HAMILTON, March 26, 2013 – The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is proud to announce a national public awareness campaign to illustrate the vital contributions medical laboratory professionals make to Canada’s health care system. The campaign seeks to pull back the curtain on this often unseen profession and provide insights into what the lab is really like.

“Despite their vital role, our members are often over looked by the public as key contributors to patient care,” states CSMLS president, Heather Autio. “Our campaign will help shed some light on these hard working and dedicated professionals.”

The Our Focus Is You campaign (www.OurFocusIsYou.ca) serves to illustrate the vital role of the lab in an accessible and fun manner. Students, educators and members of the public can watch a video, answer trivia questions and even take a virtual trip through the eye-piece of a microscope to see what lab professionals see.

“Many people think that lab professionals just take blood and have little effect on patient care. They couldn't be more wrong,” says Christine Nielsen, CSMLS’s Executive Director. “You may never see them, but their impact on patient care is broader than you think.”

Every day in Canada, life-saving diagnoses and treatments are dependent on work done in laboratories. These dedicated professionals who work in the lab often go unnoticed by the public because they are rarely seen by patients.

The campaign is part of the lead-up to National Medical Laboratory Week (April 28 –May 4). Since 1985, CSMLS has sponsored this special week to educate the public about the important role that laboratory testing plays in the health and well-being of Canadians.

Joining in the celebration will be Medical Laboratory Technologists, Diagnostic Cytotechnologists, Clinical Genetics Technologists and Medical Laboratory Assistants across Canada.

The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is the national certifying body for medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory assistants, and the national professional society for Canada's medical laboratory professionals. Incorporated in 1937 as the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, the society has over 14,000 members in Canada and in countries around the world.

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For more information about CSMLS or interview requests, please contact:

Michelle Hoad
Director of Marketing, Communication & Membership
Phone: 1.800.263.8277 ext. 8693
www.csmls.org