Collaborations Shape Our Future

Currently, I am an Associate Professor in the Medical Laboratory Science program at the University of Alberta. For much of my time, I’m fortunate to teach and be inspired by the next generation of MLTs. I’m also lucky to be able to pursue my research interests, which always involve my favourite topic: the med lab profession. Way back when, I spent about three wonderful years on the bench in histology, core lab and blood bank. But, lest I be completely described by my job, I’m also a gardener, a traveller and a volunteer. My artisan sourdough isn’t quite consistent enough to call myself an amateur baker, but maybe one day I’ll have the confidence to!

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I’m helping to organize a very exciting project right now. We are exploring how the medical laboratory profession can be engaged in initiatives that address inappropriate use of healthcare resources. For example, how can we support better ordering practices for laboratory tests? We colloquially refer to it as the Choosing Wisely Canada project because one of our main goals is to develop a profession-specific list, but there are other arms to the overall work. One of the most enjoyable parts of this project is chairing an Expert Panel of dedicated MLTs and MLAs from across the country—the ideas they bring forth are truly inspiring

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

I can’t express strongly enough how meaningful it has been to work with the CSMLS. This project would be very diminished without their support. Working with the CSMLS has allowed this project to operate on a much larger scale, which translates in to a wider reach, more applicable results and a greater chance that positive change will happen, which is the wildest dream of any researcher! The CSMLS is so invested in our profession, and it shows in the way they are dedicated to building capacity in their membership. I also must give a special shout-out to Laura Z, who I have had the most direct contact with. She is endlessly generous with her time and research expertise.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

It’s an interesting time to be in the med lab profession and healthcare in general. Awareness is building about the rates that patients get harmed rather than helped, which of course none of us want to see. While the issue is massively complex, at least part of the problem is the prevalence of unnecessary tests, and another part of the problem is the lack of interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare. This points to an important opportunity to highlight the contributions that the med lab profession can make on both of these fronts. I believe that the timing is right for us to assert the value that our profession can add to the important work of keeping our patients safe. Our project is going to help us understand different ways that we can support this effort.

I was born in Syria and grew up in the United Arab Emirates. I started my MLT journey graduating in the US and working for a few years in Alabama before moving back to the Middle East. I have worked in multiple leadership roles in hospital laboratories and the medical software industry. I am fortunate to have lived and worked in multiple cities and visited numerous countries across the globe for business and leisure.

I am an avid weight lifter and a proud husband and father to a beautiful daughter and son. We migrated to Canada in 2013, where we opened a new chapter starting our new comer journey in Ottawa before relocating to Northwest Alberta, where I worked managing small hospital laboratories across rural communities. We are currently living in beautiful Cornwall, Ontario, where I work as a Laboratory Manager with the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA).

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I am proud to represent EORLA, working with CSMLS as an advisory committee member on the diversity project. We are working on improving opportunities for internationally educated MLTs to integrate into the job market. The project started with a review of an environmental scan of existing diversity tools and we are currently reviewing results from focus groups aimed towards the evaluation and review of different resources that can be made available to the MLT community. It is a very exciting project especially considering the nationwide MLT shortages.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

As a hiring manager, partnering with CSMLS is important to find solutions to ongoing recruitment challenges, considering the shortages in qualified MLTs. All stakeholders need to work together towards addressing those challenges and coming up with feasible solutions.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

The CSMLS Diversity Project and other collaborative initiatives are crucial to address a nationwide problem with the supply and demand of qualified MLTs. Stakeholders from laboratories, certification bodies, provincial regulatory bodies and educational institutions need to work together on finding innovative solutions with a large percentage of MLTs reaching retirement age in the near future.

My name is Brendan O’Brien, and I am a cytotechnologist working with Eastern Health in St. John’s, NL. Since completing a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Dalhousie University in 2016, I’ve had a keen interest in the medical laboratory sciences and health research. My main area of interest lies within cancer screening. During my time at Dalhousie University, I completed research studies assessing ovarian cancer screening modalities as well as breast cancer risk-reducing surgeries in women with genetic mutations for BRCA 1 and 2. At my current place of work with Eastern Health, I’ve completed research projects assessing gynecological screening and lung biopsy procedures. In addition to these projects, I am also currently assisting in facilitating a Critical Research and Appraisal course at Dalhousie University.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

