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ASCLS-OKLAHOMA is a member society of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). It is one of the state and district societies in ASCLS Region VII, which also includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. The leadership of ASCLS-OK is elected by the state members at the annual business meeting held each spring. ASCLS-Oklahoma leaders and members are dedicated to advocating for the profession of Medical laboratory science in the state of Oklahoma. Activities include offering and promoting continuing education, voicing an opinion about key legislation to state representatives, providing scholarhips to Clinical laboratory Science (MLS & MLT) students and recruiting the next generation of professionals. There are many ways that you can be involved and contribute to ASCLS-Oklahoma! If you are not a member, join today!

Our Mission
Promote the profession of Medical Laboratory Science, provide services to people practicing in this field and to enable members to provide quality services with continued excellence.

Message from ASCLS-OK

President: Miles Tompkins
ASCLS 2017 Annual Meeting Report 8/30/2017

On July 31- August 3, 2017, I was excited to attend ASCLS Annual Meeting and honored to serve as the Delegate for Oklahoma once more. This year it was held at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, California. I was fortunate enough to be able to arrive a day early and explore the surrounding area on Coronado Beach.

My weeks started out with attending the Leadership Development Seminar, which was formerly the Incoming State Presidents Seminar, which is now open to all members in attendance who are either currently in a State Leadership role or who would like to learn more about leadership opportunities. The great benefit to this is that it opened the door for more communication and exchange of ideas across all levels and Regions of ASCLS. The most exciting news to come out of this is the start of a leadership “manual” that will be available on ascls.org as well as a mentorship program matching more experienced state leaders with their newer counterparts in other states or areas.

I then attended the Diversity Advocacy Council meeting. The DAC is a committee within ASCLS, whose mission is to promote diversity within our organization and the Laboratory Professional field. This year I was elected to serve as Secretary for this committee; I am so excited to see what great things we do this year!

Midweek I was given the chance to judge student poster presentations. I had never done that before and I was surprised with how much fun I had. I was also invited to the Alpha Mu Tau fraternity dinner. This year it was held in a place called the Abbey which is an old mission church that is converted into an events center. There was fun and revelry had by all in the name of raising money for student scholarships.

Throughout the week I got to enjoy some great scientific sessions and participate in many social activities that were educational and fun. Not only did I get to make many new friends and see several old ones, but I really got to enjoy learning new things about the field I work in. I was also proud to accept an award on behalf of our state society for 3rd place in membership retention.

The week culminated in the House of Delegates meeting where we are introduced to our new National President Deb Rhodal and her vison for ASCLS in the next year. There was also discussion about the future of how membership levels are to be divided and labeled in the future. After many suggestions and spirited debate, the recommendations will go back to the national membership committee. The data will be extrapolated and presented to the House of Delegates next year. I hope I will be able to represent Oklahoma again at that time.

Message from ASCLS-OK Past-president
Welcome to the ASCLS-OK webpage. We are glad you stopped by. With the unsettling times in the health care industry, it is wonderful that we have a professional society that cares for its membership and field. Please take a moment and see who our current officers and board members are, along with the New Professional and Student Representative.
Sallie A. Ruskoski, Ph.D., MT (ASCP) earned her Associates in Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Technology and Associates of Science in Mathematics at Tulsa Community College; Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center; Master of Science in Collegiate Scholarship and Services at Northeastern State University; Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science, specializing in Microbiology, at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Dr. Ruskoski has worked in hospitals both here in Oklahoma and in Alaska for numerous years. She currently is the Program Director for the Medical Laboratory Science program at Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, OK. Her current research studies include investigation of tick-borne diseases in Oklahoma and how Burkholderia cepacia complex affects the cystic fibrosis lungs.