From Singapore and Macon, Georgia to La Plata, Argentina and Livermore, California, AACC members share common sentiments about what drew them to the association and why they continue as members.
“As a practicing clinical chemist, AACC is my main professional resource that gives me access to connections, journals, publications, education material, and the Artery,” said Sami Albeiroti, PhD, DABCC, director of clinical chemistry at Sutter Health Shared Laboratory in Livermore.
Albeiroti joined the association in 2011 as a doctoral student seeking “early exposure to the fields of clinical chemistry and lab medicine.” He dove right in, not only accessing AACC journals and educational materials but also presenting his research at Annual Scientific Meetings. Albeiroti also was game to serve on the 2018 CLN Daily editorial board, covering scientific sessions for the official publication of the Annual Scientific Meeting. He looks forward to the moments at AACC Annual Scientific Meetings “when I learn something new that I know I can take back and apply in my lab.”
Albeiroti is not alone in viewing AACC as a cornerstone for professional advancement and collaboration. Anne Bendt, PhD, associate director and principal investigator with Singapore Lipidomics Incubator at the National University of Singapore joined AACC in 2016 “to meet the relevant professionals and speed up learning” as her scientific interests centered on translating research and development findings into clinical applications.
If the opportunity to network—both virtually via AACC Artery and in person at the Annual Scientific Meeting—is the most valuable aspect of her AACC membership, she also underscores the knowledge she’s gained as a member. “Through the Annual Scientific Meeting Roundtable sessions we have access, nearly one-on-one, to brilliant experts in their field,” she noted.
Like Bendt, AACC membership also has opened networking opportunities for Emily Ryan, PhD, DABCC, an 8-year AACC member who serves as clinical lab scientific leader at The Medical Center, Navicent Health in Macon. “My favorite AACC moment is every time I can get ahold of a colleague on the phone to discuss a current issue and realize it isn't just me alone doing this job, there are people all over (feeling as alone as I) doing the same things and trying to solve similar problems,” she said.
She finds the full range of AACC content “essential” for her job.
The association’s content and networking opportunities also drew Liliana Agostino, BSc, MSc, a biochemist at Laboratorio D'Agostino-Bruno in LaPlata. “I realized that becoming an AACC member would allow me to stay up-to-date in laboratory medicine. I also like very much all the educational resources that AACC offers,” she observed.
An AACC member since 2014 when she first attended the Annual Scientific Meeting, Agostino travels the long distance from her home to make these meetings each year because of the memorable content and connections she finds there. Recalling one symposium dealing with infectious diseases, she noted, "It was very well organized, with participants in different roundtables interacting with each other and discussing the conclusions from the coordinators.”
Connections, knowledge, relevant content. AACC’s international recipe for professional success.