A conversation with ADLM 2025 Annual Meeting Organizing Committee Chair Steven Cotten, PhD

As the world of laboratory medicine rapidly evolves, so too does ADLM’s annual meeting. Steven Cotten, PhD, the chair of this year’s Annual Meeting Organizing Committee (AMOC), has made sure of that. Cotten is the director of automated chemistry and critical care testing, and associate professor in pathology and laboratory medicine, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He and the AMOC not only embraced the challenge of maintaining ADLM 2025’s (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo’s) relevance to laboratory medicine today; they also expanded the meeting’s offerings to appeal to a wide range of healthcare professionals.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s meeting?

I’m really excited about the plenaries this year! They highlight the spectrum of valuable and varied contributions that laboratory medicine professionals make to healthcare. From artificial intelligence to scientific misinformation, this year’s plenaries cover some of the hottest topics shaping our field. Thursday’s plenary addresses the threat of plastics and PFAS chemicals. As someone whose water is contaminated with PFAS, I think that one is very important.

We’re also rolling out some new learning formats for 2025. For example, we’ll have a “choose your own adventure” style session, during which audience members get to make their own diagnostic choices and see how they play out, and a Jeopardy!-themed scientific session.

How have recent changes in lab medicine affected the meeting?

Laboratory developed tests (LDTs) and their regulation have certainly seen a lot of change. While LDT regulations are paused for now under the current administration, their long term future remains uncertain. To that end, we’re planning a session that delves into the advocacy efforts around regulation.

As ADLM grows, the content of the meeting is expanding too. We had submissions this year for sessions related to microbiology and hematology and coagulation, so you can see that those topics are maturing within our organization.

Why is it critical for the lab medicine community to collaborate at this type of meeting?

These days, most research projects require a cross-disciplinary team of collaborators who can learn — and apply — new information. Because your team may need to rely on people outside of your expertise to do that, it is important to identify people who bring additional knowledge and skills to help you solve problems.

Do you have a specific goal for ADLM 2025?

I want to bring new voices into the meeting. During my time leading AMOC, I made sure that we tapped into new talent with new ideas. And I’m pleased to report that we have a very diverse slate of speakers this year — not only for the plenaries but also for the scientific sessions and university courses that are new to the meeting.

Will ADLM 2025 appeal to people who aren’t clinical laboratorians?

Yes, there’s really something for everyone at this meeting. We’ve got a decent amount of content on clinical microbiology, hematology and coagulation, and much more. I come from a drug development background, and one of the sessions I’m moderating is on GLP-1 receptors; we’ll explore GLP-1–mediated metabolic changes that go beyond diabetes and weight loss and what they might mean for laboratory medicine. I’m looking forward to pioneering new approaches to this meeting and its content.

Jen A. Miller is a freelance journalist who lives in Audubon, New Jersey. +Bluesky: @byjenamiller.bsky.social‬

Explore the full ADLM 2025 program.