As a member of the CSMLS, I have had the opportunity to get involved with various projects, serving on the Exam Panel for Diagnostic Cytology, participating on a national graduate panel regarding clinical placement and education and being a member of the Accreditation Taskforce for medical laboratory programs in Canada. I have also partnered with the CSMLS on various research initiatives exploring simulation in medical laboratory education and recently investigating the changing climate of the cytology profession and resource shortages facing laboratories across Canada.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

The CSMLS has supported me in facilitating projects that are personally interesting to me. By engaging with other members, graduates, students, education institutions and stakeholders, we are able to look to the future of the medical laboratory profession. Taking part in these various initiatives enables me to give back to my profession and aid in the evolution and improvement of the medical laboratory sciences.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

In working with the CSMLS, it is my aim to influence positive change within the medical laboratory sciences. Through evaluating current needs and trends in the workforce, investigating simulated learning and working diligently to focus the national exam, we are better able to make improvements in areas like clinical education. It is my hope to continue to work with the CSMLS on various projects to benefit the medical laboratory community as the scope of our profession proceeds to evolve.

My name is Christine Bruce. I have been an evolving senior leader in the Canadian medical laboratory and diagnostics services industry for just over 20 years in both the private and public sector.

Today I am the administrative director for pathology and laboratory medicine at the Grand River and St. Mary’s General Hospitals in Kitchener.

I have committed my career to improving patient care by deeply investing in health care workers, and creating great places to work, so that those workers can influence a great patient experience.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I am partnered with CSMLS as a representative for Grand River and St. Mary’s General Hospitals in Kitchener.

I am on the committee that has committed to develop two to three diversity products aimed at meeting the specific needs of MLT workplaces in Ontario. Diversity products in this context may take a variety of forms and include instructional videos, certifications courses, workshop curriculum, tip sheets and human resources checklists.

My role is to participate and collaborate with the other committee members on desired solutions and to support guiding the tools being developed as a key stakeholder and user of the products in my workplace.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

This partnership is important to me and my organization as CSMLS is what I consider to be the key opinion leader for laboratory medicine in Canada. I reference the Society often to be certain I am providing the best guidance for my program in my organization and to gain insight for future planning. It is important to me to be at the table and participate in decision making, and so this partnership is a great platform to reinforce that.

How will your project(S) help the medical laboratory profession?

As the shortage of health human resources loom in lab medicine, I feel that integrating foreign-trained resources into the workplace has become paramount to our sector’s success. This project is vital to both employers and future employees to have a great place to work and to maintain a healthy, thriving workforce.

Hi, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read my short profile. My name is Jingwei Chen, and I keep telling people I’m a new med lab grad, but do you really count as new if you’ve been working for a year now? Let’s compromise on newish. So I’m a newish grad, a shameless morning person and a CSMLS volunteer.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I am a proud graduate of the Michener Institute, and its outstanding faculty has always encouraged students to become involved in med lab efforts and organizations. Sometimes you get lucky and an opportunity is posted online, but in my experience, the best thing to do is to take the initiative, reach out yourself and ask if you can help with anything. That is exactly what I did. The first project I helped with is exploring the various changes and strategies that academic programs are piloting to ensure sufficient clinical training in a time of looming medical laboratory personnel shortage. And as you can see, I am also involved in another project as the coordinator (and guinea pig) for this series of CSMLS Volunteer and Partner Highlights.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

Volunteering for CSMLS is my way of supporting our profession. It’s a small contribution to be sure, but I find the time and effort I spend to be personally enriching and meaningful.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

Broadly speaking, I hope my projects make a positive impact on our profession, respectively by sharing knowledge and by recognizing remarkable people. I also not-so-secretly hope that my profile will inspire current and aspiring medical laboratory professionals to get interested and involved beyond pure benchwork!

I have been fortunate to have a career that I have always been passionate about and it has always included medical laboratory technology in one way or another. After graduation, I was fortunate to get a position at Hamilton General Hospital, working primarily in clinical chemistry with involvement in clinical student training. It was this interest in students that led me to take a leap from my full-time technologist position to a temporary position in the Mohawk College med lab program. That position changed and instead of a temporary stay, I remained at Mohawk until my retirement. However, my career was anything but static. The med lab program closed at Mohawk, but I was able to connect with my med lab roots by moving to continuing education. It was in this final position that I was able to have the amazing experience of working with a fantastic team to design and deliver Mohawk’s Bridging Program for Medical Laboratory Technology. It was humbling to help internationally educated technologists achieve their goals of certification in Canada. The continuing education role also allowed me to work with medical laboratory technicians and gain better insight into their needs and perspectives. I feel very fortunate to have been part of this profession and to have had so many rich experiences.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

