Volume 36, Number 3 Summer 2009 in action - NSH

Volume 36, Number 3Summer 2009

in action

The National Society for Histotechnology

is a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of Histotechnology, its

practitioners and quality standards of practice through leadership,

education and advocacy.

Inside This Issue From the President - 2

HistoQIP Update - 4

Keynote Speakers - 5

Spotlight On - 6

HPN News - 9

JOH CE Form - 10

Quick Quiz - 11

Agenda Item Forms - 12

BSC News - 14

Committee News - 15

Society News - 18

Special Events - 19

Tag Your Bags for “The Magic City” (part 3)by Rita Humphrey

We look forward to seeing many of you in Birmingham this fall at the 35th Annual NSH Symposium/Convention. “Countless Experiences” await you, and we hope that you will take full advantage of this educational opportunity. We also invite you to enjoy the wonderful Southern hospitality not only in Birmingham, but throughout Alabama.

SWEET HOME ALABAMACome with me as I travel around the

great state of “Sweet Home Alabama.” I love the song “Sweet Home Alabama” sung by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Summertime on the Lake” by Kid Rock!

Hungry? Have biscuits, gravy, and fried chicken for breakfast. Sample the traditional pork barbecue for lunch. Try fried catfish and hush puppies for dinner. Having a piece of pecan pie for dessert borders on a religious experience for many Southerners. Wash it all down with a large glass of sweet tea. You might even start saying “We’ll see y’all later” with a passable accent.

Huntsville Known as the “Rocket City”, Huntsville

is the birth place of Alabama. Pioneer John Hunt occupied a cabin alongside a spring in 1805. A town soon flourished and was the largest in the Alabama Territory by 1819. That year the leaders of the Alabama Territory met to petition the U.S. Congress to grant Alabama statehood. The recre-ated 1819 Alabama Constitution Village commemorates the historic events through tours given by costumed guides.

Walking tours of the Twickenham his-toric district, with state’s largest collection of pre-Civil War homes, are popular year-

round. (Because the wealthy businessmen remained loyal to the Union at the start of the Civil War, the town was spared the destruction by the occupying Army from the North.) Plan to visit the 1819 Weeden House Museum and the 1860 Huntsville Depot Museum. A unique shopping op-portunity is offered at the 1879 Harrison Brothers Hardware Store. Restored 19th century cabins and farm buildings are dis-played at Burritt On The Mountain. Other attractions include Redstone Arsenal and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

CullmanI invite you to visit Ave Maria Grotto in

Cullman, a short drive from Birmingham. The Grot to, known worldwide as “Jerusalem in Miniature,” is a beautifully landscaped, four-acre park designed to provide a natural setting for the 125 min-iature reproductions of famous buildings and shrines from around the world. The masterpieces of stone and concrete are the lifetime work of Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey. Begun as a hobby, with the various mate-rials he could find, infinite patience and remarkable sense of symmetry and pro-portion, Brother Joseph re-created some of the great edifices of all time.

Tuscumbia The birth place of Helen Keller is Ivey

Green, 300 West North Commons in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Visit her historic home and see the famous pump that pro-vided the “miracle” breakthrough.

Coon Dog Cemetery in Tuscumbia is a must-see, with unusual highlights: coon dog monuments, coon dog grave markers, even a picnic area and great scenery!

Continued on page 3

NSH in action Summer 20092 NSH in action Summer 20092

from the presidentKerry Crabb

The downturn in the economy is pre-occupying us all, with no end in sight as this is written. But as 2009 continues, each of our own experiences is going to be different. Some areas of our profes-sion have been harder hit than others; some areas will respond to the economic pressure and grow in new directions, while others will lose their way. In the meantime, all of us are looking for the best path forward.

You have chosen not to participate in the recession. You have kept your NSH membership current as an essential part of your career path. NSH will not let you down. Ours is a year-round organization, involved in a wide variety of issues and continuing education opportunities, that wishes to deliver top notch information which we have all grown accustomed to receiving. Some of activities that have occurred and will be continuing are listed below.• Awards Committee has been planning

and promoting the many awards and scholarships. Nominations have been received. Questions about nominees are being followed up on to ensure the committee has all the information needed to select recipients. There will be a new one time award for some histotechnology school students courtesy of the New Mexico Society for Histology.

• Budget & Finance Committee is starting to develop the proposed budget for 2010.

• Continuing Education Committee is processing records from 45 educational presentations (including state and region meetings) held so far this year, with more to come. Preparing contact hour materials for the S/C has already started.

• Convention Committee is in the middle of preparations for the annual Symposium/Convention. This entails: working with speakers presenting hands-on workshops to ensure all

the necessary supplies are on hand and ready for use upon their arrival; confirming vendors’ exhibit space; working with the convention center, hotels and city on logistical details to ensure the meeting runs as planned.

• Education Committee is working on updates to the Self-Assessment series of booklets and getting them placed on the web site.

• Health & Safety Committee is providing safety videos for use by NSH members. They are developing a number of training courses to be made available to the membership.

• Immunohistochemistry Committee is working to transition their listserve to the NSH Office computer servers.

• Legislation Committee is working with the Licensure Task Force to track licensure activity in states and create a position paper for NSH that can be used by state societies as they deal with licensure activity in their legislatures.

• Membership Committee has worked with the NSH Office to create a member retention program and participated in the initial effort that helped retain over 200 members.

• Public Relations Committee is planning its activities for the S/C, including the First Time Attendees event. Orders are being placed for the items to sell at the meeting.

• Quality Control Committee is establishing a listserve for committee members. It is seeking input from members as to the current focus of the committee.

• Task Forces on l icensure and Histotechnology Day are busy. You have already received an e-mail about the establishment of the first Histotechnology Day scheduled for March 10, 2010.

• Summer Symposium is being held at the time of my writing this. There will be approximately 250 attendees.

• The first Immunohistochemistry Forum is planned for July 18 in Indianapolis, IN.

• Nom i nat ions a nd Ele c t ion s Committee, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, is working to establish a method to hold future elections via electronic ballot. If we can complete this process in time, the House of Delegates should have some Bylaw revisions to consider at their meeting this year so it will be possible to conduct our next election via this method.

• Research has begun on how to improve your networking and flow of information via the world wide web.

• The Career Day program is growing. There is an ongoing effort to create a program for teachers to use in the classroom.

• Progress is being made on a new career video.

• A new career site has been launched on the NSH Career Center that allows you to create alerts for certain jobs when they become available.

• Efforts are continuing to identify a publisher of the future for the Journal of Histotechnology. This will include an on-line version of our publication and additional marketing awareness and efforts. Our goal is to complete this before the end of the year.We will provide a detailed year in

review from each volunteer leader to you towards the end of August.

Kerry

Summer 2009 NSH in action 3Summer 2009 NSH in action 3

events and figures. The collection includes portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Marquis de Lafayette, for which the subjects actually sat. Also on display is silver fashioned by Paul Revere, furniture designed and made by Duncan Phyfe, Charles Honore Lannuier and Joseph Barry, among others.

MontgomeryNow we are traveling to Montgomery,

located southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and about a two hour drive from Birmingham. Old southern charm meets modern city al-lure in Montgomery, where the weather is sublime and the food is divine! Explore life in the 19th century South at Old Alabama Town, sample the city’s artsy side at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts or spend the day reliving the era of the Civil Rights. Literary buffs will be wowed by the Fitzgerald Museum, while the kids will want to spend a number of hours at the Montgomery Zoo. Everyone will enjoy the delicious southern cuisine, from black-eyed pea soup to country ham and red-eyed gravy. Fancy or no-frills, a visit will leave you a taste for more.

Gulf CoastShould you decide to take a few extra

days before or after the NSH S/C, you may want to spend time on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, about a four to five hour drive from Birmingham, depending on your destination.

We arrive at Fairhope, a vibrant Southern city founded over a hundred years ago on the eastern side of Mobile Bay. Fairhope has long been known for its lovely parks, rich with moss-draped oaks and sweeping panoramic view of Mobile Bay. You must visit the boutiques, cafes, art galleries, gift shops and famous fresh seafood restaurants. Take a few moments to visit the Fairhope Municipal Pier and Bayfront Park, the Eastern Shore Art Center, and Marietta Johnson Museum.

