Christine Nielsen

Message from the CEO

2019 was a great year for CSMLS. This year, we developed a special focus on what you, as members, truly want and need from us in order to be successful in every stage of your career. We listened to your questions, your concerns, your comments, your words of thanks. We conducted surveys to get your unfiltered opinion. We never stopped listening to you. Why? Because we are always changing to make sure we meet your needs.

Throughout the year, our actions were shaped by the desire to be your source for success. We transitioned to computer-based testing, helping students enter the workforce through a secure, leading-edge exam system. We created new resources, such as the Ethics on Demand Card Game and the Resource on Indigenous Health, to provide you with reliable information to guide your professional decisions. In Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and in lab tours across the country, we stepped in to hear your concerns and relay your message to policy makers when the future of your profession felt uncertain. CSMLS will continue to listen to your needs and work to meet them, but with the success of 2019, we are excited to evolve alongside our membership and the profession into the new decade.

Maria Klement

Message from the President

I had a wonderful year as the 2019 CSMLS President, and it was an honour to represent the thousands of medical laboratory professionals who make up our membership. What I might remember most about my time as President was the privilege of meeting so many of our members and people from the medical lab community across Canada and around the world.

Enjoying the sights and getting to know so many people in Fredericton, NB, during LABCON2019 and then while representing Canada at the IFBLS Chief Delegates meeting in Australia gave me a sense of camaraderie. I found it striking that the global medical lab community is facing a similar crisis in the human health resource shortage, and this only strengthened my desire to advocate for the profession. From speaking to Global News on Lobby Day to giving MP Elizabeth May a tour of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital lab, I was glad to share our message and advocate on behalf of members.

I am proud of our profession, and I will always be thankful for the opportunity to share the work we do. Of course, we could not do this work without members’ investment, and we are obliged to provide the best value for members’ financial contributions. I encourage you to download and review the financial summary you will find below.

Download the Financial Summary

CSMLS Mission: To advance the medical laboratory profession through certification, education and advocacy.

To stay true to our mission, we focus our efforts through these four values:

Integrity

Accountability

Respect

Commitment

Strategic Plan

Our four-pillared strategic plan guides the Board of Directors and staff to make decisions that align with the organization’s common goals. The four pillars help keep us focused on the best interests of members for the present and the future.

Empower medical laboratory professionals to succeed in a dynamic and challenging work environment.

Make CSMLS indispensable to our members at all stages of their careers.

Advocate for solutions within the health care system on behalf of the medical laboratory profession.

Be the acknowledged leader for certification in medical laboratory science across Canada.

2019 Board of Directors

Maria Klement

President

Lisette Vienneau

Past President

Nancy Bergeron

Vice President, Director

Joël Rivero

Director, AB, NT & NU

Patricia Verbeke

Director, MB & SK

Krista Urchenko

Director, ON

Kal Randhawa

Director, BC & YT

Lucie Alain

Director, QC

Greg Dobbin

Director, Atlantic

Danielle McLennan

Director, Bilingual

Year in Review

Public Awareness

Advocacy

Professional Development

Society News

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Public Awareness

• National Medical Laboratory Week took place April 21–27. This year, CSMLS launched the We Are Lab series, a set of videos and accompanying website to show not only the diversity of the lab and how each professional is part of patient care, but that medical laboratory professionals are skilled, compassionate and innovative. The videos had more than 129,000 views and the website had 4,342 visits.
• We continued our partnership with Canadian Blood Services and its national blood donation program, Partners for Life, with our Adopt-a-Donation Centre events held during Lab Week. These events allow members to spread awareness of the profession and its role in the donation process, letting donors know how med lab professionals ensure patient safety at every step. 2019 saw impressive figures, as 39 CSMLS members participated, 34 units of blood were collected and 17 new donors signed up.
• To provide the tools and resources med lab professionals can use to help raise awareness for the profession, the “Be a Lab Advocate” web page was added to the CSMLS web site. Resources such as the “In the Lab” video series and Jason Tetro’s 5Es of Science Communication are available to help members teach the public about the importance of the lab to patient care.

