerman (2ndfrom the left), 2011 AACB Roman Lecturer, with the Victorian AACB BranchCommittee.


Mindraywww.mindray.comMindray, founded in 1991 with the goalof delivering high quality, competitivelypriced medical devices to makehealthcare more accessible andaffordable around the world was listedon the New York Stock Exchange in2006. The company has three well-established business segments:Patient Monitoring and Life SupportProducts, In Vitro Diagnostic Products,and Medical Imaging Systems. Healthcare facilities equipped with Mindray'sproducts can be found in over 190countries and regions. IVD Mindrayhas a global R&D network withresearch centers in Shenzhen (China),Beijing (China), Nanjing (China),Seattle (USA), New Jersey (USA), andStockholm (Sweden).

Merck Millipore - Millipore SASwww.millipore.com/labwaterMerck Millipore is the Life Sciencedivision of Merck KGaA of Germanyand offers a broad range of innova-tive, performance products, services,and business relationships that

enable our customers' success inresearch, development, and produc-tion of biotech and pharmaceuticaldrug therapies. Through dedicatedcollaboration on new scientific andengineering insights, and as one ofthe top three R&D investors in the LifeScience Tools industry, MerckMillipore serves as a strategic partnerto customers and helps advance thepromise of life science.

Nova Biomedical www.novabiomedical.comNova Biomedical's clinical laboratorybusiness comprises point of care IVDtest systems used in hospital and pri-mary care settings. These include inno-vative new hand-held point of care sen-sors as well as an array of blood gasand critical care analyzers offering awide menu range.

Immunodiagnostic Systems (IDS)www.idsplc.comImmunodiagnostic Systems (IDS) isdedicated to the development and pro-vision of innovative Immunoassaysand automated immunoanalyzer tech-nologies for use in clinical and re-search laboratories worldwide. Thecompany enjoys a dominant position inthe provision of immunoassay kits forthe determination of Vitamin D (both25-Hydroxy Vitamin D, and 1,25-Dihydroxy Vitamin D.

IFCC Welcomes New Corporate Members

IFCC OFFICE

Via Carlo Farini 81, 20159 Milan, ITALYTel: (39) 02-6680-9912 • Fax: (39) 02-6078-1846E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.ifcc.orgOffice Hours: 9.00-13.00 and 14.00-18.00Staff Members: Paola Bramati, Silvia Cattaneo,Silvia Colli-Lanzi

Public health, research, and continuing educationare fields in which the European Commission

awards financial aid. This community funding existsto implement projects or activities related toEuropean Union policy. This funding can be award-ed to companies, associations, and healthcare facil-ities, in the form of subsidies or investment grants.European policies are divided into thematic pro-grams such as the 2007-2013 health program (theone for 2014-2019 is being negotiated) or theProgram of the European Community for research,technological development, and demonstrationactivities. Next, these programs are subdivided intoprojects and then funding means. Brussels regular-ly issues calls for projects, open to all interestedcandidates. To respond, candidates must submitproposals with a European dimension and involving,in principle, at least three Member States. Beyondthis requirement, the conditions to fulfill for participa-tion vary. The list of calls for proposals is availableon the Commission Website (http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm under the section “Public Contractsand Funding,” subsection "Grants").

An innovative e-learning experience was led byProf. Corberand, hematology, at the RangueilToulouse University Hospital, which coordinated thee-HEMATimage interactive multilingual project aspart of the Leonardo da Vinci Program in the field ofeducation and continuing training. The goal was tocreate online continuing-education programs on thetopic of hematology. The programs are available ineight languages and accessible to medical biologyprofessionals. In 2009, this successful operationgenerated a second, e-MEDICINimage (www.e-hematimage.eu/index.jsp?Langue=en&Pays=GB),with the goal of improving knowledge and know-how, in the fields of hematology, mycology, and par-asitology for all medical biology laboratory profes-

sionals (doctors, scientists and technicians) con-cerned with performing and interpreting hematolog-ical, mycological, and parasitological exams. Thesite offers real cases taken from laboratory experi-ence, with access in the user’s native language,records validated by scientific societies, supervisionby recognized specialists, and from of personal proj-ects.

