Off the Bench

This month, hosts Sophia Chandrasekar and Justin Hanenberg talk about microbiology and home brewing with Neva Parker from White Labs , a biotechnology company that provides liquid yeast cultures, analytical services, and consulting for the fermented beverage industry. Neva started at White Labs in 2003 as a lab technician and now serves as Director of Operations.

Host Sophia Chandrasekar talks with Clinical Laboratory Science Student Gabbi Frimpong and Assistant Professor Lisa Cremeans, both at the the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, about how COVID has affected the m edical laboratory science education system.

Host Galina Dronova sits down with Patrek Lundstrom, Leadership Development Specialist, for a discussion on how to develop your personal leadership philosophy and helpful advice on how to successfully take on leadership roles. Patrek currently works for the U.S. government and has held leadership positions for over 10 years at various organizations. His area of expertise is in emotional intelligen...

Sit down for an inspiring conversation with Elissa Passiment, EdM, MT(ASCP), about the general history of the m edical laboratory science profession, the role of ASCLS in making positive change, and why medical laboratory professionals are so important to quality patient care.

In this Part 2 of First Lab Interviews, Sophia Chandrasekar, Galina Dronova, and Justin Hanenberg give tips and tricks on what to do during and after the interview, with story time—including an actual job interview answer that involves telling a man to take lingerie out of his pants! Disclaimer: Based off of some feedback from First Lab Interviews - Part 1, while the hosts may have used the terms,...

In this first of two podcasts, Galina, Justin, and Sophia talk about their first laboratory job interviews. The three hosts discuss some basic interview prep and tips, the need for perseverance through the first several interviews, the importance of trying to find a place that is a good fit for you, and how it all goes back to, "What do you want in your job?"

In this episode Kyle McCafferty, a medical laboratory scientist in Detroit, Michigan, speaks with Dr. Rodney E. Rohde, chair of the Texas State University Clinical Laboratory Science Program and Specialist in Virology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, about COVID-19, specifically monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and the medical laboratory profession. The episode is available for P.A.C.E.® credi...

In this episode, Galina Dronova talks with Dr. John McClure, a pathologist in Minneapolis, Minnesota, about Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), the lab testing necessary to identify AML, and where a medical technologist fits in the process. The episode is available for P.A.C.E.® credit; visit  www.ascls.org/offthebench  to learn more.

This special minisode of Off the Bench features hosts Sophia Chandrasekar, Galina Dronova, and Justin Hanenberg with ASCLS President Maddie Josephs. They discuss the past "crazy, awesome week for ASCLS" that included three new events: PRISM: Pride · Respect · Inclusion · Support · Momentum; the Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2); and a Mid-Year House of Delegates Meeting...

One major driving force to viral spillover from wildlife to humans is human behavior. On this episode Jasmine Pante, MT(ASCP), of Monterey County, California, interviews Dr. Tracey Goldstein, PhD, of One Health Institute Laboratory at University of California-Davis, about emerging zoonotic diseases on a global scale and the One Health approach to prevent future outbreaks. The episode is available...

This episode focuses on the medical laboratory’s role in addressing gaps in healthcare quality for transgender patients. Romi Selzer, of Henry Ford Hospital Blood Bank in Detroit, interviews Dr. Gabrielle Winston-McPherson, associate director of chemistry, who oversees the core automation laboratory at Henry Ford Hospital. 

Legislative awareness is important for laboratory professionals because what happens in legislation can affect our daily lives. Join ASCLS Leadership Academy graduates Billie Ketelsen, MLS(ASCP)CMMB(ASCP)CM, and Stephanie Noblit, JD, MLS(ASCP)CM, as they discuss two legislative efforts currently impacting laboratories, PAMA and the Laboratory Workforce Shortage. The episode is available for P.A.C....

This month's episode of the Off the Bench Podcast is a recalibration episode produced by several of the ASCLS Leadership Academy Class of 2020 students: Jasmine Pante, Romy Selzer, and Sophia Chandrasekar. Join them as they watch, react, and dissect scenes from three popular medical television shows. Watch the show clips they reference.

Hosts Galina Dronova, Justin Haneneberg, and Sophia Chandrasekar talk with guest speaker, Cliff Cymrot, about various COVID-19 conspiracy theories that Galina stumbled upon on social media that involve laboratory testing. Join us as we process and recalibrate these ideas with discussion of laboratory science and methodologies.

Sam and Lindsey interview Beth Warning, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, instructor with the University of Cincinnati-College of Allied Health Sciences, about the importance of sharing knowledge and succession planning in the laboratory. As more technologists begin to retire, or move on to other opportunities, they take with them a wealth of knowledge of laboratory procedures and organizational history. How can w...

To kick off Medical Laboratory Professionals Week 2019 (April 21-27), Sam and Lindsey discuss the origin of Lab Week, ideas to celebrate, and where to find resources. Happy Lab Week and enjoy the bonus episode!

Hear about the educational journey of active ASCLS member Kyle Riding, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida.

Lindsey and Sam explain waived tests, which are test systems cleared by the FDA for home use and those tests designated by CLIA as simple tests that carry a low risk for an incorrect result. They also discuss a new CLIA-waived automated hematology analyzer and impacts on the clinical laboratory profession.

Hosts Samantha Treutel and Lindsey Davenport-Landry discuss plans for the 2019 Lab Week Run (April 21-27) and why you should sign up now.