BLD alums achieve top honors at ASCLS annual meeting
Two Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program (BLD) alumni were honored at this summer’s American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) Joint Annual Meeting in Pittsburg, PA.
Janice Conway-Klaassen, Ph.D., MLS(ASCP)cm/SMcm, FACSc, who graduated in 1974 with her Bachelor of Science in
Medical Technology, was awarded the ASCLS 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Conway-Klaassen said winning the award was 'truly an honor'.
"I am so grateful to be recognized by my colleagues for my work in the field of laboratory science," she said. "I also want to thank the mentors and colleagues who supported and encouraged me along the way."
Conway-Klaassen is currently a Professor Emeritus in Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Minnesota. Previously, she served as the Program Director of the Medical Laboratory Science Program for nearly 13 years at the University of Minnesota.
Grace Leu-Burke, MSCLS MLS(ASCP), who graduated from BLD in 2016 with a Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science, was awarded 1st place in the Professional Category for the ASCLS Poster Competition.
Leu-Burke's poster focused on the increase in multi-drug resistant bacteria found in moose, including organisms considered by the Centers for Disease Control to be a significant health risk.
Leu-Burke is currently the Program Director of the Medical Laboratory Science Program and Associate Professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. She teaches clinical microbiology, advanced immunology, and research methods and molecular diagnostics.
