In an effort to address a serious shortage of medical laboratory technologists, Dade Behring Holdings, Inc., the largest company in the world solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics, has established a new scholarship fund for students in Canadian medical laboratory science programs.
The $15,000(US) fund will be distributed over a three-year period and administered by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS)—the national certifying body for medical laboratory technologists and assistants. The announcement was made May 29 at the opening ceremony of the National Congress of Medical Laboratory Science in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The scholarship is the first global program in the diagnostics industry, encompassing Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and is part of Dade Behring’s $1.25 million commitment to continuing education worldwide. Named for Emil von Behring, who received the first Nobel Prize in 1901 for medicine and physiology, the scholarships will be distributed each year in the form of two $2,500 (US) scholarships. The first scholarships will be awarded in December 2005.
“In order to provide cost effective, high quality health care, we must meet the demand for medical laboratory technologists,” said Michael Harcus, national marketing support manager for Dade Behring Canada Inc. “Dade Behring has a special bond with its customers in the clinical laboratory and is committed to helping address their needs.
We want to make a real, practical difference for students, laboratories, physicians and the patients they serve.”
The shortage of medical laboratory technologists is a serious problem in Canada. Nearly half of the country’s MLTs will be eligible to retire over the next fifteen years. “Providing education-based solutions is the most important first step toward solving the problem,” said CSMLS President, Shelley Sanders. “We are pleased to partner with Dade Behring to provide much needed financial assistance to students in medical laboratory training programs.”
Guylaine Michaud, an instructor in the medical laboratory program at the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick-Campus de Campbellton at the Dr-George-L. Dumont Hospital in Moncton applauds Dade Behring’s commitment to supporting the future generation of medical laboratory technologists. “The scholarships will motivate our students to increase their effort and commitment towards successful completion of the program.”
As administrators of the scholarship program, CSMLS will evaluate applications and select the recipients. Scholarships are open to CSMLS student members enrolled in the final year of medical laboratory science training programs. They will be awarded based on financial need, academic performance and leadership. A fact sheet and application form will be available on the CSMLS website at www.csmls.org.