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Advocacy

• In response to the announcement by the Ontario provincial government to establish Ontario Health, a central health care agency, CSMLS released the “Statement Regarding Ontario Medical Laboratory Professionals.” CSMLS is committed to ensuring the lab community has a voice whenever health care policy decisions are being made.
• Board members and staff went to Ottawa for the annual Lobby Day and held 37 meetings, where we discussed initiatives to address the labour shortage of MLPs in Canada. CEO Christine Nielsen and President Maria Klement held a joint press conference on Parliament Hill. Global News did an in-person interview at a local lab with Maria Klement.
• Volunteers joined CSMLS to host a luncheon at Queen’s Park to educate Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament about the role and importance of the medical laboratory profession. Many MPPs stopped by, including Minister of Health Christine Elliott.
• President Maria Klement met with the BC Finance Committee to discuss the need for regulation in the province as well as governmental support to address the shortage of MLPs.
• Eight laboratory tours were hosted with MPs who participated in Lobby Day. From former Green Party leader Elizabeth May to Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, we initiated conversations about the value of the lab to patient care with some of the top federal decision-makers.
• In response to the cancellation of the Edmonton Hub Lab, CSMLS held an Open Forum in Edmonton and CEO Christine Nielsen and Joël Rivero, Director of Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, held a press conference, calling on the provincial government to invest in Alberta medical lab facilities. We continue to work with provincial stakeholders and government officials to help ensure the profession has a voice in changes to the province’s healthcare. The story received extensive media coverage in print, radio and live television.
• CSMLS conducted the survey “The State of Precarious Employment for Medical Laboratory Assistants in Canada,” finding that MLAs are experiencing a higher than average level of precarious employment compared to other health care professionals in Canada and establishing the need for clinical labs to review their hiring processes and increase stable and secure positions.
• CEO Christine Nielsen attended the National Liberal Caucus holiday party, emphasizing the importance of legislative support to the profession with members of the caucus and other attendees, as well as sharing a photo with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Professional Development

• In partnership with BD Canada, CSMLS hosted the 2nd annual Ontario Phlebotomy Symposium at the Michener Institute of Education at UHN. More than 100 people joined the symposium, learning about developments and best practices in the field of phlebotomy.
• LABCON2019 took place at the Fredericton Convention Centre in Fredericton, NB, where we welcomed 339 delegates, 74 exhibitors/vendors, and 49 speakers. The event also hosted 32 lab leaders as part of the Managers’ Intensive Program.
• CSMLS partnered with University of Alberta on a project to facilitate medical laboratory participation in the Choosing Wisely (CW) initiative. Working to compile CW Canada recommendations that relate to the lab, we are creating educational tools to help practitioners influence the use of the recommendations.
• The CJMLS readers survey was distributed to ensure our publication is valuable to members. Responses were overwhelmingly positive, with 97% agreeing that the journal keeps them up to date on the medical lab profession.
• Season 3 of the award-winning podcast The Objective Lens was released, with 10 new episodes on topics from gender diversity in the lab to working alone, to help keep members well informed of current lab issues and trends.
• Three live learning events were conducted across Canada:
  • Now What? Create the Right Career Opportunities for You
    Hamilton, ON – June 13
  • Syphilis Gone Wild!
    Winnipeg, MB – May 8
  • Transfusion Medicine: What Will the Future Bring Us?
    Vancouver, BC – May 9
• The new online resource “Resource on Indigenous Health” was launched in June, connecting members with tools and resources on Indigenous culture, health, terminology and statistics.
• The Mental Health Toolkit was expanded, adding resources on mental health for students and for educators.
• All four certification exams successfully implemented the new computer-based testing platform through one annual exam cycle. Our examination processes are now at the forefront of best practices for high-stake exams.
• MLT General and MLA practice tests were created and made available to exam candidates, after a pilot study demonstrated the benefit of a practice test to those challenging the general Medical Laboratory Technologist Exam.
• Adding to highly-requested ethics resources, CSMLS created the Ethics on Demand articles and Ethics on Demand Card Game to help members prepare for and navigate ethical dilemmas in the lab.
• To help members be successful in a changing profession, the following courses were updated:
  • Microanatomy 1
  • Microanatomy 2
  • Introduction to Platelet Structure and Function
  • Introduction to Immunohistochemistry: Principles and Overview