The European Commission also fundedresearch on the genome, cancer, and evenAlzheimer's disease. If they are not the leader of aEuropean project, health facilities and laboratoriesor services can work with a private company, a med-ical research unit, such as INSERM in France, or aresearch center that received an EU grant. Between2003 and 2009, for example, the EuropeanCommission supported 50% of the cost of theMyHeart project for developing intelligent systemsfor preventing and detecting cardiovascular disease.This equaled sixteen million euros. Among the fortypartners and beneficiaries of the project are the SanCarlos Hospital of Madrid (Spain), and the Coimbra(Portugal) and Aix-la-Chapelle (Germany) UniversityHospitals. The Commission never funds a project100%; however, the sums paid can be substantial.Most often, the allocated budgets are managed by apublic authority, with its partners to be clearly identi-fied before its project is designed. Setting up proj-ects is difficult, but European associations such asthe European Hospital and Healthcare Federation(HOPE) can provide valuable and effective assis-tance.

The e-MEDICINimage project is a good exampleof the generalization of e-learning in our educationand training systems. Connectivity and equipmentare no longer central questions, and the focus isnow on problems of pedagogy, content, and qualityassurance and standards, training of teachers and

trainers, and of continuous development, organiza-tional change and transformation processes of edu-cation and training. E-learning has entered adult-hood and we are in the process of evolving frompreparation to practice and from pilot e-learningprojects to lasting education and training programs.The European Federation has demonstrated itsclear understanding by establishing a WG on dis-tance learning. Moreover, its newly named“European Federation of Clinical Chemistry andLaboratory Medicine” will undoubtedly factor in cre-ativity in e-learning on many subjects!

by Dr. Bernard GougetSFBC-EFLM Representative; IFCC Treasure;Secretary General, International Francophone Federation of Clinical Biology and Laboratory Medicine (FIFBCML)

European Funding: A Financial Windfall to Seize for Innovative Projects

European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

EFLM CORNER


Edited by Dr. Bernard Gouget

139LMI-04-12LINKXPRESS COM140LMI-04-12LINKXPRESS COM

New Acronym for EFCC

The Executive Board of the European Federationof Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

has become aware that the abbreviation EFCC isoften misidentified as IFCC by other internationalorganizations, National Societies and other stake-holders as well as by individuals from the profession.In the past, this has caused confusion and some-times has undermined the identity of the Federation.

After consultation with National Representativesand Presidents of our Member Societies, heExecutive Board has agreed to adopt EFLM toreplace EFCC as the acronym to describe ourFederation. The full name of the Federation remainsunchanged: European Federation of ClinicalChemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

We take this occasion to thank all our NationalSociety Members for supporting the Executive Boardin this important decision for the future “branding” ofour Federation

Yours sincerely, Ian Watson, EFLM President

The 2011 Annual Scientific Con-ference “Professor Ivan Berkes”

was held on December 1, at MilitaryMedical Academy in Belgrade(Serbia). As it is customary, the lectur-ers were clinical laboratory profes-sionals who have defended their doc-toral thesis in the course of the pastyear at the Faculty of Pharmacy andFaculty of Medicine. This year, theywere Dr. Janko Pejovic (MilitaryMedical Academy, Belgrade), Dr.Marijana Dajak (Faculty of Phar-macy, University of Belgrade), Dr.Jasenka Lalos-Miljus (Faculty ofMedicine, University of Banja Luka,Republic of Srpska, Bosnia andHerzegovina) and Dr. Jelena Popovic(Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis,Serbia).

This Annual Scientific Conferenceand Fund “Professor Ivan Berkes“was established to honor life and workof Prof. Ivan Berkes, one of thefounders of medical biochemistry informer Yugoslavia. He taught medicalbiochemistry at Universities in Zagreb,

Skopje, and Belgrade. His work at theFaculty of Pharmacy of the Universityof Belgrade was in great part directedtowards the definition and foundationof the specialist studies program. Inaddition, Prof. Berkes introducedClinical Enzymology as an independ-ent discipline. With over 200 publica-tions, mentoring of 150 specialists inmedical biochemistry and severaltens of doctoral candidates, Prof.Berkes left an indelible mark in clini-cal laboratory profession in Serbia.After his death in 1997, the Society ofMedical Biochemists of Yugoslaviaand the Faculty of Pharmacy of theUniversity of Belgrade founded theScientific Fund and Annual ScientificConference named after him, as asign of appreciation and respect forthis remarkable teacher and eminentexpert.

Awards from the Scientific Fund“Professor Ivan Berkes” are givenyearly to the two best graduate stu-dents from the Faculty of Pharmacy ofthe University of Belgrade, one gradu-

ate in pharmacy, and the other in med-ical biochemistry. However, 2011called for a special event as the firststudents graduated according to thenew syllabus harmonized with theBologna declaration. Hence, this yearthe Fund gave four diplomas andmonetary awards; two to studentsgraduated according to previousschool system - Mladen Milovic (phar-macy graduate) and MilenaAn_elkovic (pharmacy-medical bio-chemistry graduate), and two to“Bologna graduates” - Sanela Dorde-vic (Master of Pharmacy) and Ana

Milojevic (Master of Pharmacy-med-ical biochemistry).

