CLN Daily 2024
Behind the success of ADLM 2024 (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo) is the hard work of the ADLM Annual Meeting Organizing Committee (AMOC). Comprised of 12 volunteer experts, AMOC works diligently to make each year’s meeting a must-attend education and networking event. The committee oversees the planning, development, and ultimate delivery of a timely and engaging scientific program that serves the diverse community of laboratory medicine professionals.
We spoke to Mark Marzinke, PhD, DABCC, FADLM, AMOC Chair and professor of pathology and medicine at Johns Hopkins University, for his perspective on the upcoming 2024 event, and why it is a must attend this year.
What are you looking forward to most about ADLM 2024?
It’s really going to highlight the breadth of clinical laboratory medicine in multiple facets and is inclusive of really understanding practical approaches to the provision of care via clinical laboratory medicine. I’m also really excited to get a better understanding of what’s cutting edge and will impact our field in the 5-10 years to come.
How have changes in laboratory medicine affected the content of the meeting?
There have been a number of changes in our field that have impacted laboratory medicine, and you’ll see that reflected in the meeting in three main ways: greater intersection between laboratory medicine disciplines; integration of automation into the clinical microbiology space; and the increased leveraging and utilization of data analytics, including large language model artificial intelligence (AI) and data visualization.
Another topic will be how the clinical laboratory community can respond to the evolving landscape of laboratory developed tests, particularly in light of the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final ruling that will go into effect in May 2027.
What about medicine and science right now makes it critical that people collaborate at this kind of meeting?
One of the strengths of ADLM 2024 is that it’s really a melting pot, of not just laboratory science, but also the application of science in the delivery of healthcare. This is happening in a place where there’s an international audience interfacing between laboratorians, clinicians, and providers.
Was there something specific you wanted to achieve for ADLM 2024 as chair of the AMOC?
This is a shift for us. We celebrated our 75th anniversary as AACC last year, and this is the first conference under our new name, ADLM. As such, this scientific meeting really does need to reflect the landscape of laboratory medicine. When coming up with the scientific program, we wanted to ensure that there were topics and science that are practical, and that are translational and forward thinking. Our slogan for this conference is “bold move.” A bold move is not just in the renaming of our organization. A bold move reflects the trajectory of the profession and the role of clinical laboratorians when it comes to delivering high-quality healthcare.
What else can attendees expect from ADLM 2024?
Historically, the annual scientific meeting is a way to connect with colleagues. It’s also a way to leverage the latest and greatest technology at our clinical laboratory exposition, which is the largest in the northern hemisphere. ADLM 2024 paves a way for attendees to build bridges, both personally and professionally, and to learn about what can be applied to your home institution or to your home field. This is a meeting that is complimentary and synergistic with the diversity of roles that clinical laboratorians have in their day-to-day lives. That’s something I’ve always found valuable in our annual meetings. Attendees will always leave with not just added knowledge but added tools to implement in their laboratories at home.
Jen A. Miller is a freelance journalist who lives in Audubon, New Jersey. +X: @byJenAMiller.