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Society News

• To better represent the changing membership, a new Board of Directors position was created and filled. The Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) Director is a new position that represents our MLA members across the country.
• The following members were appointed to the Board of Directors as elected by the membership:
  • Lynn Courteau – Director, Bilingual
  • Kim Alkalay – Director, Alberta, Northwest Territories & Nunavut
  • Greg Hardy – Director, Atlantic
  • Allie Shields – Director, MLA
• Joël Rivero was elected by members of the Board of Directors into the role of Vice President, with succession to President in 2021.
• With regulation being implemented across Canada, many provinces have secured right to title and/or right to scope, maintaining a registry of members online. To avoid confusion about CSMLS certification and membership status and regulatory body status, CSMLS membership voted in favour of a bylaw amendment to eliminate publication of the public roster and the removal of title designation from member cards.
• The following Position Statements were revised and released:
  • CSMLS Certification and Entry-Level Requirements for Medical Laboratory Assistants
  • CSMLS Certification and Entry-Level Requirements for Medical Laboratory Technologists
  • Medical Laboratory Professional Recruitment and Retention Strategies in Rural and Remote Communities
  • Patient Portals for Laboratory Based Health Information
  • Point of Care Testing
  • Quality Work Life Environments for Medical Laboratory Professionals
  • Social Media Use by Laboratory Professionals
  • The Use of Standards in the Medical Laboratory
  • Whistleblower
  • Accreditation of Medical Laboratories Science Education Programs
• Following a generous donation by Gaman J. Modi, recipient of the CSMLS Gold Medal in 2004 and distinguished fellow and honorary CSMLS member, a new award was established: the Gaman J. Modi Award of Excellence. The award aims to celebrate and recognize members who consistently demonstrate the 3Cs (commitment, competence and compassion). It was awarded to Curtis Martin and Roseanna Southcombe.
• CSMLS launched the diagnostic cytology technologist national survey to monitor employment concerns specific to the profession and determine potential evidence-informed steps to support cytologists in the future.
• A study on the impact of legalization of recreational cannabis on medical lab professionals found that labs and organizations took a passive approach in reacting to legalization, passing up a potential opportunity to promote the value of medical lab professionals as advocates, knowledge agents and contributors, especially during times of change amid the workforce shortage.

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Lab Tours

CSMLS Board members and staff completed another year of advocacy in the laboratory. Throughout the year, CSMLS continued its commitment to advocate for medical laboratory professionals by facilitating lab tours for Members of Parliament (MPs) in their local riding laboratories. Every year, we facilitate several lab tours to give MPs an in-depth look at the importance of the work done in the lab and its effect in health care.

These tours not only allow CSMLS to raise concerns about the present and future state of the profession, they also show government representatives the important work performed by our medical laboratory professionals and their indispensable role in Canada’s health care system.

MP Elizabeth May, Saanich Peninsula Hospital, Saanichton, BC

MP Erin O’Toole, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON

MP Mel Arnold, Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Vernon, BC

MP Wayne Long, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Oulton College, Moncton, NB

Senator Percy Downe, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown, PEI

MP Bev Shipley, Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital, Strathroy, ON

2019 Award Recipients

CSMLS is proud to offer many grants, scholarships and awards as a benefit to our members. These financial benefits are provided to help members continue their professional development, aid students in their education and recognize those who have shown excellence in the profession. Congratulations to all grant, scholarship, and awards recipients. Find the full list of 2019 recipients below.

Congratulations to all grants, scholarships and awards recipients.

