ASCP Members Make their Mark on the World
Two hundred members this summer responded to ASCP’s call for consultants to support the Society’s international laboratory training programs. Theresa Somrak, JD, CT(ASCP), Director of the ASCP-Institute, is conducting telephone interviews with 45 applicants.

“We are building a bigger pool of consultants because our outreach opportunities continue to grow,” she said.

Through a cooperative agreement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASCP sends teams of consultants to resource-limited countries that are part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The consultants assess needs and develop and implement laboratory training programs to improve diagnosis and laboratory monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients.

In many cases training programs address critical quality control issues such as recordkeeping and standard operating procedures. Consultants also have identified infrastructure issues, such as the need for reliable sources of electricity and supplies.

Here is a list of upcoming training and assessment programs in Africa, and the ASCP members and staff assigned to each:

Lesotho Phlebotomy Training: August 22-24, 2006
Kathleen Finnegan, MS, MT(ASCP)SH
Catherine Murphy-Vetter, MS, MT(ASCP)SCT
Barbara Hoffman, MA, MT(ASCP), Staff Liaison

Tanzania National Roll-out of ASCP Training Programs: August 28 – September 8, 2006
Marian Cavagnaro, MS,MT(ASCP)DLM (Mwanza and Morogoro)
Janice Tompkins, MPH, MT(ASCP) (Iringa and Zanzibar)
Perthena Latchaw, MS, MT(ASCP) (Moshi)

Ethiopia Assessment: September 4-8, 2006
Lee Hilborne, MD, MPH, DLM, FASCP
Theresa Somrak, JD, CT(ASCP), Staff Liaison

Kenya Assessment: September 11-15, 2006
Nancy Grove, MD
William Grove III, MD
Theresa Somrak, JD, CT(ASCP), Staff Liaison

Kenya Training of Trainers: October 30 – November 10, 2006
Bette Jamieson, MEd, MT(ASCP)SH
Whitney Smith, MT(ASCP)SH
Perthena Latchaw, MS, MT(ASCP)
Wanda Satkas, MBA, MT(ASCP)
Candace Golightly, MS, MLT(ASCP)
Marc G. Golightly, Ph.D., SI(ASCP)
Kaitlin Sandhaus, Staff Liaison

Ethiopia Training of Trainers: November 13-24, 2006
Marian Cavagnaro, MS, MT(ASCP)DLM
Loretta Fitzpatrick, MA, MLT(ASCP), CMA, CPT
Wendy Arneson, MS, MT(ASCP)
Cathy Robinson, MSA, MT(ASCP)
Barbara Hoffman, MA, MT(ASCP)Staff Liaison
Nancy Hopkins, MSW, MM, Staff Liaison

For more information on ASCP’s global outreach efforts, see www.ascp.org/outreach/pepfar/default.aspx or contact pepfar@ascp.org.