Mobile is about a four hour drive from Birmingham. Located in downtown Mobile, at the reproduction Fort Conde

Before you leave, you will want to go by the “Alabama Music Hall of Fame,” located at 617 Highway 72, Tuscumbia. Some of the famous musicians with Alabama roots who are honored there include Nat”King”Cole, Elvis Presley, Lionel Richie, the group Alabama, Hank Williams Sr., Hank Williams Jr., Bobby Goldsboro, Jim Nabor, Tammy Wynette, and the list goes on! Across from the stu-dio is the “Gospel Showcase.” Take time to check out www.bamamusic.org.

GadsdenGadsden, Alabama is located approxi-

mately 60 miles northeast of Birmingham. Attractions are Burritt on the Mountain-A Living Museum, Kymulga Grist Mill & Covered Bridge, James D. Martin Wildlife Park, Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Moundville Archaeological Park, and Noccalua Falls Park. The Noccalua Falls cascade 90 feet over Lookout Mountain ledge into a lush ravine. Home to the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, the park features a botanical garden, pioneer homestead, nature trails and picnic areas. It also has a year-round campground, train ride, and petting zoo. Nature lovers should not miss visiting the Noccalua Falls.

DecaturDecatur, Alabama is a Grand City on

a Charming Scale. A town steeped in history and nature, Decatur boasts one of the most intact Victorian-era neigh-borhoods in Alabama. Championship golf, a water park at Mallard Point Park, and 100,000 acres of water, wilderness, and wildlife of Wheeler Lake and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Other attractions include Old Decatur and Albany Historic Districts, Ogle Stadium, Jack Allen Recreation Complex, Wilson Morgan Softball Complex, Delano Park, and Celebration Arena. You might want to take the self-guided walking tour of Decatur’s Civil War sites.

Talladega Have you ever heard of the Talladega

Superspeedway, 40 Years of Racing, USA? Next we are traveling to Talladega, Alabama, about an hour drive from

Continued from page 1Magic City

Birmingham. Whether it’s historic homes, tales from the past, fine antiques, a love of preservation, or a town square stolen from the pages of the past, Talladega provides a unique experience. Walk through the Silk Stocking District for a taste of 19th century stately mansions. The historic Ritz Theatre in the town square attracts visitors from all over the world.

Talladega Superspeedway is the big-gest, fastest, most competitive motors-ports facility in the world. Records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega. The track offers tours to visitors daily during working hours except on weekends around events. Adjacent to the track is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, which is open daily. Feel the excitement of driving a race car around Talladega Superspeedway—it hosts several stock car schools throughout the year.

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa, one of the oldest counties

in Alabama, is located in the west-central portion of the state. Within its boundar-ies are the foothills of the Appalachians, fertile farmland and the Black Warrior River. The area was originally home to the Native Americans, including the famed Chief Tuskaloosa from whom the county received its name. European encounters with the area began during Desoto’s explorations of the 1500s, but white settlement did not begin in large numbers until the early 1800s.

Home of the University of Alabama and the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Tuscaloosa is a bustling uni-versity town. Its historic district features the 1863 Antebellum gem, the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion, in addition to the Murphy African-American Museum, Mimosa Golf Course, Moundvil le Archeological Park, the Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa, the Paul Bryant Museum, Lake Lurleen State Park and the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International manufacturing plant.

Tuscaloosa is home to the Westervelt-Warner Museum of American Art, which celebrates significant American historical Continued on page 4

NSH in action Summer 2009� NSH in action Summer 2009�

on Royal Street, is a free information center. You can reserve a spot on the historic district guided bus tours. For about $12 per person, one can get a great overview of Mobile’s wonderful historic districts.

The USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is located in Mobile on Mobile Bay; take Exit 27/30 off of I-10. This 175-acre Memorial Park is dedicated to Alabamians who have or are serv-ing in the Armed Forces. At Battleship Park you will find the USS Alabama battleship and the submarine USS Drum, both open for touring. You will also see 20 rare historic aircraft, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and much more.

Mobile offers several boat trips that include short tours which can be part of a morning or afternoon activity, or whole cruises that will have you on the water for the whole day. From these cruises, you can take in the various wildlife that live in the region and see hundreds of species of birds, fish, and even the occasional bear or bald eagle. If you’re looking for something with even more “bite” then consider Wildland Expedition’s Gator Bait, which casts off and takes you to the river delta where you can see local wildlife like the region’s famous alligators.

The city of Mobile is actually the birthplace of America’s Mardi Gras tradition, which began in 1703 (before it started in New Orleans). Today it is known as the “American Family’s Mardi Gras”; unlike the more risqué variety in New Orleans or elsewhere, this celebration is a less wild, yet still vibrant and active.

The Dauphin Island Park offers campgrounds, a public beach, several small parks and an Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Open year round, visitors can see wildlife or just cast a line for a relaxing day on the fishing pier.

Alabama’s Gulf Coast offers the perfect balance of non-stop activity and lay-around-doing nothing time. Imagine sun bath-ing on Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, or Perdido Beach, taking in the golden sunset on their sugar-white sandy beaches. The warm water and sea will refresh your spirit, and a swim with a dolphin, a game of tennis, or a round of golf on a championship course will relax the mind.

One of the most unique museums in the Gulf Coast region is the Orange Beach Indian & Sea Museum, housed at 25850 John Snook Drive in an old schoolhouse. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the Gulf Coast and features special exhibits on Native American history as well as local American history. Admission is free. There is also Adventure Island, 24559 Perdido Beach Boulevard, where you will find for family fun with two 18- hole golf courses, an arcade, kiddie rides, go-karts and a variety of other entertainment. Enjoy walks on the Wharf Pike way, where restaurants line the boardwalk. The centerpiece remains the largest Ferris wheel in this part of the country.

We invite each of you to visit Birmingham and the great state of Alabama and enjoy Southern Hospitality at its best!

Continued from page 3Magic Cityhistoqip update

HistoQIP Means “For Improvement”submitted by Janet Tunnicliffe

Acronyms seem to have become a part of everyday language, so much so that many terms become accepted as whole words and are no longer thought of as abbreviations. With this compres-sion of words we can easily lose the full impact or importance of the words. For example, if asked about NSH HistoQIP, all of us could expand NSH, and most of us could make a good guess at HistoQIP—but do we really understand it?

In thinking further about acronyms and the meaning behind the words contained within National Society for Histotechnology, to me the key word is for. The dictionary defines for as a word used to indicate purpose or an intended goal. In contrast, the word of indicates a point of reckoning or origin. I believe that the founding board members of the National Society for Histotechnology had the foresight to see that our Society would lead our profession by having purpose, setting goals, and moving forward rather than reflecting on where the profession originated.

HistoQIP is the Histology Quality Improvement Program. I suggest that the key word here is improvement. We have heard the term and probably agree that, “Histology is an art”. We might know the difference between a painting by Rembrandt and a paint-by-numbers canvas, and I believe that we all know what a good quality section looks like. But do we really, or are we lulled into thinking that the quality is great because the sections produced today look just like the sections produced yesterday or last week? A badly stained or prepared section when compared to an equally poor section looks okay. But when compared to standardized cri-teria in the Histology Quality Improvement Program, the “okay” nuclei become muddy, and the section needs improvement.

One of the goals set by the NSH is to provide not only the slide critique, but information and education to enable histolo-gists to improve the quality of technical work in their own labs. Participants of the NSH HistoQIP receive useful and specific information as part of the final critique that includes data about best performers, indicating what reagents, equipment, and proce-dures rated the highest scores. Additional online education with continuing education credits is available for all the staff in the participating lab. Who wants to join histologists for improvement of patient care? For more information on HistoQIP, or to place an order, call CAP at 800-323-4040, option 1.