Entire List of 2019 Recipients ×

2019 Award Recipients

AR Shearer Award

Kim Stephenson

Sheila Jean Moffat

BD QA Project Award (Sask Health)

Angela Mctaggart

BD Young Leader Award

Marie Curtis

EV Booth Award

Shelly Stevens

Founders Fund INT’L

Athena De Marco

Samira Ahmed

Founders Fund MLA

Ma. Catherine Ancheta

Founders Fund MLT

Brad Collignon	Marcene Campbell	Maria Roussakis
Prashant John	Vanessa Gray

Gaman J Modi Award

Curtis Martin

Roseanna Southcombe

Leadership Development Institute – CMART

Jordana Archer

Kendra Soukeroff

Sally Abou-Zeki

Lab Leader attended Fredericton LABCON

Christine Granley	Elijah Chan	Jessica Theriault
Julia Acker	Rachel Acil

Student Scholarship

Lauren Kapteyn

Kim Ahn Tran

World Medical Fund

Yu-Wei Roy Chen

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2019 CSMLS Volunteers & Key Contributors

We are thankful for those who generously contribute their time and expertise for the benefit of the medical laboratory profession. The Society’s existence and growth are built on the support of volunteers and contributors who willingly give to the profession.
 

Entire List of 2019 CSMLS Volunteers & Key Contributors ×

2019 CSMLS Volunteers & Key Contributors

Alexander Sio	Allison P. Belfall	Amanda D. VanSpronsen	Amanda M. Cocca
Anas A. Gharra	Andre Caron	Andrex Lee	Anna E. Haasen
Anne P. Rigg	Audrey Elaine Saxton	Bernard W. Hartung	Brad M. Hann
Brady Rose	Brendan O’Briend	Brian D. Timmons	Brittany P. Waring
Carolyn L. Hallett	Carolyn McCarville	Catherine Bodroghy	Catherine J. Fraser
Catherine Mary Swiderek	Chee-Yuen Meaney, ART	Chelsea E. Busby	Cheri Burant
Christopher J. Ward	Claire Cascadia Hilscher, ART	Colin Power	Conor A. Porter
Corey J. Murray	Danica Evering	Daniel Beriault	Danielle Legauard – White
Danielle N. McLennan	Danni Zhang	Darcy R. Gara	Dawn C. Trethewey
Deborah C. Bonderud	Denise J. Evanovitch	Donna O’Neill	Eileen Laura Reid
Elijah Chan	Elizabeth D. Officer	Enza Pascale	Evelyn Moreau
Fadila Kacimi	Felisa Rosenberg, ART	Frederick T.S. Wong	Glen M. Johnston
Greg Doiron	Gregory Dobbin	Gregory Hardy	Hansika Deepak
Heather Ann McMullen	Heather D. Kyle	Heather Mauthe	Helene M. Goulding
Holly Jones-Taggart	Irene R. Campo	Isaac Aliche	Ismaila T. Amusat
Ivan Aditya	Jana T. Cole	Janette Ohler	Jennifer L. McCulloch
Jennifer McPhee	Jennifer S. O’Leary	Jessica Lacasse	Jingwei Chen
Joanna Sin	Joël G. Rivero	Johane Arsenault	John E. Soltys
Josephine Schuurman	Joshua M. MacDonald	Joyce T. Forson	Judy Tran
Julia Acker	Kalwinder Randhawa	Kara L. Garnett	Karen Anne Moffat, FCSMLS(D)
Karen M. Matejka	Karen Moore	Katherene Ogbulafor	Katherine Chorneyko
Kathy Chun	Kelly Marie Foley	Kendra J. Soukeroff	Kenneth Wong
Kevin Joseph Barnes	Kim Alkalay	Kimberly E. Deydey, ART	Kimberly Lee Wheelans
Krista M. Patriquin	Krista Urchenko	Kristi Lew	Laurie L. Hart
Leslie Cameron	Linda R. Kappel	Lisa Marie Kendrick	Lisa R. Mantifel
Lisa Purdy	Lisette Vienneau	Lucia Del Carmen Cueva	Lucie Alain
Lydia Elizabeth Keczem	Lyne Nadeau	Lynn Courteau	Ma. Catherine Y. Ancheta
Manuel Giraldo	Marcela R. Navarro	Marcy S. Fournier	Maria A. Klement
Maria Roussakis	Marie-Lyse Arseneau	Mario J. Dumouchel	Marion R. McChesney
Mark Ballantyne	Mark Bernhardt	Mark James Hawkins	Marlene Rebizant
Mary Allison Shields	Mary Ann Golba-Bylhouwer, FCSMLS (Hon)	Meagan Homer	Melanie R. Couture
Melissa J. Walsh	Melissa S.M. Mikl	Melode Lou Banks	Michele L. Sykes
Myriam Lepine	Nancy Delaney	Nancy C. Lemelin	Nancy J. Bergeron, ART
Noelle Frances Cater	Patricia C. Longpre	Patricia L. Verbeke	Peter Bridge
Phillip P. Morehouse	Rajesh R. Ramoutar	Randi L. Hayes	Rania Elhalabi
Rebecca Ma	Roberta A. Martindale	Robin Thompson-McAvoy	Roger Boyle
Rose-Marie Miniou	Roxana C. Villatoro	Roxanne N. Suchan	Ruth Bresson
Ruth Creaghan	Samira A. Ahmed	Sana R. Chaudhry	Sandra L. Marontate
Sangeeth E R Rajkumar	Sara H. McAleer	Scott MacDonald	Serge-Pierre Tremblay
Shannon M. Korosec	Shannon Morris	Sharon Breau	Shawn Ingersoll
Sheila M. Woodcock, FCSMLS(D)	Sonia Daigle	Stephanie M. Eccles	Stephanie Taylor
Stephanie V. Fenech	Susan H. Findlater, ART	Susanne Marie Folco	Sydney Redpath
Tamara Chambers-Richards	Tanya Martin	Tara Hupaelo	Tarnnumjahan M. Sayed
Terence M. Litavec	Tricia Lynn VanDenakker, ART	Uchenna Nnadi	Vaishali V. Patel
Valentin Villatoro	Victoria E. Massey, ART	Vincenza Cinzia Pascale	Wendy R. Bryan
Wesley T. Nishi	William R. Younger	Wyman Mar	Xiaoquan Li
Yaroslav Sokolskyy	Yves Goudreau

