Clinical Chemistry 43: 2016, 1997;
(Clinical Chemistry. 1997;43:2016.)
© 1997 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.
Complied by David E. Bruns, Editor (dbruns@aacc.org)
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Van Slyke Summer Fellowship Program Awards Five Grants
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Funded by a grant from Dade International, the Van Slyke
Society, the AACC's philanthropic arm, awarded five summer fellowships
to students to undertake research projects in clinical laboratory
science at participating institutions. The program operates as follows:
Mentors submit proposals for research projects and select and supervise
students to help with research. Each project lasts 6 to 8 weeks, during
which time the students learn about the standard activities of the
clinical laboratory. At summer's end the mentors and students prepare
reports for AACC about their research projects.
Recipients of this year's awards and their projects were: Sowmini
Gudimetla (Mentor: N.Y. Zachariah, PhD, Osteopathic Medical Center of
Texas, Fort Worth, TX), Simultaneous determination of some
antidepressants using HPLC methods; Alex Grinshpun (Mentor: Nader
Rifai, PhD, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA), Analytical and
diagnostic performance of a homogeneous LDL cholesterol assay; Nguyet
T. Tran (Mentor: Alan H. Wu, PhD, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT),
Evaluation of the triage panel cardiac markers; Maria Wildtroudt
(Mentor: John A. Lott, PhD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH),
Markers of autoimmunity in patients with type I diabetes; and Mollie
Eaton (Mentor: Rhonda K. Roby, Prince George's County Police
Department, Landover, MD), Reduced volume amplification reactions for
STR analysis by capillary electrophoresis.
Applications for this program are available each October; awards are
made the following April 1. For information, contact Allison Colombel
at AACC, phone 800-892-1400 or 202-857-0717.
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Modern Medicine?
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We reprint here, with the author's permission, an Editorial worth
reading.
Reflections
It is apparent that during the latter part of this century, clinical
scientists, medical practitioners, and workers in the allied fields are
being gradually persuaded into a culture of "work for profit."
Efforts are being made to change medicine and its allies from a
profession to a business. This new culture has developed largely as a
result of governmental procedures that regulate the cost of medical
care through insurance organizations whose business is to operate for
profit. When I graduated from medical school, my classmates and I took
the Hippocratic Oath as our ethical guide to the practices of our
calling. Our mission was to teach followers in the health sciences; to
undertake research for the advancement of our profession; and to take
care of the sick and injured to the best of our abilities regardless of
their financial status and their capabilities to pay. As a profession,
we became engaged in a culture that was "non-profit" as compared to
a business which is "for profit."
To refresh the memories of those of us who have taken the Hippocratic
Oath and pledged adherence to its principles, the last statement is as
follows:
"If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my
art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or
violate it, may the reverse be my lot."
—F. William Sunderman, Sr., MD, PhD (Ann Clin Lab Sci, 1997)
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Ersatz Journal Articles
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An increasing number of "reprints" that cross my desk are made
to look like articles from peer-reviewed journals, but are not. This
old marketing trick is intended to gain the credibility of a scientific
publication without the requisite effort. The deception is being used
in the marketing of instruments and drugs and in self-promotion of
individuals and groups. Sadly, many unwary individuals may be taken in.
Here are ways to spot such ephemera:
- No journal name on the reprint (or the name is unfamiliar). Reprints
from reputable journals include the statement "Reprinted from [name
of journal]." (Reprints from Clinical Chemistry that do
not carry this statement are not reprints but photocopies that probably
violated AACC's copyright.)
- No author name.
- No description of statistical methods.
- Wording such as "easy to use," "built-in," "exceptional,"
"automatic," "exclusive," "breakthrough," "very easy,"
"very [any adjective]," "eliminates [errors]," and
"comprehensive"; and any words used as if they had been
operationally defined in the document, but were not, e.g., accurate,
reliable, precise, sensitive, specific, and "real accuracy."
We welcome additions to this list.
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Meetings
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Gene Mutational Analysis: Advances in Detection,
Diagnostics, Databases, and Clinical Applications, November
16–17, 1997, Princess Hotel, Hamilton, Bermuda. Information: Cambridge
Healthtech Institute, 1037 Chestnut St., Newton Upper Falls, MA 02164;
phone 617-630-1300; fax 617-630-1325; e-mail chi@healthtech. com.
Antibody Engineering: New Technology, Application &
Commercialization, December 3–5, 1997, Hotel Del Coronado,
Coronado, CA. Information: IBC USA Conferences, Inc., 225 Turnpike Rd.,
Southborough, MA 01722-1749; phone 508-481-6400; fax
508-481-7911; e-mail ing@ibcusa. com.
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Van Slyke Summer Fellowship...
Modern Medicine?
