Message from the CEO
Christine Nielsen
This was a busy year for CSMLS as we continued the dialogue on the use of simulation in clinical placements and confirmed the accreditation plan for education programs. By exploring simulation with key stakeholders, we are able to build knowledge, navigate new relationships and move into brave new areas that require commitment and innovation. We have invested considerable resources into exploring what’s possible. For over a decade, we have endeavoured to find a way to overcome future challenges in our industry with the impending wave of retirements. I’m proud of the solutions we are pursuing. One of our greatest accomplishments this year was finalizing the plan with Accreditation Canada for accrediting education programs. It took almost two years and the involvement of over 100 stakeholders in medical laboratory science and beyond. Aligning ourselves with such a reputable standards organization is exciting and sets the profession up for future success. Overall, I feel that 2017 signified the wheels of change. With the progress we have made, CSMLS is now looking ahead to a brighter future.
Message from the President
Mary Costantino
Being the 2017 CSMLS President was in a word, inspiring. Putting together a new strategic plan that will help mobilize and strengthen our Society for years to come was unquestionably one of the highlights. This new strategic plan empowers our members to succeed in the ever changing and challenging work environment by growing our services, programs and tools. Our goal is to demonstrate the value of the Society to our members throughout all stages of their career. CSMLS will continue to advocate for our members at both the national and provincial levels and continue to collaborate with our regulators and employers for certification and standard setting. This is certainly no small feat and we are respectful of our membership dollars and work diligently to provide the best value for our members’ investment.
Download the Financial Summary
Strategic Plan
The CSMLS operates as a membership association with regulatory functions, taking on regulatory elements including creation of competency profiles, certification exams and prior learning assessments.
We recognize the importance of working with provincial partners in supporting our members across Canada since health and education are provincial/territorial domains.
We work to increase the value for members by reviewing current benefits and determining where we could add.
Educators are important to the success of future medical laboratory professionals. We are working to enhance our current relationship with educators.
Year in Review
Our Members
MLT : 548
MLA : 171
STUDENT : 30
OTHER : 20
TOTAL : 770
MLT : 115
MLA : 33
STUDENT : 10
OTHER : 6
TOTAL : 164
MLT : 833
MLA : 188
STUDENT : 85
OTHER : 63
TOTAL : 1169
MLT : 653
MLA : 158
STUDENT : 35
OTHER : 35
TOTAL : 881
MLT : 487
MLA : 5
STUDENT : 27
OTHER : 51
TOTAL : 571
MLT : 2,910
MLA : 843
STUDENT : 332
OTHER : 243
TOTAL : 4328
MLT : 800
MLA : 117
STUDENT : 58
OTHER : 66
TOTAL : 1041
MLT : 565
MLA : 38
STUDENT : 22
OTHER : 69
TOTAL : 694
MLT : 1,483
MLA : 248
STUDENT : 104
OTHER : 92
TOTAL : 1927
MLT : 2,026
MLA : 85
STUDENT : 23
OTHER : 103
TOTAL : 2237
MLT : 23
MLA : 2
STUDENT : 0
OTHER : 1
TOTAL : 26
MLT : 28
MLA : 5
STUDENT : 0
OTHER : 1
TOTAL : 34
MLT : 12
MLA : 4
STUDENT : 0
OTHER : 0
TOTAL : 16
Total membership: 14,084
Featured Volunteers
CSMLS is grateful to our members who are willing to contribute their time, knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the medical laboratory field. We owe our existence and decades of growth to our volunteers; not just a few, but the thousands who have given something back to their profession. Here are a few of our dedicated volunteers to tell us, in their own words, why those chose to give back to the society.
Becoming a volunteer means giving of yourself and learning from others. Getting involved as volunteer with CSMLS gave me the opportunity to work and learn from some of the top lab professionals in the country.
Marcela Navarro, LABCON Volunteer
By volunteering I am helping shape the work force of tomorrow. CSMLS has been an inspiring community that has nurtured me through my career. By volunteering, I hope to be a guiding force to the next generation of Laboratory Professionals.
Hansika Deepak, Exam Panel Volunteer
In volunteering for the CSMLS, I feel that I am challenging myself personally and honing transferable skills such as communication and leadership and helping to move the profession forward through professional engagement and education.
