Hill Participates in Program to Train Lab Managers in Africa
Brad Hill, MD, a founding member of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association’s (CLMA) centennial chapter in Colorado, traveled to Zimbabwe in April as part of a mission arranged by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to design and deliver management training for lab managers in the AIDS-ravaged country. The mission was part of the CDC’s Global AIDS Program (GAP), which recently received a $15 billion grant from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Yvette Benjamin, director of global health for APHL, says the organization is looking to continue the program, and urges all interested CLMA members to contact APHL for possible involvement in future projects of this kind.

Isensix Names New CEO
Isensix Inc, provider of wireless health care monitoring systems for medical facilities, clinical laboratories, and blood banks, recently announced that Doug Berg has been named chief executive officer.

“Doug brings significant health care experience and a strong track record to Isensix,” says William Son, Isensix’s chairman and cofounder. “Together, we will continue to enhance safety and quality of care with the best solutions possible.”

Berg has more than 25 years of experience in the clinical diagnostics and reference laboratory industry. His career has included a number of P&L general management positions, including responsibilities in sales, marketing, manufacturing, R&D, business development, and the international arena. Prior to joining Isensix, Berg was an adviser to the Healthcare and Life Sciences Group of One Equity Partners. Before that, he held various executive management positions at Quest Diagnostics, Dade Behring, Baxter International, and American Hospital Supply Corp.

Ireland Joins Opus Healthcare Solutions Inc
Rose Ireland, former vice president for clinical and regulatory services for the Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, was recently appointed area vice president for long-term care by Opus Healthcare Solutions, a Web-based clinical software company headquartered in Austin, Tex. Ireland has more than 30 years of experience in long term care (LTC) nursing.

“We are extremely pleased to have someone with Rose’s industry background and stature join our company,” says Tim Rhoads, CEO of Opus Healthcare Solutions. “We intend to become the leader in LTC clinical documentation, and Rose will be very instrumental in helping us achieve that goal. It is rare to find someone with her provider, regulatory, and advocacy background.”

The OpusClinicalSuite includes clinical documentation, order management, clinical data repository, physician Web access, laboratory data management, and anatomic pathology management.

Ward-Cook Leaves ASCP to Become CEO of NCCAOM
After serving for more than 5 years as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Registry executive director and 3 years as senior vice president of ASCP, Kory Ward-Cook, PhD, MT(ASCP), CAE, has accepted the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s (NCCAOM) offer to become its new CEO.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Dr Ward-Cook to apply her talents to a growing and increasingly important field of health,” says ASCP’s Executive Vice President John Ball, MD, JD. “We will miss her keen intellect, boundless energy, and focused leadership.”

A search committee has been formed and a position description will be posted. Until a successor is named, Geraldine Piskorski, MBA, will serve as interim executive director, ASCP Board of Registry.

Cytomedix CEO Named One of Top 25 Medical Device Industry Pioneers
Cytomedix CEO Kshitij Mohan, PhD, was named one of 25 pioneers in the medical device industry by Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. He was profiled, along with the other pioneers, in the August 2004 issue of the publication.

Cytomedix Inc is a biotechnology company specializing in processes and products derived from autologous platelet releasates.

CLMA and Bayer Diagnostics Announce Scholarship Winners
The Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) and Bayer Diagnostics teamed up for the third time to offer scholarships to the Executive Management Program at the University of Notre Dame last month. Designed to provide diagnostic health care professionals with a core base of business skills, this 5-day “mini-master’s” program offers a curriculum that includes strategic planning, leadership, managing organizational change, finance, marketing, cost management, and managing performance. The scholarship includes tuition, lodging, and meals.

This year’s scholarship winners are:

Dianna Biggs, director, Laboratory and Blood Bank Services, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Tyler, Tex
Linda Cavitt, director of Laboratory Services, Murray-Calloway County Hospital, Murray, Ky
Ed Dunlow, LIS operations manager, Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, NC
Patty Eschliman, laboratory manager, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, Neb
Deborah Ford, site manager, Bon Secours Richmond Health Partners Laboratories, MRMC Lab, Mechanicsville, Va
Yolanda “Becky” Gill, lab director, Memorial Hermann Fort Bend, Missouri City, Tex
Jacquelyn Kester, operations manager, Methodist Hospital Pathology Center, Omaha, Neb
Erica Klein, laboratory operations manager, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, Calif
Suba Krishnan, quality manager, Laboratory Medicine, The Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Kathleen Leibenguth, administrative director, ViaHealth System Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY
Colleen Lindvig, chief technologist, Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Glasgow, Mont
Robert Litchfield, lab manager/administrator, Mountain Valley Medical Clinic, Londonderry, Vt
Andrew Lyon, division head, Clinical Biochemistry, Calgary Laboratory Services & University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
David Morrison, administrative director, Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Lisa Muha, regional manager, Carondelet Health (St. Joseph Health Center and St. Mary’s Hospital), Overland Park, Kan
Lynn Onesty, technical services manager, Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, Va
Barry Osicka, laboratory manager, Riverside Medical Center, Waupaca, Wis
Nina Piwtorak, laboratory manager, Starke Memorial Hospital, Knox, Ind
Amanda Poole, program and meetings coordinator, CLMA, Wayne, Pa
Deborah Reynolds, manager of anatomic pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va
Barbara Sacco, manager, Clinical Immunology Lab, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Mass
Angie Sales, director of laboratory services, Delano Regional Medical Center, Delano, Calif
John-Paul Tzountzouris, supervisor, Genetic and Molecular Diagnostics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Kathy Walker, clinical laboratory manager, North Big Horn Hospital, Lovell, Wy
Leanne Wheeler, laboratory director, UW Medical Foundation, Madison, Wis