Installed as 75th President of
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science

Mary Ann McLane, a Health Sciences faculty member since 1996 in the Department of Medical Technology, was installed on July 25, 2009 as the 75th President of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science at that organization’s annual meeting in Chicago. This is the first time that someone from Delaware has held this position. She represents over 10,000 clinical lab professionals who design, perform and maintain the quality assurance for the BILLIONS of diagnostic tests performed in the United States each year, with an estimated 5 million generated in Delaware alone. These tests comprise the major source of objective data used for diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients in all healthcare settings.

The central theme of Dr. McLane’s presidential year will be “Provide the Face”. The vast majority of the general public, healthcare practitioners and legislators are unaware of the education and expertise needed to provide clinical test results in chemistry, blood banking, hematology, immunology, microbiology and molecular genetics. This lack of awareness is having a significant impact on the personnel shortage, patient safety and proposed legislation related to healthcare reform. Dr. McLane’s focus will be on efforts to increase the visibility of clinical laboratory professionals in Delaware and throughout this country, emphasizing their critical contribution to patient diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. McLane has been a clinical laboratory professional since 1976, with the majority of that time spent in education. She completed her undergraduate in Clinical Laboratory Science at Neumann University, master’s work in Medical Technology Education at Temple University, and her PhD in Physiology from Temple University School of Medicine. She spent 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow in Temple’s Thrombosis Research Center before coming to the University of Delaware in 1996, bringing with her a Research Assistanceship from the American Heart Association. She is the first faculty member in the Health Sciences College to receive an individual R01 from the National Institutes of Health (2003-2007), and is one of four HSC faculty receiving funding through an NIH-INBRE grant (2009-2012). Her research focuses on molecular mechanisms of metastasis inhibition using a malignant melanoma model. She was named Laboratorian of the Year by ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals in 1999 and received the Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002.

Congratulations Dr. McLane and Best Wishes for the Upcoming Year!!

Read another article from the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Newspaper
The Dialog