Medical Lab Professional Week
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
Hidden away in hospital laboratories across the country is a group of heroes responsible for getting the results health care teams rely on every day. While their contributions to health care often go unnoticed, once a year, we take the time to recognize these outstanding individuals during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week.
Medical laboratory professionals are at the heart of a patient-centered health care team, managing labs and running tests that will inform diagnosis and treatment. Since the development of this specialization in the 1920s, medical lab professionals have played an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical lab professionals were at the forefront of the nation's response, helping to expedite and deliver test results at a rapid pace with the utmost precision. There is perhaps no better time for us to pause and reflect on medical lab professionals’ contributions to health care than now. Join the Parkinson School this week as we celebrate our medical laboratory students and our faculty at Loyola University Chicago and beyond!
The Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health along with its Medical Laboratory Sciences program invite you to celebrate the week by participating in one of the following activities and events and learning more about the profession:
The History of Blood Banking
A blood bank is a center where blood products are prepared and stored for later use in blood transfusions.
From the time human beings have been aware of the life-giving qualities of blood, they would begin to consider transferring that substance from one to another. Through this method, we have arrived at the concept of transfusion therapy, and, by the 20th century, the "Blood Bank." This lecture will provide valuable information on how blood transfusion practicies have evolved over time and the "Blood Bank" was first created.
Monday, April 25, 2022
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Lab Week Run
Loyola’s medical laboratory science students will take part in the seventh annual virtual 5K during Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. Step out of the lab and into your communities to help spread the word about the medical laboratory profession!
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
12-1 p.m.
The Clinical Utility of COVID Serology Testing
Medical laboratory professionals were essential in keeping up with the high demand of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, including at Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Medicine.
In the battle against COVID-19, one of the tools available to physicians is a laboratory test that is able to detect our body's immune response to a previous exposure to the virus. As part of our natural defense against invading infectious agents, special white blood cells in our bodies form antibodies against specific components of viral pathogens. These antibodies recognize, bind, and neutralize the ability of viruses to replicate within our cells.
At Loyola, the laboratory test for COVID antibodies specifically detects antibodies that form after an infection. These antibodies recognize the nucleocapsid antigen, or core area of the virus that contains its replication components. The identification of these specific antibodies help to differentiate between the response to a natural infection and that of a post-vaccination response in which antibodies form only against the spike protein component of this virus, which prevents the virus from gaining entry into our cells.
This lecture will provide insight into the laboratory validation of these methods, and explore the ongoing clinical utility of these underappreciated, yet essential serologic markers in the identification of the immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Lab Week Celebration
In honor of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, students in the Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science program will come together and celebrate on Thursday for a series of lab-related games. This event is only open to Parkinson students. For more information, contact Julie Huynh.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
12-1 p.m.