It is with much pride that past and present members of the HistoQIP Committee announce the publication of a new reference book, Histological Preparations; Common Problems and Their Solutions, edited by Richard W. Brown, M.D. and published by CAP Press. To preview this text, go to www.nsh.org and click on the HistoQIP link. We thank the NSH for securing a discounted price for NSH members, ensuring that educational resources are easily available to those who require them. (See page 7.)

Remember, NSH: HistoQIP means “for improvement”.

Summer 2009 NSH in action �Summer 2009 NSH in action �

The Professor C.F.A. Culling Memorial Lecture for 2009 will be presented by Jared N. Schwartz, MD, PhD, current president of the College of American Pathologists. The title of the presentation is “New Roles and Directions in Pathology and Histotechnology.”

Driven by changes in technology, government reform and consumer expectations, medicine is chang-ing at a accelerated rate. These changes are challenging traditional pathology roles and opening new opportunities for everyone in the field of pathology and laboratory medicine--including histotechnol-ogy. In this presentation, Dr. Schwartz will discuss market forces and technology advancements that are accelerating changes in the delivery of health care, explore the implications for pathology practice, and discuss the new roles emerging in pathology and histotechnology.

The Professor C.F.A. Culling Memorial Lecture will be presented during the 35th Annual NSH Symposium/Convention at 8:00 am on Sunday, October 4, 2009. NSH thanks Poly Scientific R&D Corporation for sponsoring this lecture.

New Roles and Directions

Dr. Manfred Dietel, from the Institute of Pathology, Charité, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany, will present the International Lecture at the 2009 NSH Symposium/Convention. His lecture topic is “Tissue-based Molecular Pathology: Its New Role in the Diagnostic of Infectious Diseases and Human Cancer.”

Applications of new im-munological and molecular techniques play an increasing role in the routine process of

tissue-based diagnostic of infectious and neoplastic diseases as well as in translational cancer research. The major up-coming challenges are:

• to directly detect a great spectrum of microorganisms in surgical specimens,

• to precisely and reproducibly diagnose malignant tumors, even rare lesions, and to establish internationally accepted diagnostic algorithms,

• to define the individual prognosis of the actual patient as precisely as possible,

• to asses the probability of metastases, e.g. in case of clinical state M0 at time of tumor diagnosis and

Tissue-based Molecular Pathology

culling memorial lecture

international lecture

• to predict response/resistance of each individual tumor against conventional or targeted anticancer drugs.

Due to continuous technical developments in immunohisto-chemistry (IHC) and in-situ hybrization (ISH) assisted by different molecular and computational techniques, the power of diagnostic histopathology increased dramatically during the last decade. Among others the most impressive new innovations are:

• multicolor IHC• fluorescence and bright-field ISH• combined IHC-ISH for double and triple stainings• tissue-adapted PCR and• tissue-based mutation analysesThese approaches all have to be performed under standard

operating procedures in order to guarantee reliable results to the benefit of the patients. Combined application of the different technologies will further improve the importance of histological diagnoses and their predictive accuracy. All further efforts should be directed to improve the tissue-based diagnosis and predictive relevance of surgical pathology and to provide the clinicians with all the information needed for optimal treatment.

The International Lecture will be presented during the 35th Annual NSH Symposium/Convention at 8:45 am on Sunday, October 4, 2009. NSH thanks the Biological Stain Commission for sponsoring this lecture.

[Note: Entrance to these lectures is included in the S/C registration fee. Registration details are in the S/C brochure and at nsh.org]


spotlight on:

Region IAngela Fogg, Region I Director

Hello Everyone! This being my first report to NSH as the new Region I Director, I must again say thank you all for your support. Following in Denise’s footsteps is interesting.

The Region I Symposium was held in Newport, Rhode Island from April 16th through April 18th and was well received by all. Bruce Bouchard and the members of the Rhode Island Histology Society organized a meeting that was interesting, educational and fun. Newport was an excellent site for the meeting with plenty of sites to see. The poster sessions were awesome! The vendor hall was full of new products and new technology. There were over 150 attendees! Kim Rhatigan of New York was named the 2009 Region I Histotechnologist of the Year Award recipient.

New York State Histological Society’s meeting the following weekend in Fishkill, NY was equally well received with over 100 attendees. There were great speakers and a wide variety of topics. Kim Rhatigan was on hand to receive her Region I Histotechnologist of the Year award. Thanks to Mary Georger, the BOD and the NYSHS members who did a great job of educating and entertaining all the attendees.

The Vermont/New Hampshire Society announced that they have a new website. Please visit the site at www.vtnhhistology.org. In addition, Vermont is in the final stages of submitting licensure to their state government. We hope to have additional news regarding the outcome. The VT/NH Society had their spring meeting and offered everyone 5 NSH CEU’s for attendance. They will be offering a Saturday Fall Meeting in Rutland, Vermont in October 2009. For more information on the fall meeting, please visit their new website, where they will be posting the details later this summer.

Maine State Society president Joni Huff has resigned. A replacement has not been elected. As a result, the 2010 Region I Meeting, which was to be held in Maine. will be moved to Connecticut. Nancy Triano, president of the Connecticut Society has been visiting possible sites for next year’s Region I Meeting. More information to follow as the final plan becomes available.

In 2006, New York passed a law requiring all laboratory personnel in the state to be licensed to perform testing on patient specimens. This law does not cover out-of-state personnel work-ing on NYS samples. The NY State Society of Pathologists and CAP have submitted an amendment to the law that states: “all out-of-state laboratory personnel performing testing on New York State patient specimens should be licensed according to the same standards required of personnel in New York State licensed under the Clinical Laboratory Practice Act of 2006”. The New York State Histotechnological Society supports this amendment and has drafted a position letter to be sent to the NYS legislature. A copy of the letter will be posted on the NYSHS website for members to help in support of this provision.

Region II

Importance of Professional Status Carol Barone, Region II Director

In the last two House of Delegates, 2007 and 2008, the subject of professional recognition has been brought to light. Perhaps the severe shortage of techs in and entering our field has placed this issue in the forefront. The ASCP Wage and Vacancy Report noted histology has the highest vacancy rate of all laboratory sciences (13.7%). Can the public even recognize our field by name, describe the wide range of associated technologies it touches or even begin to understand the depth and breath of science it covers?

Perhaps it has been that we are continually working in the shadow of medical technology that has made us want to be rec-ognized for the contributions we have made over the years. Or, maybe it is the new pressure towards state licensure that has made professional recognition a topic of interest to many histologists. Whatever the reason(s), it is time for histology to move from the basement shadows to be seen as the vitally important segment of laboratory science that it is.

There traditionally has been an attitude that histology is more skill than science. A recent experience that brought a tech from a research background into my Core, has alerted me to just how much our field is misunderstood. “No, we do not just place tissue in paraffin and dye it”… and every histologist would be horrified at that very thought. However, we cannot blame those who do not understand the intricacies of our work, because we have done little to bring it into the light as true science.

I feel the beginnings of a groundswell of interest that is yet untapped, but close at hand. Television shows (like CSI) have perked interest in this previously hidden area of science. Yet as histologists, we know that what is seen on TV is hardly relevant to all we truly do. We have long called histology the art of sci-ence. And though we all acknowledge the skill that is required to produce the art we see under the microscope every day, we have perhaps shorted ourselves by not emphasizing the “science” part of the work and the “knowledge” that must accompany the skill.

As we have moved from immunohistochemistry, to in situ, to in situ PCR, laser microdissection and beyond, we know it is time for a shift from the perspective of the past. A recent invitation for the NSH to develop a working relationship with the Association of Pathology Chairs (APC) has presented the first open door to professional recognition. Now we must take the forward steps to “promote a positive image of histotechnology and of NSH to pa-thology chairs, pathologists” and in the field. We are scientists. We are educators. We are histologists…and we are professionals.

Summer 2009 NSH in action �Summer 2009 NSH in action �

Region IVMonty Hyten, Region IV Director

Region IV has been busy throughout the first half of 2009. All six states have completed successful annual meetings, which I managed to attend with varying degrees of time.

Illinois celebrated its 40th anniversary as a state society, with the honor of being the oldest histology society globally (thanks to Ken Urban for this factoid). Thank you, Illinois members, for your dedication and support to our profession for 40 years.

