Clinical Laboratory Science program honored at national meeting

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
August 8, 2011

The Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) Program at Texas State University-San Marcos was honored during the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) in Atlanta, Ga.

Texas State was recognized for a variety of national and state involvement at various levels, including the number of students brought to the meeting and participation at the student and new professional/alumni level. The following awards/elections were recognized:

  • Jasmin Davis was elected National Student Forum Chair for the 2011-12 year. She is the first Texas State student elected to this position.
  • Stephen Garcia (current Texas Student Forum Chair), Jacella McKenzie, Associate Professor Rodney E. Rohde, and Assistant Professor Tom Patterson presented a peer-reviewed poster entitled, “Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): A Study of the Prevalence and Risk of MRSA found on Exercise Equipment in an Athletic Facility in Texas.” The poster was entered in the Undergraduate Student category.
  • McKenzie was awarded one of only five Beckman Coulter Student Travel Grants that were competitive at the national level.
  • Stephanie Snow and Rohde were recognized with the ASCLS Keys to the Future for outstanding national and state service to the profession.
  • Joanna Ellis (president-elect of Texas Association CLS) was awarded the sole ASCLS Education and Research Fund, Inc. Graduate Scholarship (nationally competitive).
  • Rohde presented an invited round table topic entitled “MRSA: Knowledge, Learning, and Adaptation.” The work was supported with an ASCLS Research Grant in 2010.
  • Rohde was elected as vice chair for the ASCLS Microbiology Scientific Assembly for the 2011-2012 term that will transition to chair in 2012-13. He was a moderator and also reappointed to the Continuing Education Advisory Committee for the 2012 ASCLS Annual Conference in Los Angeles, Calif.

The conference, held the final week of July at the CNN Omni and Georgia World Congress Center. The conference was attended by laboratory professionals, educators, clinical researchers, public health personnel, epidemiologists and healthcare industry experts for a focused program on “best practices” and continuing education for all.

For more information about the Texas State CLS program, visit www.health.txstate.edu/cls/.