After the traditional welcomingaddress of Colonel Prof. MarijanNovakovic, Head of Military MedicalAcademy, and of Prof. Nada Kova-cevic, Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy,and Chair of the event, Prof. Majkic-Singh, presented awards.

With this successful conference,we remembered once again, the lega-cy of Prof. Ivan Berkes, whose stu-dents represent the core of science ofmedical biochemistry and clinical lab-oratory practice in Serbia today.

14th Berkes Annual Scientific Conference

Held in Belgradeby Dr. Snezana Jovicic,

Member of the IFCC eNews Working Group


EFLM CORNER

Photo: (From left to right) Awarded students with the Dean and Professors ofFaculty of Pharmacy; Milena Andelkovic, Prof. Nada Majkic-Singh, Prof. NadaKovacevic, Sanela Dordevic, Ana Milojevic, Prof. Svetlana Ignjatovic


We take this opportunity to informyou that the Scientific Program of

the 2nd EFCC-UEMS European JointCongress has been finalized and is nowavailable at www.dubrovnik2012.com.The Scientific Committee has done agreat job in gathering the recognizedinternational experts in the field who willbe presenting the latest news and find-ings in their field. The Scientific Programwill encompass 3 plenary sessions, 15scientific symposia, 4 highly interactivepro- and contra- sessions, as well as aseries of specialized industry sponsoredworkshops.

We would like to draw your particu-lar attention to the S10 Session(Friday, October 12, 2012, 14:00-15:30h) on Education of Specialists inLaboratory Medicine in Europe withinwhich most recent advances in the

recognition of the profession at theEuropean level will be presented anddiscussed.

Abstract Submission is also nowavailable at the Congress web site. Bestposters will be awarded with Posterawards.

Dates to remember are:• Abstract Submission Deadline:

May 15, 2012• Early Registration Deadline:

May 1, 2012

We proudly announce that EFLM(formerly EFCC) Travel grants are avail-able for Young Congress participants.For more details, please visit: www.efc-clm.eu.

We look forward to see you inDubrovnik!

2nd EFCC-UEMS European Joint Congress: Laboratory Medicine

at the Clinical Interface


AMemorandum of Understandinghas been prepared to define a col-

laborative working relationship bet-ween EFLM and ESPT, the EuropeanSociety for Pharmacogenomics andTheranostics, to foster the cooperationand to advance Clinical LaboratoryMedicine. The European Society ofPharmacogenomics and Theranostics(ESPT) is a nonprofit organization,whose aims are to promote the educa-tion and research in pharmacoge-nomics and theranostics, to ensure thehigh standards in their application toclinical practice for improving the deliv-ery of medicines, to provide a scientificbasis for official recommendations andto provide education materials forpatients, clinicians and all health work-ers. For further information, the docu-ment is downloadable at the followinglink: http://efcclm.eu/downloads/ (sec-tion: Agreement)

EFLM Presence at National Society MeetingsThe Executive Board appreciates thesupport it receives from NationalSocieties and individual members ofthese societies in the various past andcurrent EFLM activities. To foster thisrelationship, EFLM officers' atten-dance, and their active participation

as invited speakers has beenarranged during the following NationalCongresses:• 11th Baltic Congress of Laboratory

Medicine - Vilnius (LT), May 10-12,2012

• Congress of the Slovak Society ofClinical Biochemistry (NC SSCB) -Banska Bystrica (SK), May 27-29,2012

• XXXIII Nordic Congress in ClinicalChemistry - Reykjavik (IS), June12-15, 2012

• National Days for Russian Lab-oratory Medicine - InterLabDiag-nostika 2012 - Moscow (RU),October 2-4, 2012

• 7th Conference of the RomanianAssociation of Medical Laborato-ries (RAML) with InternationalParticipation - Sinaia, Romania(RO), June 20-23, 2012

New Type of Membership: Young MembershipThe EFLM Executive Board tostrengthen the role of YoungScientists inside its Working Groupsinvited National Societies to sendnominations. The number of FullMembers' positions inside each EFLMWorking Group has been enlarged toenable Young Scientists to take part in

the WG activities.A large number of nominations was

received and the selected candidatesare as follows:

Cardiac Markers (WG-CM):Christopher DUFF (UK); BiologicalVariation (WG-BV): Federica Braga(IT); Guidelines (WG-G): ShivaniMisra (UK); Test Evaluation (WG-TE):Philip Monoghan (UK); PreanalyticalPhase (WG-PA): Michael Cornes(UK); Congresses and PostgraduateEducation (WG-CPE): Andjelo Beletic(SRB); Distance Education and e-Learning (WG-DE): Darya Kisilichina(RU); Accreditation and ISO/CEN(WG-A/ISO): Kanella Konstantinakou(GR)

Working Group: Preanalytical Phase (WG-PA)The pre- and post-analytical phases ofthe laboratory testing process are nowwidely recognized as the major sourceof laboratory errors. Preanalyticalerrors are the most common andaccount for up to 2/3 of the total num-ber of errors. The risk for errors in thelaboratory testing process quite isunderestimated in the everyday clini-cal practice. To reduce the error risk,important steps are to increase theawareness of the importance of thepreanalytical phase in the total testingprocess and recommend guidelinesfor the best preanalytical practices.Efficient indicators and educationaltools should be provided in order toimplement the best preanalytical prac-tices.

For this reason, a new EFLM WGwas created under the Chairmanshipof Prof. Ana-Maria Simundic (Croatia).

This WG will focus their work onthe following:1) To promote the importance of the

quality of the preanalytical phaseof laboratory medicine;

2) To define the best practices andprovide recommendations forsome critical activities in the prean-alytical phase;

3) To design and validate question-naires for assessing the currentpractices related to some pre-ana-lytical variables;

4) To conduct surveys using validatedquestionnaires with the aim toassess the current pre-analyticalpractices;

5) Organize symposia, workshops,webinars, or training courses onpreanalytical phase issues.One of the main future activities of

this WG will be to organize the 2ndEFLM-BD Conference on pre-analyti-cal phase, during March 1-2, 2013, inZagreb, Croatia.

EFLM-AACB Agreement on theJoint Task-and-Finish WorkingGroup on Critical Values (TFG-CV)EFLM and AACB (Australasian Asso-ciation of Clinical Biochemists) recog-nize the added value of workingtogether to foster cooperation and toadvance Laboratory Medicine. To for-malize this cooperation a joint Task-and-Finish Working Group on CriticalValues (TFG-CV) has been estab-lished for a 2-year period.

Action points that are of mutualinterest to both parties are:1) To expand the recent Australasian

survey on critical values manage-ment to Europe.

2) To publish results of the Europeansurvey of critical value manage-ment jointly with AACB

3) Develop joint recommendations onbest laboratory practice for com-municating critical results.

EFLM CORNER


EFLM Reaches Collaboration Agreement with the European Society for Pharmacogenomics and Theranostics (ESPT)


During the year 2011, the RoyalBelgian Society of Clinical Chem-

istry (RBSCC) organized a NationalSymposium (Brussels, April 7, 2011) onthe topic “New and sensitive testing:improving healthcare?” and, in collabo-ration with the Belgian Society ofClinical Biology, a national meeting(Liège, October 15, 2011) dealing with“The added value of clinical-laboratoryinteraction and The future of ClinicalBiology”.

Education is also a main objective ofthe RSBCC. During the RRBSCCNational Symposium (April 7, 2011), twotrainees in Laboratory Medicinereceived the Young Investigators Awardin Clinical Chemistry 2010-2011 for anoutstanding publication in the field ofapplied clinical chemistry and in the fieldof fundamental research. During the

BSCB/RBSCC joint National Sym-posium (October 15, 2011), three prizeswere awarded to young investigators fora recently published article relating toclinical biology.

In 2012, the National Symposium ofour society will be devoted to “Medicalquality beyond operational quality in thelab: the role of Clinical Biologist.” Themeeting will be held in Groot-Bijgaarden(Brussels) on May 3, 2012. (Information:[email protected]). The joint Nation-al Symposium of the Belgian Society ofClinical Biology will be organized inGhent on October 20, 2012.

On the international level, prelimi-nary contacts have been made with theorganizers of the 2015 EFCC Euro-MedLab Congress to be held in Paris(France), in order to organize a satellitemeeting in Brussels.

News from the Belgian Societyby Prof. J.P. Chapelle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège,

Chef du Service de Chimie médicale

Documents

Edited by Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACB IFCC members may send … · 2012. 4. 10. · IFCC members may send news to: Edgard Delvin, Ph.D., FCACB, Head, Dept of Clin Biochemistry, CHU