Indianapolis was excited to be chosen to host the IHC Forum in July. This gives Indiana an opportunity to showcase what Indianapolis has to offer as a city and the possibility of hosting an NSH Symposium/Convention in the future.

States in our Region have made attempts at going Green. Wisconsin has recently moved to electronically sending the state newsletter. Several states have websites to post meeting notices, provide updates, pay for registrations and membership, etc. We are working into the electronic age to reduce costs of paper, postage and printing, plus be able to reach members more quickly.

Congratulations, Region IV, for a productive start to 2009.

spotlight on:

Region VIMelissa Hill, Region VI Director

My name is Melissa Hill, the new Region VI Director. I was encouraged to run for this position by several of my peers. I be-lieved that it would be a long shot for me to win. I was running against two very capable, seasoned histologists, either of whom would have made a great director. Imagine my surprise when I found out I had received enough votes to win!

One of my goals in this position is to increase membership. I believe there is power in numbers — the more members we have, the better our chance of being heard. Our profession has come a long way in the past few years, but there are still many people, lawmakers, organizations, etc. who are not aware of who we are or what we do. It is our job to let them know. We play a vital role in developing a diagnosis, a treatment and a prognosis for the patient. For this reason, I feel incredibly honored to be serving on the task force to create an Annual Histotechnology Day. Our inaugural Histotechnology Day will be March 10, 2010. I am extremely excited about this and hope that you will join us in celebrating histologists around the world. I feel this will promote our profession and our Society like never before.

Another goal I have is to keep the lines of communication open with the states I represent. I have tried to do this through e-mails and by attending the state meetings in my region: Arkansas and Oklahoma in March; Texas and Louisiana in May and June. All were very well attended by their members. The workshops offered at each were outstanding. I encourage everyone who can to attend their state meeting. This is a great way to receive the continuing education hours that we need. Plus, who can put a price tag on the networking that goes on at these meetings? It is priceless. We all have information and news to share that will encourage or educate one another, and forge friendships that last a lifetime. This is sometimes hard to explain to someone who is not in our profession or does not attend the meetings; but just try it once to see for yourself. We are a group unlike any other, in which each new meeting feels like a family reunion.

The meetings are also an excellent way to be updated on the newest techniques and technologies that are offered. With that be-ing said, we owe a great deal of thanks to the vendors who come to these meetings. They share the latest products and equipment to help us to be more efficient and proficient in our labs.

New Mexico no longer has an active society. I am trying to stay connected with individuals in that state, with the hope of getting more histologists in New Mexico involved to revive their society. I would like to see all the states thriving, not just surviving.

To the members of Region VI, thank you for having enough confidence in me to vote me in as your Regional Director. If there is anything I can do to help you or your state society, please let me know. I am here to serve and represent each of you. I hope to see you all at the S/C in Birmingham.

Histologic Preparations: Common Problems and Their Solutions

Richard W. Brown, MD, editorThis “how to” guide to good slide preparation was developed by the Histotechnology Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in conjunction with the National Society for Histotechnology (NSH). Building on data and images from the NSH/CAP histology quality assurance program, HistoQIP, the book presents photographic examples of well-prepared slides followed by examples of associated problems and their solutions. The book contains troubleshooting techniques for the most common artifacts and problems incurred in routine histologic preparations. Some topics covered are fixation and processing; microtomy; frozen sections; H&E and Gram stains; and trichrome, elastin, mucin, amyloid, and immunohistochemical stains.Softcover; 168 pages; NSH Member price: $40

CAP Press, www.cap.org


spotlight on:

Region IXHeather Nymeyer, Region IX Director

The first two-day Education Session was held in beautiful downtown Toronto, Ontario on June 5th & 6th. Without a doubt, this event must be declared an enormous success, with a total of 149 attendees and 13 vendors participating.

The Friday session provided the attendees with such top-ics as “Past, Present and Future Clinical Lab Technology” to “Telepathology”. On Saturday, two concurrent sessions with five lectures were available. Fixation, selection of antibodies, external quality assurance, basic chemistry of histological stains and mi-crowave processing were only a few of the ten sessions participants could choose from. There was something for everyone.

With all of the positive feedback received, Region IX Executive and Education Committees will be exploring the possibility of continuing with this two-day format. The Education Committee has already started working on next year’s event, which will be held in western Canada. As details become available, they will be posted on the Region IX website (www.nshregionix.org).

Region IX Awards Committee is busy reviewing all the ap-plicants submitted for this year’s awards. One of this year’s mandates for the Region IX Awards Committee is to heighten the awareness of available awards both for Region IX and NSH. All awards and their criteria are available for Region IX members on our website.

The Region IX Executive Committee members have commit-ted themselves to not only to recruit new members, but also to encourage past members that have not renewed their membership to re-join. The Region IX newsletter The Cutting Edge provides its membership the benefits of becoming a member and easy access to the renewal form. Region IX invites you to read The Cutting Edge on their website.

2009 NSH Summer SymposiumA Smashing Success!

Aubrey M.J. Wanner, NSH Meeting Manager

It’s Friday, June 19th and I am back in the office, having ar-rived in Maryland from the 2009 NSH Summer Symposium in Las Vegas late Wednesday night. As I go through the postmeeting to-do list (paying invoices, writing thank you letters, entering contact hours), I start thinking about the event. On a personal note, I made it out of Las Vegas having only lost $30 and having seen Bette Midler in concert – so all in all a good time. From a professional perspective – I think I can honestly speak for the whole NSH staff – we are really excited and thrilled at the suc-cess of the event.

When Carrie (NSH Executive Director), Brenda (NSH Registration Coordinator) and I starting flushing out the idea for a mid-year meeting, we determined our goal was to increase the educational opportunities available to histotechs. The Annual Symposium/Convention, now in its 35th year, is the benchmark for histology training, but we all know that with budget and staff constraints, not everyone makes it; so we were hoping to provide an option for those, that in any particular year, couldn’t attend the convention or a state meeting. Thus, with the guidance of the NSH Convention Chair and Program Team, the Summer Symposium was born. What I think we did not, and possibly could not, antici-pate was the very special atmosphere that the Summer Symposium has generated for the last two years.

The event is two days and very education focused. The result is an intimate exchange of ideas and networking amongst attend-ees. Presenters seize the opportunity provided by very engaged attendees to not only teach, but to discuss questions/issues taking place in labs back home. As a planner, I confess it is incredibly gratifying to have attendees thank you for the wonderful time and information they are receiving. It’s fantastic to see presenters you work with regularly really seem to be jazzed about how their workshop went – a little sparkle of satisfaction in their eyes for a job not only well done but enjoyed.

I want to give a special thanks to Kim Simmons, NSH Convention Chair, who worked with the S/C Program Team to plan the fantastic program. In addition, a special thanks to Region VIII Director, Kathy Rohrbach who acted as our master of cer-emonies. Finally, Peggy Wenk and Diane Sterchi played the role of all around registration helper, which allowed our staff to run around taking care of room sets. Thank you!

So as I return to the business of meetings this week, I hope to keep this inspired feeling of success as we look forward to the IHC Forum in July and my baby, the S/C in October. Have a great summer!

2009 Summer Symposium photos on page 9 provided by the NSH Office.

Did you miss the Summer Symposium?

Sessions and handouts are available for purchase through the Live Learning Center for $35 per workshop, or obtain the entire event at a discount. Go to:nsh.org > Meetings/Events > Live Learning Center


health professions network news

The 2009 Spring Meeting for the Health Professions Network (HPN) was held in Fort Worth, Texas the “City of Cowboys and Culture”. A diverse group of Allied Health Organizations con-vened to recommend strategic priorities to guide the HPN for the next 3-5 years. Dr. Paul L. Gaston from Kent State University served as the facilitator for the strategic planning session entitled, “Looking Over the Horizon”.

The meeting continued with the theme “New Horizons in Healthcare”. Topics included “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”, a discussion of leadership, collaboration and followership, and the need to understand the diversity of the groups that make up the healthcare team.