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Donors to Grants, Scholarships and Awards

CSMLS is grateful for the generosity of the following supporters of the CSMLS Grants, Scholarships and Awards. Thanks to their financial contributions, we are able to continue to support our members’ professional and educational development.

Amanda VanSpronsen	Ashley Sullivan	Belva Raftopoulos	Benie Tagala Constantino	Brenda Soutar
Chelsea Kwasny	Chris Eric Bibby	Christine Nielsen	Dana Stark	Derek Winterton
Elias Kalouche	Eric Jansen	Frederick Wong	Gaylene Scott	Giandeep Khepar
Goldie Fagan	Jacqueline Anne Spain	Jahangir Abdi	Jason Noonan	Jennifer O’Leary
Jessalynn Martin	John Rogers	Judith Ann Pateman	Kristin Juenke	Laura Smy
Lina Sabbagh	Lisette Vienneau	Lynne Brushett	M.E. Johanne Lamarre	Malachi Cruz
Margot Beverly Newton	Mélanie McLean	Mhari Robertson	Michael Ashbee	Michael Waters
Mitchell Goldsack	Nancy Scott-Langille	Ossayed Al Awor	Patricia Rodgers	Paula Steeves
Ruth Farrow	Ryan Wilson	Shukri Hirsi	Susan Yvonne Childs	Suzanne Cormier
Sylvia Schmidt	Tarnnumjahan Sayed	Tatiana Sochirca	Wesley Nishi	Winnifred Donovan

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 a sample of where your voice was heard in 2019:

