American Association for Clinical Chemistry

American Association for Clinical Chemistry The American Association for Clinical Chemistry is a professional organization founded in 1948 that represents laboratory medicine professionals, clinical chemists, and diagnostic scientists across the United States and internationally. It engages with stakeholders from institutions such as National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and American Society for Clinical Pathology to influence policy, standards, and practice in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. The association collaborates with entities including College of American Pathologists, European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Association for Molecular Pathology, and American Medical Association on guidelines, advocacy, and education.

History

The organization was founded in 1948 amid post-World War II developments involving figures and institutions such as American Chemical Society, National Academy of Sciences, Rockefeller Foundation, Institute of Medicine, and American Association for the Advancement of Science as laboratory medicine expanded in hospitals like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Early leaders worked alongside researchers from Harvard Medical School, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Stanford University, and University of Chicago to formalize clinical chemistry practices and reference methods with input from laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. Over decades, the association responded to technological advances from companies and centers including Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers, Abbott Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, while engaging with regulatory milestones such as actions by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments and collaborations with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Mission and Activities

The association’s mission emphasizes quality in laboratory testing through partnerships with organizations like Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists', Association of Public Health Laboratories, American Association of Blood Banks, and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Core activities include developing practice guidelines with groups such as Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American College of Cardiology, and Endocrine Society; advocating before bodies like Congress of the United States, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Health Resources and Services Administration, Government Accountability Office, and Office of Management and Budget; and supporting research initiatives with partners including National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Publications and Journals

The association publishes peer-reviewed journals and periodicals that disseminate research and standards, collaborating with publishers and editorial boards tied to entities such as Nature Publishing Group, Elsevier, Oxford University Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, and Springer Nature. Signature publications have connections to scholars from institutions like Yale School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, and McGill University and cover topics intersecting with societies including American Association for the Advancement of Science, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Education and Training

Education programs and certification support are provided in collaboration with credentialing and training organizations such as American Board of Clinical Chemistry, American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification, National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and academic partners at University of Illinois Chicago, Purdue University, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Duke University School of Medicine, and Emory University School of Medicine. The association offers continuing education credits aligned with standards from Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, American Board of Medical Specialties, National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Federation of American Scientists.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual meetings and specialty conferences draw delegates and exhibitors including representatives from American Society of Hematology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Thoracic Society, European Society of Cardiology, and Society for Neuroscience, and feature symposia with speakers from Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology. These events engage trade partners such as Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers, Abbott Laboratories, Beckman Coulter, and BD, and coordinate with certification boards including American Board of Pathology and American Board of Medical Microbiology.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises clinical chemists, laboratory directors, researchers, and allied professionals associated with organizations and institutions like American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, Association of Public Health Laboratories, College of American Pathologists, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and academic centers such as University of Washington, University of California, Los Angeles, Northwestern University, Cornell University, and Brown University. Governance includes elected officers, a board of directors, and committees modeled on structures used by American Medical Association, American Bar Association, American Nurses Association, American Psychological Association, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Category:Medical associations based in the United States