Of particular interest was the lecture by Steven N. Collier, PhD and Harold Jones, PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham entitled, “The Allied Health Workforce: Current Status and Future Scenarios”. The effects of the economy and issues facing healthcare were addressed. The speakers referenced an article by Neal C. Hogan, PhD, “The End of the Third Bubble”, discussing the economic decline of the financial and housing in-dustries, and the signs indicating that healthcare institutes need to take a look at how we are doing business. This article can be Googled; it is well worth the read. At the end of the day, the sug-gestions from the presenters indicated that we need to be a part of any discussion about changes to our work environment and we need to think outside the box on how we provide patient care.

Chris Stiernagle, a consultant with Watson Wyatt of Dallas presented “How Changing Demographics Will Impact the Allied Health Professions”. He addressed changes that will affect health-care professions, such as supply and demand, economic impact and generational gaps of workers. Success for any change situation

Health Professions Network 2009 Spring Meetingby Lena T. Spencer, NSH Representative to HPN

is dependent on the transfer of knowledge between employees who are ready to retire and the newly hired. Retention of older employ-ees until there is a replacement can provide the same service to the employer and the patient. The older employee must be encouraged to be a “Change Leader” to help address these needs.

Mr. Stiernagle also addressed the need to use new technology to encourage individuals to investigate health professions as a career; the need for organizations to have a Facebook connec-tion, and having the ability to blog and to Twitter. He suggested that state and national organizations look at their websites. The younger generations are looking for fast, easy access; they are not interested in multilayer sites that require more than a couple of “clicks” to obtain the information needed.

This meeting was particularly interesting to me because I spend my time in the histology laboratory perfecting technical proce-dures, looking at quality issues and turnaround times with little time for anything else. The HPN discussions about change to the status quo, health reform and the substantial changes that will oc-cur, the economic climate, globalization of healthcare and health IT, inspires me to look at the broader picture of healthcare.

The HPN website (www.healthpronet.org) has a link called Workforce Repository, which will provide articles on workforce initiatives from various organizations and white papers addressing issues of advocacy and government relations.

The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Scientists has an interesting video on their website, “A Life Saved: Laboratory Professionals Make a Difference”, a true story of a patient whose diagnosis depends on the expertise of all laboratory professionals. To access the video, log on to the site (www.ascls.org) and click on the link under “What’s New” on the right hand side.

Right: Dr. French’s grossing workshop

Below: Dr. Richard French and Laura Maxwell

Right: Kathy Rohrbach, Kim Simmons, and Aubrey Wanner register attendees

Below: Peggy Wenk and Brenda Royce at the NSH Membership Booth


VOLUME 32, ISSUE NO. 2 JOH CONTINUING EDUCATION

ISSUE DATE: June 2009ARTICLE TITLE: Nonfrozen Transport Medium Preserves and Restores Skeletal Muscle Enzymatic Activity

and MorphologyAUTHOR: Iren Horkayne-Szakaly, Glenn D. Sandberg, Joren Keylock, Elisabeth J. Rushing= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = DIRECTIONS:

1. Answer the following questions by circling the one (1) BEST answer for each question.2. Complete the information required at the bottom of the page.3. Submit completed form by fax to the NSH Office at 443-535-4055, or by mail to:

NSH, 10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite #804, Columbia, MD 21044

To earn Continuing Education credit from NSH, completed form must

be submitted by December 1, 2009.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 1. The muscle biopsy plays an integral role in the evaluation of patients with neuromuscular disease.

True False

2. The frozen muscle specimen is used for:A. immunohistochemical studiesB. enzyme histochemical studiesC. immunofluorescence studiesD. all of the above

3. The ideal temperature to freeze a muscle biopsy is:A. -10 CB. -20 CC. -70 CD. -160 C

4. Muscle biopsy tissue stored in ACTP has been known to restore badly damaged tissue due to freezing artifact.

True False

5. Who was the first person in 1849 to describe pathologic features encountered in skeletal muscle? A. RosaiB. DuchenneC. CummingD. Karpati

6. Cryoprotectants are chemicals that dissolve in water and raise the melting point, thereby reducing the injury of cells during freezing and thawing.

True False

7. The penetrating cryoprotectant ACTP, was originally developed as a tissue transport solution for organs.

True False

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = PLEASE PRINT NEATLY

NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY: _______________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY: _______________________________________ STATE: _________________ ZIP: ______________________

COUNTRY:__________________________________ EMAIL: ____________________________________________


NNSSHH IINN AACCTTIIOONN

SSUUMMMMEERR 22000099 QQUUIICCKK QQUUIIZZ

Answer the 3 questions & earn 0.5 contact hours!

1. What are the most common special stains used for the initial evaluation of a renal biopsy? __________________________________________________

2. Renal biopsies should be cut at _____ microns?

__________________________________________________

3. In the image, what structure is staining intensely black; and what is its primary function?__________________________________________________

4. The “spikes” that are visible in this 1000x magnificationare important for the diagnosis of what disease?__________________________________________________

5. What is another method of visualizing the “spikes”?

_______________________________________________________

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =DIRECTIONS:1. Answer the questions above.2. Complete the contact information required at the bottom of the page.3. Submit completed form by fax to the NSH Office at 443-535-4055, or by mail to:NSH, 10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite #804, Columbia, MD 21044

To earn Continuing Education credit from NSH, completed form must be submitted by Nov. 1, 2009.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =PLEASE PRINT NEATLY

NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY: _______________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY: _______________________________________ STATE: _________________ ZIP: ______________________

COUNTRY:__________________________________ EMAIL: ____________________________________________

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Thank you to Lena Spencer & her lab for submitting the Summer 2009 Quick Quiz.

Do you have any images or ideas for a quick quiz? Submit them to [email protected].

This is an NSH Member Only Benefit


NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HISTOTECHNOLOGY

HOUSE OF DELEGATES

2009 AGENDA ITEM

Date:______________________ Item No.______________________

Subject:

Submitted by:

Discussion Only __________ Motion ___________ Projected Cost $ _______________

Proposal (basic idea)

Justification: Rationale for proposed motion with projected costs and benefits, if approved.Please indicate major points to consider and attach all pertinent information to this proposal.

Motion, if for action: I MOVE THAT

Page _____ of _____

The 2009 House of Delegates will convene on October 7, 2009, at 7:00 pm in Birmingham, Alabama.

Prior to that time, it is the duty of the Speaker of the House to call for agenda items. The HOD Secretary and the Speaker must have your cooperation to prepare an agenda;

therefore the deadline for these items is August 7, 2009.


NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HISTOTECHNOLOGY

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AGENDA ITEM

Date:______________________ Item No.______________________

Subject:

Submitted by:

Discussion Only __________ Motion ___________ Projected Cost $ _______________

Proposal (basic idea)

Justification: Rationale for proposed motion with projected costs and benefits, if approved.Please indicate major points to consider and attach all pertinent information to this proposal.

Motion, if for action: I MOVE THAT

Page ______________

This is a call for agenda items for the Board of Directors Meeting scheduled for Monday, October 5, 2009in Birmingham, Alabama. The BOD will convene at 8:00 am. All members are welcome to attend.

• Agenda items must be received by August 24, 2009.

• Items submitted at the Symposium/Convention must be given to the Secretary with 20 copies.

• Please use the BOD Agenda Item Form and submit to the President and Secretary of the Society.

• Electronic submissions are preferred and items will be placed on the proper agenda form by the Secretary.

Jennifer Hofecker, NSH Secretary Kerry Crabb, [email protected] [email protected]


Bsc news

Biological Stain Commission Annual Meeting Donna Harclerode, NSH Representative to BSC

The Biological Stain Commission (BSC) held its annual meeting on June 5, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the beau-tiful RiverWalk district of San Antonio, TX. Lamar Jones was Chairman of a very successful meeting with manufacturers, PhDs, MDs and other researchers in attendance. The meetings and mem-bership are open to anyone interested in stains or staining.

Shala Masood, MD, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL spoke about the role of a pathologist, especially in communication among caregivers to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment of the breast cancer patient.

