Seventy percent of medical decisions depend on laboratory results. And yet, pathologists and medical laboratory professionals received very little press coverage prior to the pandemic. Now that our work has been recognized, what can we do to keep that ball rolling? How can we expand Medical Laboratory Professionals Week beyond the walls of the lab and inspire our communities to celebrate with us? 

On this episode of Inside the Lab, our hosts Dr. Lotte Mulder and Ms. Kelly Swails are joined by Ms. Theresa Tellier-Castellone, EdD, MPH, MLS(ASCP)CM, Program Director at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, Dr. Melanie Johncilla, MD, Consultant Pathologist at Port of Spain General Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago and Medical Director at Global Pathology Solutions, and Mr. Aaron K. Odegard, MS, MLS(ASCP)CMSMCM, Medical Laboratory Technologist at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida, and Chair of the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals, to discuss their plans for Medical Laboratory Professionals Week and the importance of celebrating the lab. 

Our panelists share how they recognize Lab Week outside the lab, offering insight how to engage the rest of the hospital staff and even the general public to celebrate with us. They weigh in on the psychological benefit of celebrating the work we do and describe how we might take advantage of the lab’s visibility during COVID to elevate Lab Week this year. Listen in for Ms. Tellier-Castellone, Dr. Johncilla, and Mr. Odegard’s favorite Lab Week memories and get their top ideas for celebrating our role as medical laboratory professionals and pathologists. 

Topics Covered  

· Our panelists’ favorite Medical Laboratory Professionals Week games and activities
· The challenges celebrating Lab Week in a resource-restricted setting
· What to do to have Lab Week recognized outside the lab
· How we might take advantage of the lab’s visibility during COVID to elevate Lab Week this year and invite the rest of the hospital staff to celebrate with us
· The psychological benefit of celebrating the work we do as medical laboratory professionals

Connect with ASCP 

ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Ms. Theresa Tellier-Castellone

Ms. Tellier-Castellone on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Johncilla

Dr. Johncilla on LinkedIn
Global Pathology Solutions 

Connect with Mr. Odegard 

Mr. Odegard on Twitter
Mr. Odegard on LinkedIn 

Connect with Ms. Swails & Dr. Mulder 

Ms. Swails on Twitter
Dr. Mulder on Twitter 

Resources 

ASCP Resources for Celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
ASCLS Resources for Celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store