While working in continuing education, I enjoyed an ongoing collaboration with CSMLS. CSMLS supported our programs by coming to speak to our students to offer advice and information on topics related to certification and exam preparation. I turned to them for guidance to ensure that education requirements were being met for internationally educated medical laboratory technologists. I consulted with them in regards to certification for medical laboratory technicians. I also volunteered on several CSMLS advisory committees that were involved with projects relating primarily to internationally educated technologists.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

I continue to serve on advisory committees with CSMLS that are primarily related to internationally educated medical laboratory technologists. I value being part of these committees since it still gives me an opportunity to work with other professionals in the field. This allows me to stay active in my profession and provides me opportunities to learn and grow.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

I feel that my personal and professional experiences can provide insight to the advisory committees that I am part of. These advisory committees, in turn, try to provide support for projects that try to find solutions to challenges faced by medical laboratory technologists from outside of Canada.

My name is Tamara Chambers-Richards, and I currently work as Academic Chair of Medical Diagnostics at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. I am an MLT with a passion for advancing the visibility of my profession as an important partner of health care teams. This has led me along many paths, one of which is being a researcher and lifelong learner.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I am currently partnering with CSMLS as a researcher at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Our most recent partnership is submitting a joint application for an Aboriginal Language Grant. This would be an exciting opportunity to curate and translate laboratory testing content to three common Indigenous languages, allowing for engagement with and empowerment of Indigenous groups toward health care stewardship.

The CSMLS also participated in a recently concluded research project that evaluated experience of internationally educated MLTs and methods for bridging gaps for employment to meet MLT shortages in Saskatchewan.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

Partnering with CSMLS is important to me as we share a common purpose. I believe that my own purpose as an educational leader matches that of CSMLS – to “promote and maintain a nationally accepted standard of medical laboratory technology by which other health professionals and the public are assured of effective and economical laboratory services, and to promote, maintain and protect the professional identity and interests of the medical laboratory professional and of the profession.” Our partnership is mutually beneficial as together we can reach the common objective of ensuring that laboratory professionals of the highest caliber are part of a viable and engaged health system.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

Partnering with CSMLS on health services research is important as this provides valid information for program and systems planning, ultimately meeting a profound need for a diversified, expanded pool of qualified MLTs to fill employment shortages. Additionally, our partnership is beneficial as it provides an avenue for research mentorship for upcoming laboratory technologists and their educators.

I have been involved in education for more than 20 years as an educator, a practicacoordinator and, currently, as a manager of allied health programs at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. My passion for education led me to completing my Masters in Education. I enjoy meeting people through volunteering on provincial or national committees. In my spare time, I enjoy photography, curling and traveling with my husband.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

My background as a practicacoordinator and a chair for a research ethics boardled me to participating in CSMLS initiatives and discussions on education, research projects, accreditation and simulation. I am a participant on the CSMLS Educator Committee, and I enjoy working with a diverse group of educators across Canada in looking for ways to improve education, competency profiles or using simulation.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

Working with CSMLS allows for sharing of ideas on research, preceptor education or simulation. This is an amazing way to hear how others across Canada are managing challenges faced in education for medical laboratory assistant and technology professions. Working with others who have a passion for improving education is very rewarding, and CSMLS is offering a venue for discussions, webinars and groups to get together.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

I believe in volunteering and participating in making changes through collaboration. The more involvement we have from across Canada from representatives from the lab profession, such as educators, students, employers and professionals,the more we will make the learning environment better and, ultimately, a more successful graduate and professional. We are currently sharing best practices on how to support preceptors through education or uses of simulation in education as an effective learning environment.

Hi. I am a general MLT who has been working in the profession for over 15 years. I love to read, learn new things (currently doing my degree) and spend time with my niece.

What is your involvement with the CSMLS Research and Special Initiatives Department?

I have been given many opportunities to volunteer with the CSMLS over the years but am currently on the Exam Panel, Scientific & Education Review Committee, Angoff, item writing and, most recently, as part of the diversity project and Choosing Wisely Canada.

Why do you value your partnership and project(s) with CSMLS?

CSMLS continues to be the leader and voice of lab professionals in Canada and a valued presence worldwide.

How will your project(s) help the medical laboratory profession?

The diversity project is working to provide educational opportunities to enhance our relationships and provide great foundations with those professionals that have originally trained outside of Canada.

The Choosing Wisely project is working to provide resources and recommendations to improve patient safety while ensuring that the testing provided allows for treatment and diagnosis.