Michael R D’Andrea PhD, J&J Research, Springhouse, PA presented excellent images of multiple chromagen immunohis-tochemistry, demonstrating his cancer microtumor environment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. His AD research has identified new theories of AD including “neurons overloaded with intracellular amyloid, a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier, mechanism explaining dense core amyloid plaque formations and a possible role of autoimmunity to the process” (D’Andrea 2009 presentation abstract).

Lamar Jones, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC gave an update on his research to determine optimal fixation and a possible window of optimal fixation and processing parameters for breast tissue. His work is a sampling of fixation time points from 6 -72 hours, fixed with either NBF or “Molecular Fixative” on matched samples of clinical breast cases processed in a standard processor or with microwave processor. This will provide valuable data for all laboratories, when complete, as to the “ideal” processing for clinical breast samples.

Monica Stegall, Dako North America, Carpinteria, CA dis-cussed the use of their new TOP2A PharmDx Kit to assist in prognosis of breast cancer patients. TOP2A gene amplification correlates with a poor prognosis but deletions of this gene are associated with an even poorer prognosis.

Abstracts of guest speakers’ presentations at the Biological Stain Commission’s Annual Meeting and Symposium, 5th June 2009, San Antonio, Texas can be found at http://www.biological-staincommission.org/Abstracts2009.pdf.

Dr. Allen Smith, Barry University, Miami, FL gave 2 presenta-tions. The first was on the difficulty of identifying pre-Paget cells using immunohistochemistry. In his second presentation, Dr. Smith provided images demonstrating methods for the decolor-izing of mucin staining and subsequent restaining for another mucin because of limited tissue sections. Damage to the sections was much less than I expected after restaining. He worked with mucihematein, (decolorized with 2% HCl in 70% ethanol or 1% periodic acid for 10 minutes), Alcian blue (decolorized with 5% trifluoroacetate for 10 minutes and acid alcohol to remove the nuclear fast red counterstain), PAS (3% H2O2 for 72 hours, but it will damage aldehydes) and Collodial Iron (6% sodium hypo-chlorite, does not actually destain, but turns the tissues yellow and nuclei do not stain with subsequent staining).

The hematoxylin shortage is over, due to the hard work of the manufacturers (half of the dye certified by BSC in 2008 was from Abbey Color Company) and the BSC lab. Chad Fagan and Dr. Hicks tested more but smaller lots of hematoxylin. Even with the increased number of dye lots, Chad was able to reduce the aver-age certification time from 3-4 weeks to 2-3 weeks in 2008! The demand for certified hematoxylin has doubled in the last 5 years and BSC sees no problem in meeting the need for certification.

It was discussed that the BSC would like more manufacturers to attend the meetings. Sakura and Abbey Color were in attendance and some options were discussed to improve attendance by the manufacturers, as they are critical to our work, ie the hematoxylin shortage of the last 2 years.

BSC will look into standardization of IHC and possible certi-fication of chromogens used in IHC. The biggest issue is lack of personnel to perform the additional testing. Standardization and labeling of all reagents used in laboratories was also discussed.

The 2010 meeting is scheduled for Rochester, NY on June 4. On June 5 we are hoping to have a day of histology classes for local histotechs, with CEU’s available for both day’s presentations.

Summer 2009 NSH in action 1�Summer 2009 NSH in action 1�

committee news

Quality ControlWilliam DeSalvo, QC Committee Chair

What is the Quality Control Committee? What does the Quality Control Committee offer? What do you want the Quality Control Committee to do for you? Why do I care about the Quality Control Committee? Where can I get a control tissue block? These and other questions have been floating around in my head for the past several months; but the one I have struggled with the most is, what is it the members want or need from the QCC?

Hi, my name is William DeSalvo, BS, HTL(ASCP). I was appointed last year as the Quality Control Committee Chair by Kerry Crabb. I work in a large integrated hospital/reference lab and have been involved in quality and process improvement, utilizing Six Sigma and LEAN for the past 6 years. I believe that my need to find somebody who has already worked out my problem so I can move on to work on something else, is also one of your needs. Essentially, I believe we are all looking to expand our personal networks of experts who will be there when we need them and provide an opportunity for discussion. That is what I believe the QCC is about and the resource that can be available to all.

What I want: is the ability to solve problems and improve the process as I go along. What I want: is a friendly voice and suggestions to guide me in the right direction. What I want: is to expand the service of this committee. And to do these things, I need many more members willing to share and be a resource for Quality Control, Quality Assurance and Quality Management issues.

I know what you are thinking: I got my own problems, how can I be a resource; and anyway, who wants to listen to me? Think it through again. With today’s challenges in histology, we can’t afford not to get involved with each other and offer help. Patients/cus-tomers depend upon us to quickly solve problems, seek process improvement and provide the best quality product and service.

The QC Committee currently provides a valuable service to the histology community as a clearinghouse for trading control tissues and blocks through our Tissue Bank, but that must not be what defines us. There are a growing number of issues facing histotechnol-ogy—error reduction, productivity improvement, quality improvement, quality assurance, process improvement and the growing technician/technologist shortage—that demand a focused effort from a diverse perspective.

I will work to direct this committee towards the following:• Support the committee table at the NSH S/C• Maintain, catalog, promote and expand the use of the Tissue Bank• Develop and support task and technique standardization procedures and materials• Develop and support quality control documentation procedures and materials• Develop and support workflow/workload procedures and materials• Develop and support quality assurance procedures and materialsI look forward to working with many members to expand the resource support of this

committee to the members. Please contact me with suggestions, questions or your interest in helping others at [email protected] or through the NSH office.

See you in Birmingham!

Public RelationsPaul Billings, PR Committee Chair

Well, as my Grandmother used to say, “Where is the time going?” It seems like yesterday when we first started talking about the Birmingham venue; but in real-ity, it has been over 5 years.

I am so excited about having you join me in my home town for a truly southern experience. I am certain that by now each of you has received your registration pro-gram containing a multitude of lectures, seminars, workshops and displays. I hope you will take the program provided to you and use it to your fullest advantage.

Along with the learning edge, I en-courage you to also make time for all the wonderful parties provided by vendors, as this is a great way not only to have fun but meet many new people and network within our profession. It will astonish you how a relationship can be built during one of these events that will last a lifetime. Avail yourself of every opportunity while at this year’s Symposium/Convention, then return home with new knowledge, ideas and friendships.

First-TimersFirst Time Attendee Event is Friday, Oct. 2. If this is your first time to the S/C, stop by to meet with long-time NSH members and Convention attendees, and get to know the PR Committee. Can’t make the Event? Visit the PR Committee table in the Registration area, where we will give you a crash course on social activities, committee meetings and vendor exhibits. Find a variety of NSH merchandise in the NSH Marketplace. Stop by for information on Histotechnology Day and the contests going on that week.


committee news

Veterinary, Industrial, ResearchJudi Stasko, VIR Committee Chair

Life has been busy for me as the VIR Chair. The transition is going smoothly, as I am hearing from many of you — which I truly appreciate. There is much to be learned yet, but this is not meant to be done by one person. Keep the ideas coming.

As we look ahead, many of you are looking over the NSH Symposium/Convention program. There are lots of great VIR workshops to pick from; and don’t forget the scientific sessions and posters. Make sure you put the VIR Committee meeting on your agenda. It is being held on Saturday during lunch. This is a great opportunity to network with others. If you aren’t able to make it, please share your comments and ideas with me.

Speaking of networking and resources, the Animal Processing Manual — which can be purchased through NSH — is an awe-some resource! It gives you processing schedules from small to large animals, dental and bone, as well as eyes. There is a section that covers special tissues such as marine, reptiles and other unique species. There is even a section on plastics covering GMA and MMA. I highly recommend adding this reference to your library.

The VIR mini-symposium is still being planned. Stay tuned as we make further plans for this one day learning opportunity. If you have a topic that you would like to see covered or if you would like to speak on a topic, please contact me.

I still want to hear from you what it is that you want from this committee, or visions as to how this committee can best serve your needs. In other words, what can we do for you? Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 515-663-7445. I look forward to hearing from you! Remember: an organization is only as great as its members!