• Health Action Lobby (HEAL)
  OTTAWA, ON
• EQual Working Group– Competency ProfilesSubcommittee
  TELECONFERENCE
• Canadian Coalition for PublicHealth in the 21st Century
  TELECONFERENCE
• Ethics Workshops –Grand River Hospital &St. Mary’s Hospital
  KITCHENER, ON
• Accreditation Canada Technical Committee
  TELECONFERENCE
• 360° Communication Through Simulation– Touchstone Institute
  TELECONFERENCE
• Student Presentation – British ColumbiaInstitute of Technology
  BURNABY, BC
• Conference Board of Canada – Roundtable on Immigration
  VANCOUVER, BC
• Choosing Wisely Poster Presentation & Engaging the Nationin Our Health Human Resource Shortage Presentation–KnowledgeLab 2019, Clinical Laboratory ManagementAssociation
  GRAPEVINE, TEXAS
• Ethics Presentations – BD Symposium
  with BCSLSSURREY, BC; NANAIMO, BC
• Bridging Program Visit and Presentation – Michener Institute
  TORONTO, ON
• Student Presentation – University of Alberta
  WEBINAR
• Ethics Presentation – Eastern Ontario Regional LaboratoryAssociation
  OTTAWA, ON
• Health Action Lobby (HEAL)
  TELECONFERENCE
• Lobby Day
  OTTAWA, ON
• MPP Luncheon
  QUEEN’S PARK, ON
• Accreditation Canada Advisory Council
  TELECONFERENCE
• MLA Student Presentation – Oulton College,
  NBWEBINAR

• Presentation – Anderson College’s 4th Annual Scientific Day
  TORONTO, ON
• Student Presentation – Michener Institute of Education at UHN
  TORONTO, ON
• Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century (CCPH21)
  TELECONFERENCE
• Organizations for Health Action (HEAL)
  TELECONFERENCE
• CAP-ACP Council – Canadian Association of Pathologists(Association canadienne des pathologistes)
  NIAGARA FALLS, ON
• CSA Technical Standard Committee – Fumehoods
  NIAGARA FALLS, ON; TELECONFERENCE
• Student Presentations – Anderson College
  TORONTO, ON
• International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) Chief Delegates Meetings
  BRISBANE, AU
• Alberta: Open Forum
  EDMONTON, AB
• Accreditation Canada Technical CommitteeReport
  TELECONFERENCE
• Lab tour with MP Elizabeth May, Saanich Peninsula Hospital
  SAANICHTON, BC
• MLT program visit at Oulton College with Federal Minister of Health, Ginette Petitpas Taylor
  MONCTON, NB
• Meeting with NDP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA)
  EDMONTON, AB
• Meeting with Alberta Deputy Minister of Health
  EDMONTON, AB
• Quest Diagnostics presentation: Challenging Lab Utilization Practices with the Medical Laboratory Profession at the Forefront
  VIDEOCONFERENCE
• Fume Hood TSC Content Development Meeting
  TORONTO, ON

• Australian Institute of Medical Science Conference (AIMS) presentations: Generational Communication and Simulation in Canadian Medical Laboratory Science Education
  GOLD COAST, AU
• LabCANDx Stakeholder Meeting & Advocacy Training
  TORONTO, ON
• College of Medical Laboratory Professionals of Saskatchewan (CMLPSK) Fall Conference presentation: Professionalism and Social Media
  REGINA, SK
• Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) AGM
  OTTAWA, ON
• Simulation Canada (Sim-One) AGM
  TELECONFERENCE
• Mental Health for All (MH4A) Conference poster: CSMLS Mental Health Toolkit
  TORONTO, ON
• Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) presentation: HHR Call to Action
  VICTORIA, BC
• OPTMQ Provincial Meeting
  DRUMMONDVILLE, QC
• British Columbia Society of Laboratory Science (BCSLS) Congress presentations: Code of Ethics and HHR Call to Action – 18 Months Later
  NEW WESTMINSTER, BC
• Anderson College Program Advisory Committee Meeting presentation: HHR Call to Action
  TORONTO, ON
• Canadian Phlebotomy Technicians Group Inc.
  TELECONFERENCE
• Nova Scotia College of Medical Laboratory Technologists (NSCMLT) Education Day
  DARTMOUTH, NS
• Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) presentation: Adventure in Mentoring: Learn from our failure
  VANCOUVER, BC
• Newfoundland and Labrador Society for Medical Laboratory Science (NLSMLS) 2019 Fall Symposium
  ST. JOHN’S, NL

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