March 31st 2009

James O. Westgard, PhD

It is with deep regret that I note the passing of Ron Laessig, who died unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on March 29, 2009. Ron was Emeritus Director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and Emeritus Professor of Population Health Sciences (and he liked to say “sometimes clinical chemist”) at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, having retired about a year ago after over 40 years of service to the University and the State of Wisconsin.

The best description of Ron is a “quality builder.” And there were many dimensions to his building, from furniture to his home, from clinical chemist to Director of a large testing service, from proficiency testing to total quality management, from in-service training to statewide training seminars, from classroom instruction to national workshops, from committee member to President of NCCLS (now CLSI), from staff building to a new laboratory building that represents the state-of-the-art in environmental and toxicology testing in the US today.

I met Ron in graduate school where we shared a research laboratory. Two memories stand out – coffee that would make your hair stand on end and a work schedule that began at 6:00 am and went until at least 12 midnight, 6 days a week. Having come from ND and grown up working on a farm, I always believed that I had a strong work ethic and could outwork almost everyone. But not Ron! I don’t think anyone had the dedication and commitment that he showed as a graduate student and throughout his career. And his accomplishments reflect that willingness to work hard at everything he did!

Our careers started out in a parallel fashion, beginning as clinical chemists in different labs of the University of Wisconsin, but we diverged as Ron acquired more and more management and leadership responsibilities at the State Lab and nationally, while I became more and more specialized in Quality Control. Yet things also converged at certain periods in time, such as when Ron mentored Sharon Ehrmeyer in her graduate program on External Quality Control, or proficiency testing, which paralleled some of my own studies in Internal Quality Control. Ron and Sharon maintained an ongoing collaboration and were spurred on by the laboratory regulatory environment. They co-authored the “Poor Man’s Guide” which explained the regulations in a down-to-earth manner to help laboratories adapt to the “CLIA rules.” With the advent of the Final CLIA rule in 2003, our interests again converged in opposition to CMS’s proposed “equivalent QC” guidelines. And he enjoyed it when CMS admitted they “blew it,” as Ron and Sharon discussed in an editorial in Lab Medicine in October 2005.

Ron always had fun in whatever he was doing! That was part of his formula for life. He liked to tell stories and I can testify that he was very good at it, since I was sometimes on the receiving end of those stories. My worst fear was to have him precede me on a program and have to adjust my presentation on the fly to respond to his statements, such as “…enjoy this because Jim is going to be as dry as cornflakes without milk" or “…Jim will tell you more about that” (and usually mentioned a topic I knew nothing about).

Ron and I shared a retirement party sponsored by the Chicago AACC section. It was wonderful to witness his daughter Betsy put him away with his own brand of humor. He knew Betsy got that from him and was proud that she could give it back. Ron treasured his family, his wife Joan, Betsy and her husband, and especially their three grandchildren. When I had lunch with him a couple of weeks ago, he took me to his home to show me his woodworking projects and particularly the parquet floor in his family room, where he had incorporated the initials of two of his grandchildren. He was describing his plan to take care of his latest grandson and how he would add his initials in the woodwork. That would perhaps be his only regret of work not completed because his other accomplishments are immense and beyond anything that might be expected of an individual.

Ron was a good friend to many of us and his “family” encompassed the entire State Laboratory of Hygiene and many professional colleagues beyond. Their expressions of appreciation were demonstrated by a retirement roast of songs and stories that reflected the good humor and sound values that Ron embodied. We all wanted Ron at our side when we went into battle because we knew we could count on him. Now we will count on his spirit to comfort us today and to guide us tomorrow. And we can honor his memory by building a better future for our families, for laboratory services, and for healthcare.

Earlier this year we hosted two site-surveyors for the NAACLS (The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences) reaccreditation process, which entailed inspection of our clinical sites, class room, student laboratory and all the course materials. We are proud to announce that we have been awarded continuing accreditation for seven years, the maximum time allotted. The program's next reaccreditation will be in 2015!

Students in the CLS program continue to participate in "Science Nights" that are organized by the Biocore Outreach Ambassadors. Science Night involves an evening of fun and learning at a nearby rural elementary school. Many campus groups set up booths at which the children engage in hands-on, age appropriate science experiments. Take-home activity sheets are also provided for the kids to continue testing scientific predictions at home with their parents and siblings.

CLS students have introduced topics like blood typing, the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of infection, measuring and dispensing liquids with pipettes, taking a pulse and recording weight/height body measurements, the need for Vitamin C in the diet and how to test for it in various beverages, the body’s requirement for iron and how to visualize it in certain cereals, and how to look through a microscope to examine all the 'gross' things in and around our bodies, like bacteria, fungi, parasites and other cells.

The experience is rewarding for both the college students facilitating the science ventures and for the children attending the event. CLSSO is working to expand this science outreach to area middle school and high school students who can grasp more complex scientific concepts and who may someday pursue a career in laboratory medicine!

Applications have been distributed and are due Friday, December 25, 2009. Winners will be notified and announced in January 2010.

The CLS Program has four scholarship funds that provide multiple awards for students with senior standing in Clinical Laboratory Science.

• Ethel A. Trenary Westmont Bequest
• Alice A. Thorngate Scholarship
• J. Suzanne Ames Scholarship
• Judith Chester Scholarship

Scholarship applications are given to senior students in November with an application deadline on the Friday of Final Exam Week in December. Awards (several hundred dollars each) are received at the end of the second semester. Exemplary first year professional students, with senior classification, that receive an award may apply again the second year.

Successful applicants demonstrate scholastic aptitude, professionalism, interest in a CLS professional career, and technical ability in the CLS professional program.

The Wisconsin chapter of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science is hosting its annual convention in Appleton April 27 and 28. Around 500 CLS professionals and students attend this convention, which boasts an information-packed educational program, an inspiring keynote, and a large exhibition hall with all the latest and greatest instruments and reagents for the clinical lab. The UW-Madison CLS program is pleased that the entire senior class and a handful of the junior class is attending this convention, allowing them an opportunity to network, learn, and socialize. Teams from the program will be competing in the student bowl, an exciting quiz bowl that helps students study for the national board registry exam. In addition, several students will be presenting posters on original research, a literature review, or a case study. The convention is a fun and educational event seen as a professional 'spring-board', and we are proud that so many of our students are participating.

Join ASCLS-WI on FACEBOOK!

The ASCLS-WI Facebook group has now been created! Join today by looking up “ASCLS-WI Student Group” in the search box under Groups.

You will find great links to the Labs Are Vital program, membership information, scholarship opportunities and contact information for your 2008-2009 Board of Directors!

The best part is that you can post topics and add to the discussion board regarding any CLS related issues. Feel free to voice your opinion about your job, inform other students of volunteer opportunities, or simply let us know how school is going!

American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science for Wisconsin (ASCLS-WI)

James Westgard, PhD, Emeritus Faculty, was featured this month in Medical Lab Observer and was also published in the 3rd edition of Basic Method Validation. To view the features, click on the links below:

MLO-online
Westgard.com

Donald A. Wiebe, PhD, DABCC, FACB, associate professor in pathology and laboratory medicine, SMPH, was named the December 2008 Mentor of the Month for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC). Wiebe serves as director of both the chemistry and toxicology laboratories.

AACC is an international scientific/medical society of clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists and other individuals involved with clinical chemistry and related disciplines.

Contributions to The Medical Technology Fund is a great way to help enhance student education experiences. Donations can be made in a variety of ways. Please consider helping the program by donating today.

UW Foundation