Nominations and ElectionCindy Higgerson, Nominations and Election Committee Chair

Call for Nominations for Board of Directors Election

The Nominations and Election Committee is responsible for receiving nominations for the elective offices of NSH and present-ing a slate of candidates in secret ballot form to active members of the Society. Elections occur every two years, with the newly elected members of the Board of Directors assuming their offices at the close of the House of Delegates during the election year. New officers would begin their service in October 2010. Each officer serves a two-year term and cannot serve more than three consecutive terms in the same office.

The Nominations and Election Committee seeks your assis-tance in identifying potential nominees for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Region Director of each of NSH’s nine regions. The committee kicks off its nominations efforts at the Annual Symposium/Convention in Birmingham; however, it is never too early to start looking for potential candi-dates! Please stop by the committee table in Birmingham, where we will have job descriptions for each of the offices, nomination forms, as well as be available to answer questions you may have about the nomination/election process, and to accept nominations. The committee’s goal is to receive at least two nominees for each office by the close of the S/C. Any member in good standing is eli-gible to nominate a colleague; self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged. Nominations may be submitted after the convention to the committee chair or your region’s committee representative. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 26, 2010.

Qualifications for NSH Board of Director positions are:Region Director - Nominees for Regional Director must be

an active member in good standing for two (2) years prior to nomination and reside in the Region represented.

Officer - Nominees for NSH officer positions must be an active member in good standing for (2) consecutive years immediately prior to election. Candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President also must have served at least one full term on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors includes elected Officers, the Speaker of the House, and Regional Directors.

Electronic Balloting

Last year at the S/C in Pittsburgh, the Nominations and Election Committee recommended that the Society move to elec-tronic balloting prior to the next election, and introduced a motion in the House of Delegates that the Board of Directors investigate electronic balloting and present a report to the 2009 HOD.

The Board of Directors and the Nominations and Election Committee have been hard at work on the issue of electronic bal-loting. We are excited about the progress being made and hope to have everything in place for the next election. Watch for updates on upcoming changes to the election process!

Newly elected officers and region directors are sworn in after the conclusion of the House of Delegates at the 2008 NSH S/C.

Summer 2009 NSH in action 1�Summer 2009 NSH in action 1�

Newcomer-Newcomer AwardsNewcomer Supply has made (9) $500 scholarships available for first-time attendees to the NSH Symposium/Convention. Requirements for the Newcomer-Newcomer Award:

• I am a member of NSH• I need the additional funding• I will utilize the funds to attend the Symposium/

Convention within the next two years• I am a first time attendee to the S/C, or I have

not attended a symposium in at least 5 yearsOne recipient from each region will be chosen by random drawing. Application deadline is August 15. Apply online through the NSH website (www.nsh.org).

committee news

AwardsJean Mitchell, Awards Committee Chair

The recipients of the 2009 NSH Awards have been chosen and will be announced Sunday evening, October 4th at the NSH Annual Awards Banquet and at the General Membership Meeting, Tuesday October 6th in Birmingham, Alabama. Please plan to attend both of these events and be witness to your colleagues as they are deservedly recognized and honored for their achieve-ments in histotechnology.

I began over a year ago profiling outstanding individuals who have unselfishly given their time and talents to the profession of histotechnology and also have NSH Awards/Scholarships/Memorials sponsored in their honor. The majority of NSH Awards are sponsored by companies, but a few awards are per-sonally sponsored by individuals. One such individual is Dr. James McCormick who sponsors, and lends his name to, the J.B. McCormick M.D. Award.

J.B. McCormick M.D. Award for distinguished service to NSH: In 1978, Dr. James McCormick wanted the opportunity to bring thanks, recognition and a career-bonded friendship be-tween the best of NSH professionals and a senior practitioner of histotechnology (himself) with his creation and sponsorship of the J.B. McCormick M.D. Award. The award is meant as a modest offering of gratitude for the recipients to receive recognition for their exceptional service to NSH. In the words of Dr. McCormick: “My great good fortune is to enjoy a continuing opportunity of working as a pathologist with the energy of my hands dedicated to improving the instruments and systems of histotechnology, while the energy of my mind has worked with improved diagnostic tis-sue slide preparations produced by our combined efforts. The J.B. McCormick M.D. Award is an expression of my gratitude for the joy and success of our working together and I have every hope that we will continue our partnership into the distant future.”

For the past 31 years, the recipients of this award have been distinguished among their peers and represent the body of the histotechnology profession. Past recipients of the J.B. McCormick M.D. Award include: Lee Luna, Antonio Villanueva, Jules Elias, Dezna Sheehan, Freida Carson, Charles Churukian, Lamar Jones, Marilyn Gamble, Kerry Crabb, Sumiko Sumida and 21 other outstanding leaders of histotechnology. A complete listing of re-cipients can be found at: www.nsh.org > Awards & Scholarships > Past Award Recipients.

On the evening of October 4th, 2009 the 32nd recipient of the J.B. McCormick M.D. Award will be announced. This person will receive a functioning 18th century reproduction microscope and an eight-book boxed set of the Science Heritage Library, concern-ing the history of the microscope and histotechnology. They will also receive the admiration of Dr. James McCormick.

Hard TissueJack Ratliff, Hard Tissue Committee Chair

As this season comes to a close, I hope that everyone had a rewarding summer and was afforded the opportunity to attend one or more of the many state and/or regional society meetings. There were several excellent programs to choose from and it was especially good to see HTC representation. In fact, I would like to personally thank those of you who presented one or more of those relevant “Hard Tissue” workshops. I firmly believe that contribut-ing to, and/or participating in, continuing education is not only vital to our personal and professional growth, but also crucial to the development and success of others within our “niche”.

Looking ahead to the NSH Symposium/Convention this Fall in Birmingham, I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the Hard Tissue Committee meeting that will be held Saturday afternoon from 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm. If it is at all possible, I strongly encourage you to attend, as this is our yearly opportunity to gather with others within our area of specialty and a time where you can actively participate in the future direction of the committee.

With that said, I call on you to forward any ideas and/or sug-gestions you might have for the committee ASAP so that they can be added to the HTC meeting agenda. I already have several exciting things I look forward to discussing with you and there is still plenty of room to add to the list. Please send your agenda topics to [email protected] or feel free to contact me directly at 317-281-1975. See you in Birmingham!


society news

Continuing Education:Did you know?

Aubrey M.J. Wanner, NSH Meeting Manager

NSH has been working hard in the last couple of years to im-prove member access to continuing education at limited expense or no expense to our members. For example:Did you know that as an NSH member you have access to 8 free hours of continuing education each year?• Each issue of the Journal of Histotechnology designates an

article available for credit. Read the article then answer the accompanying CEU Test for credits. Tests and designated articles can be found on the NSH website (nsh.org>JOH>Earn CE Credit)

• Each issue of our member newsletter, NSH In Action, features a Quick Quiz. Complete the quiz and return it for credit.

• New this year: NSH members who serve in leadership roles or actively participate on NSH committees can earn 2 contact hours a year. For those of you tracking hours for your CMP, these hours are approved and accepted by ASCP.

Did you know that NSH Teleconferences are available for purchase to individuals through the NSH Live Learning Center?• Priced at only $25 per teleconference, this is a great way for

an individual to earn credit hours in a specific subject area or fill in those remaining gaps for your CMP.

Did you know you can earn credit hours for presenting a scientific poster or presenting a workshop at an NSH event or State meeting?• Earn 3 contact hours for presenting a poster at the Annual

Symposium/Convention. • Members can receive credit for preparation time as well as

classroom time spent actually presenting a workshop. Did you know that sessions from the 2009 Summer Symposium are available for sale through the Live Learning Center?• Has your training budget been cut? Did you want to attend the

Summer Symposium but couldn’t? All twelve workshops are available (audio & Powerpoint) for $35 per workshop or $249 for the complete set. Just like our teleconferences, this a great way to fill in those remaining gaps for your CMP.

