Building resilience through point-of-care innovations
DoubleTree Pittsburgh
One Bigelow Square
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
October 14–16, 2026
*Please note that this program schedule is subject to change. All times listed are in Pittsburgh, PA local time (U.S. Eastern Time).
Day 1 – Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Registration | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Opening keynote | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Today’s laboratories face mounting pressures, from a rising demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) and restricted budgets to staffing shortages and limited resources. To succeed, they must build resilience by streamlining workflows, empowering teams, fostering innovation, and maintaining quality under strain. This presentation shares experiences, learnings and insights from Pittsburgh’s Freedom House Ambulance Service — the pioneering prehospital emergency service that transformed care delivery worldwide. Despite systemic barriers and repeated setbacks, Freedom House thrived by investing in people, embracing innovation, and leading with purpose. Its legacy offers a vital lesson: resilience is not accidental but cultivated through leadership, collaboration, and a commitment to progress. By following Freedom House’s example, laboratories can transform challenges into catalysts that advance accessible, high-quality POCT, benefiting patients and communities alike.
Moderator: Anna Fuezery, PhD, DABCC, CPP | Alberta Precision Laboratories | Edmonton, AB, Canada
The legacy of Freedom House Ambulance: Lesson in resilience, perseverance and determination
John Moon | Former Freedom House Paramedic and Retired Assistant Chief of Pittsburgh EMS | Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Reception | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Day 2 – Thursday, October 15, 2026
Registration | 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast symposium presented by Siemens Healthineers | 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Workshop: POCT in the AI Era: Practical uses of generative AI | 9:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Generative AI is rapidly transforming healthcare and laboratory medicine, creating new opportunities to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and communication. This interactive workshop will provide POCT professionals with a practical understanding of how AI chatbots are developed, where they can add value, and the limitations that must be considered for responsible use. Participants will explore current adoption trends within the POCT community and gain hands-on experience with applications such as prompt engineering, image generation, data formatting, and data analysis. Attendees will leave with actionable knowledge, practical skills, and a broader perspective on how AI can be effectively integrated into their own practice.
Moderator: Nam Tran, PhD, HCLD (ABB), FADLM | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Speaker: Jason Kearns, MBA | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center | Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Coffee break/exhibits | 10:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Oral abstract presentations | 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Oral poster presentations are delivered by the primary author of top-scored poster abstract submissions. Each oral poster presentation includes a presentation and Q&A period.
Lunch/networking break | 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Session 1: Optimizing and implementing molecular microbiology at the point of care | 1:15 – 3:00 p.m.
This session examines the practical applications of molecular microbiology point-of-care testing (POCT) across diverse healthcare settings. Featuring perspectives from a medical scientific affairs expert and a point-of-care coordinator, presenters will explore how molecular assays are reshaping care models for clinicians and how laboratory teams are adapting to manage technologies that until recently were confined to traditional laboratory environments. Through case examples and implementation insights, the session will highlight clinical benefits, operational challenges, and strategies for integrating molecular POCT into routine practice while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
Moderator: Jeanne Mumford, MLS(ASCP) | Johns Hopkins Hospital | Baltimore, MD, USA
Molecular POCT in ambulatory settings: Best practices and operational guidance
Mickayla Karikari, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM, CPP | Johns Hopkins Community Physicians | Baltimore, MD, USA
The impact of molecular POCT across global healthcare settings: Decision-making and a conceptual framework for assay development
Chairut Vareechon, PhD, D(ABMM) | Roche Diagnostics Corporation | Chicago, IL, USA
Panel discussion
Coffee break/exhibits | 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Oral abstract presentations | 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Oral poster presentations are delivered by the primary author of top-scored poster abstract submissions. Each oral poster presentation includes a presentation and Q&A period.
Day 3 – Friday, October 16, 2026
Breakfast symposium presented by BioMérieux | 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Session 2: Pushing the boundaries of POCT | 9:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Point-of-care testing is increasingly recognized as a strategic component of healthcare delivery, extending beyond individual tests to support clinical decision-making, operational efficiency, and population health outcomes. This session presents a systems-level perspective on the future of POCT, illustrating how resilience is built from critical value frameworks and network design to scalable implementation and measurable population impact. Presenters will discuss POCT as an integrated clinical decision infrastructure that strengthens health systems across diverse global settings.
Moderator: Wanvisa Treebuphachatsakul, PhD | Naresuan University | Muang, Phitsanulok, Thailand
From data to decision: Strategizing critical actions that optimize POCT
Gerald J. Kost, MD, PhD, MS, FADLM | University of California, Davis | Davis, CA, USA
From innovation to implementation: Scaling POCT for real-world healthcare
Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD | Emory University | Atlanta, GA, USA
From access to impact: Building community-based POCT networks in resource-limited settings
Lia Partakusuma, MD, CP, PhD, MM, MARS | YARSI University | Jakarta, Indonesia
Panel discussion
Coffee break/exhibits | 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Oral abstract presentations | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Oral poster presentations are delivered by the primary author of top-scored poster abstract submissions. Each oral poster presentation includes a presentation and Q&A period.
Lunch/networking break | 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Session 3: Practical support strategies for POCT | 1:30 – 3:15 p.m.
As the regulatory and clinical demands of point-of-care testing continue to evolve, POCT teams must find effective ways to maintain compliance while supporting high-quality patient care. This session will explore practical approaches that leverage innovative workflows, emerging technologies, and laboratory expertise to improve operational performance and testing accuracy. Attendees will gain insight into current challenges in the POCT environment, identify strategies to strengthen compliance and clinical outcomes, and evaluate when workflow enhancements or new methodologies can create meaningful improvements in practice.
Moderator: Nicholas Larkey, PhD, DABCC, NRCC, CPP, FADLM | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA, USA
Partnering with clinical teams to maximize compliance and patient care
Nicholas Larkey, PhD, DABCC, NRCC, CPP, FADLM | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA, USA
Using commutable materials to support POCT quality
Wanvisa Treebuphachatsakul, PhD | Naresuan University | Muang, Phitsanulok, Thailand
The NICU’s perspective on detection of hemolysis in whole blood ABG samples
Robert D. Maynard, PhD, DABCC, NRCC | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY, USA
Panel discussion
Program break | 3:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Closing keynote | 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
The growing burden of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging pathogens is driving unprecedented demand for fast, actionable microbiology results at the point of care, where clinicians increasingly need definitive answers during the patient encounter. This presentation traces the evolution of microbiology diagnostics from centralized reference laboratories to main hospital labs, near-patient testing, and ultimately true point-of-care testing at the bedside. It highlights how each step reduces time-to-result, brings insights closer to clinicians, and increases value for patients, providers, and health systems. Focusing on metagenomics and molecular pathogen detection, the presentation takes a past-present-future perspective to explore how microbiology testing continues to evolve.
Moderator: Anna Fuezery, PhD, DABCC, CPP | Alberta Precision Laboratories
Future of metagenomics and molecular pathogen detection
Steve Miller, MD, PhD | Delve Bio | Boston, MA, USA