Valentin Villatoro, CSMLS Ambassador
I feel that volunteering with CSMLS provides invaluable experiences. Allowing myself to network with other MLAs across our country not only gives me insight into different work environments, but also an understanding of the variety of jobs our career offers nationwide.
Allie Shields, Angoff Volunteer
See the full list of Volunteers
Donors to GSA
We are grateful for the generosity of the following supporters of the CSMLS Grants, Scholarships and Awards. We are able to continue our commitment to support our members professional growth because of their financial contributions.
| Edna Almodovar | Gina Alvarez | Joan Isabel Andersen |
| Michael Arbuckle | Colleen Atkinson | Rizza Balagosa |
| Ursula Anna Bunn | Natalie Campbell | May Yee Mai Cheng |
| Benie Tagala Constantino | Nancy Delaney | Nicholas Dibdin |
| Denise Evanovitch | Ruth Farrow | Leah Feliciano |
| Ross Fredericks | Connie Gittens-Webber | Barbara Hall |
| Olga Harrison | Nancy Harvey | Megan Homer |
| Angela Lyne Jackson-Lee | Kristin Juenke | Karen Krasic |
| Edward Pochung Mak | Margot Beverly Newton | Christine Nielsen |
| Wesley Nishi | Jennifer O’Leary | Mary Jane Padua |
| Judith Ann Pateman | Carmen Maria Pavan-Falco | Linda Rathburn |
| Karen Rumson | Sheila Scharf | Nancy Scott-Langille |
| Sharon Lynne Sutherland | Sharon Sutton | Dominique Theberge |
| Lisette Vienneau | Sharon Webber | Shannon Lee Yaredic |
| Carrie Young |
National Voice
As the national voice of Canada’s medical laboratory profession, CSMLS represents the needs and concerns of medical laboratory professionals when working with laboratory and health care-related organizations. CSMLS Board of Directors, staff and volunteers attend meetings, conferences and events on behalf of CSMLS members and the entire medical laboratory profession. Here is where your voice was heard recently:
- Post-licensure employment outcomes for internationally educated MLTs – Government of Canada (teleconference)
- Crystal Ball presentation – University of Alberta Hospital & DynaLife Diagnostics (Edmonton, AB)
- Bridging Program Advisory Council Meeting – Mohawk College (Hamilton, ON)
- Alternate Careers presentation- Conference Board of Canada (webinar)
- Faculty Development Talk: Using Knowledge of Generational Differences to Improve Communications – Michener Institute of Education at UHN (Toronto, ON)
- Generations in the Workplace presentation – Peterborough Regional Health Centre (Peterborough, ON)
- Inter Professional Event (IPE) – St. Lawrence College (Kingston, ON)
- Subject Matter Expert Working Group: Communication Competency – Touchstone Institute (Toronto, ON)
- The Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century (CCPH21) (teleconference & Ottawa, ON)
- Health Action Lobby (HEAL) (Ottawa, ON)
- Medical Laboratory Quality Systems Meeting – Canadian Standards Association (CSA), (teleconference)
- PLA Process – HealthForce Ontario (HFO) (Toronto, ON)
- Generations in the Workplace presentation – Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley (Mississauga, ON)
- Canadian Association of Allied Health Programs (CAAHP) Conference (Ottawa, ON)
- Canadian Immigration Summit – Conference Board of Canada Leaders Roundtable on Immigration (Ottawa, ON)
- Leading Across Generations – Generations for Managers presentation – LifeLabs (Toronto, ON)
- Generations in the Workplace presentation – Cardiovascular Perfusion Conference (Toronto, ON)
- Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP – ACP) Council Business Meeting (Charlottetown, PE)
- Indigenous Health Research in Canada – Research Canada (Ottawa, ON)