Did you know that NSH members can print summaries of their contact hours by year or event through “My NSH”?• Don’t forget documentation of your hours is available 24/7

through your “My NSH” account online at nsh.org. For questions about Continuing Education opportunities or

your hours, please contact the NSH Office at 443-535-4060 or via email at [email protected].

2009 House of Delegatessubmitted by Janet Tunnicliffe, Speaker, HOD

Did you know that the delegates in the House of Delegates are the NSH members that effect change in the Society? The HOD directs the Board of Directors as to what changes should take place in the Society. The BOD then reports back to the delegates with a proposal of how and when the change could take place; the delegates have a final opportunity to discuss, revise or approve the process. The NSH bylaws define the entire structure and function of how the Society operates. Therefore, a large portion of the HOD meeting is devoted to the review and revision of Society bylaws, with each delegate having the responsibility of understanding the current bylaw and the impact of the suggested change will have on the membership. The power of the House of Delegates resides with the members, not the NSH President.

The delegates are the chosen few who speak for all, or at least fifty members, within each state, province or region. I encourage you to support the delegates by providing them with the informa-tion they need from the members to rise and speak to issues or vote on bylaw changes that could possibly affect your membership; and changes that will certainly guide the direction of the Society.

Agendas will be sent out August 26th as per the bylaws to allow delegates to have the agenda thirty days prior to the meeting.

Delegates: I urge you to use this time to reach out to the members you represent and ask their opinions on the agenda items so that you can be prepared to voice their opinions and vote the way your state members want to you to vote.

I look forward to seeing and hearing from all the delegates on October 7, 2009 in Birmingham Alabama.To submit an agenda item for consideration at the 2009 House of Delegates, please use the form on page 12.

Histotechnology: A Self-Instructional Text (3rd Ed)Authors: Freida L. Carson; Christa Hladik

An indispensable teaching tool and reference: – A “must” for histotechnologists preparing for the ASCP HTL certifying examination – Histotechnology has been completely updated; new coverage includes chapters on immunohistochemistry and molecular techniques and cytopreparation.

ASCP Press, www.ascp.org

Summer 2009 NSH in action 19

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lNSH IN ACTION© 2009 National Society for HistotechnologyNSH IN ACTION is published by NSH and is a benefit of membership in the National Society for Histotechnology.

National Society for Histotechnology10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 804

Columbia, MD 21044Website .........................................www.nsh.orgE-mail ........................................... [email protected] ......................................... 443-535-4060Fax ...............................................443-535-4055

Janet C. Dapson, Editor6951 East AB AvenueRichland, MI 49083

E-mail [email protected] ..........................................269-629-5268Fax ............................................... 269-629-0191

NSH OfficersPresident......................................... Kerry CrabbVice President ......................Elizabeth SheppardSecretary ................................Jennifer HofeckerTreasurer ........................................Diane SterchiImmediate Past President Vinnie Della SperanzaSpeaker, HOD ........................... Janet TunnicliffeSecretary, HOD ............................... Rose Clarke

NSH Region DirectorsRegion I ...........................................Angela FoggRegion II .........................................Carol BaroneRegion III ......................................Jerry SantiagoRegion IV ....................................... Monty HytonRegion V ......................................Konnie ZeitnerRegion VI .......................................... Melissa HillRegion VII ....................................Andi GranthamRegion VIII ................................. Kathy RohrbachRegion IX ................................ Heather Nymeyer

NSH CommitteesAwards ...........................................Jean MitchellBudget & Finance ....................... Paula SufficoolBylaws .............................................. Mark ElliottContinuing Education .....................Rick GrahamCredentials ................................Rae StaskiewiczConvention ....................................Kim SimmonsEducation ......................................Christa HladikHard Tissue ....................................... Jack RatliffHealth & Safety .......................... Maureen DoranHistorian ........................................... Skip BrownImmunohistochemistry...............Anita OstranderJudicial ..........................................Lena SpencerLegislation ...............................Colleen L. ForsterMembership ................................. Barbara BujakNominations-Elections ............. Cindy HiggersonPublic Relations ...............................Paul BillingsQuality Control .......................... William DeSalvoVIR ................................................... Judi Stasko

NSH AppointmentsBiological Stain Commission .Donna HarclerodeBoard of Registry .......................Marilyn GambleEducational Resources ..............Carrie DiamondHealth Professionals Network .......Lena SpencerTeleconference/Internet ..................Peggy WenkEditor, JOH ...............................Karen J. L. BurgNAACLS .............................Jennifer MacDonaldCLSI ....................................... Janet Kliethermes

Histotechnology DayMelissa Hill, Region VI Director

The medical laboratory is made up of many different professions, each requir-ing its own level of education and expertise. The profession that is nearest and dearest to me is histotechnology.

Although many may be unaware of the important role that the histotechnologist plays in providing a diagnosis for the patient, we are the group of professionals who combine our technical skills with scientific knowledge to perform a wide range of tissue-related procedures in our laboratories. We go above and beyond to prepare and stain tissue sections in a variety of ways to enable the patholo-gist to identify an underlying disease. We are artists in every sense of the word. We have learned to work with limited amounts of very small tissue, very large tissue, over-fixed and under-fixed tissue and just about any other kind of tissue you can imagine. Some of us work in state-of-the-art laboratories and hospitals while others of us work in the windowless basements of our facilities (otherwise known to some as “the dungeon”). Some of us work in pathology laboratories, while others work in veterinary, industry or research laboratories.

Whatever your case may be, we have all done our best to create and deliver quality work because we know that only the best will do. We have given our all, sacrificed our time, sometimes given up vacation days or important events to help others because we know there is a sick person behind every piece of tissue we touch. We are usually the unseen, unknown or forgotten spoke in the wheel of medical related professions.

We celebrate along with technologists in other fields of medicine during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, but now is time we shine the spotlight directly on us. At the 2008 Board of Directors meeting in Pittsburgh, a task force was created to develop a Histotechnology Day. I am proud to tell you that we have finally succeeded! Our first Annual Histotechnology Day will be observed March 10, 2010. A t-shirt contest has been announced. We are looking for logo designs and slogans. The designs will be placed online at the NSH website so members can see the creations that have been received.

NSH is creating a toolkit consisting of a sample press release, a proclamation that may be signed by your community’s mayor or state governor, suggestions for publicizing the event, etc. Our goal is to have the kit available for you in October at the S/C in Birmingham — all the tools necessary to take back to your respec-tive facilities to aid in planning Histotechnology Day celebrations.

NSH and some state societies have been working to educate students about histotechnology with the Career Day program. In creating Histotechnology Day, our hope is to bring awareness of histotechnology to the public as well as practitioners of other professions in healthcare.

Sometimes you have to “toot your own horn” to be heard. March 10, 2010 will be all about us. We are very excited about Histotechnology Day. We hope that you will join our efforts in proudly celebrating histologists everywhere and all that we do!

in action

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National Society for Histotechnology10320 Little Patuxent ParkwaySuite 804Columbia, MD 21044

reminders & announcements

Join the JOH Writing Partnership Program:A Rewarding Experience For All

The Journal of Histotechnology is once again seeking volunteers for the Writing Partnership Program (WPP) to assist individuals in the process of writing a manuscript for the Journal. Often, individuals writing their first manuscript on histotechnology relating new methods, modifications, or technical hints need guidance through the publishing process. Writing Partners will help these individuals with manuscript composition using the JOH “information for authors” guidelines.Ideally, WPP volunteers should have skill in scientific writing, a previous publication in JOH, and expertise in any area of histotechnology, e.g. clinical or research. Mentoring will be particularly helpful to the inexperienced or those whose first language is not English, in order to produce a final, quality publication in JOH. Volunteer Writing Partners must value diplomacy, confidentiality, privacy, patience, and constructive criticism, while providing examples and encouraging the author to write in his or her unique style. The WPP editorial processes may all be accomplished via e-mail communication. Please contact Gayle Callis, Assistant Editor of the Journal of Histotechnology ([email protected] or 406-570-5978) if you are interested in serving as a Writing Partner. Your help is greatly appreciated.

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Volume 36, Number 3 Summer 2009 in action - NSH

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