- Roundtable Luncheon – The Australian Consulate General and the Queensland Government (Toronto, ON)
- International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) Meeting (Hamilton, ON)
- 2018 Congress – British Columbia Society of Laboratory Science (BCSLS) (Kamloops, BC)
- Manitoba Conference for Medical Laboratory Science (Brandon, MB)
- Fall 2017 Symposium – Newfoundland & Labrador College of Medical Laboratory Science (NLCMLS) (St. John’s, NL)
- Annual Provincial Scientific Conference 2017 – New Brunswick Society of Medical Laboratory Technologists (NBSMLT ) (Moncton, NB)
- Canadian Network of Agencies for Regulation (CNAR) (Halifax, NS)
- Culture in Laboratories presentation – Credit Valley Hospital (Mississauga, ON)
- National Patient Safety Consortium – Canadian Patient Safety Institute (Toronto, ON)
- A Personal Touch Increases CSMLS Exam Success presentation – Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) (Toronto, ON)
- Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Meeting, (Med Labs) and SMC ISO/TC 212 (Mississauga, ON)
- An Evening with The Lacks Family (Toronto, ON)
- Generations in the Workplace presentation – University of Toronto, Genetic Counselling (Toronto, ON)
- Lab Utilization Symposium – Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto, ON)
2017 CSMLS Volunteers & Key Contributors
| Lucie Alain | Isaac Aliche | Ma. Catherine Y. Ancheta | Malcolm Ashford |
| Patrick Bate Ayuk | Maryam Baghalha | Mark Ballantyne | Karen Anne Beatty |
| Nancy J. Bergeron | Michelle F. Bernard | Ivan Blasutig | Lavern R. Bourne |
| Sharon Breau | Catherine Mary Brown | Wendy R. Bryan | Jason W. Burleigh |
| Brandy J. Callahan | Amy A.L. Carver | Betty Sin Wah Chan | Katherine Chorneyko |
| Adam Henry Chrobak | Kathy Chun | Amanda M. Cocca | Jana Cole |
| Alyssa G. Cole | Alain Collette | Mary A. Costantino | Donna L. Cottle |
| Lucia Del Carmen Cueva | Melody J. Czarnota | Hansika Deepak | Kimmberly E. Deydey |
| Gregory Dobbin | Stephanie M. Eccles | Larissa M. Fadish | Susan H. Findlater |
| Susanne Marie Folco | Catherine J. Fraser | Angela Gatt | Helene M. Goulding |
| Gregory Hardy | Laurie L. Hart | Mark James Hawkins | Amanda J. Hess |
| Claire Cascadia Hilscher | Chris A. Hirtle | Michelle Hoad | Julie A. Horne |
| Dawn M. Hutchinson | Camille A. Jackson | Glen M. Johnston | Janice Jones |
| Linda R. Kappel | Ainslay D. Kerr | Maria A. Klement | Arundhati (Aruna) Kolhatkar |
| Andrex Lee | Nancy C. Lemelin | Kristi Lew | Patricia Ellen Ludlow |
| Joshua M. MacDonald | Belinda J.M. MacKinnon | Lisa R. Mantifel | Curtis J. Martin |
| Victoria E. Massey | Jan E. Maxwell | Marion R. McChesney | Danielle N. McLennan |
| Heather Ann McMullen | Kelly Ann McPherson | Patrick A. Mercuri | Melissa S M Mikl |
| Colleen A. Moran | Corey J. Murray | Marcela R. Navarro | Myhanh Ngo |
| Delaney Lee Nickerson | Brendan O’Brien | Elizabeth D. Officer | Katherene Ogbulafor |
| Moses O. Ogunkunle | Jennifer S. O’Leary | Krista M. Patriquin | Carlos R. Pereira |
| Diane Marie Perry | Rajesh R. Ramoutar | Kalwinder Randhawa | Rosalie A. Richard |
| Anne P. Rigg | Joël G. Rivero | Felisa Rosenberg | Maria Roussakis |
| Mary Allison Shields | Joanna Sin | Paula E. Steeves | Roxanne N. Suchan |
| Harvey Donald Suski | Michele L. Sykes | Ryan C. Sykes | Masaye Tanaka |
| Stephanie Taylor | Jason E. Tilling | John Tzountzouris | Krista Urchenko |
| Amanda D. VanSpronsen | Lisette Vienneau | Valentin Villatoro | Melissa J. Walsh |
| Tamar Patreeka Webster | Kimberly Lee Wheelans | Kenneth Wong | Svitlana Yaremenko |
| Danni Zhang | Yu Li Zhang |
Previous Years
