Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Author Information:
Heather MacDonald, M(ASCP), MB(ASCP) has over 10 years of clinical laboratory experience and oversees a Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. She is currently the Advanced Diagnostics Manager for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in Georgia. Along with performing routine diagnostic assays, implementing laboratory-developed qualitative and quantitative molecular assays (both singleplex and multiplex) is her primary focus. Heather has published numerous articles and presents her research at national and international meetings. She has also worked with numerous corporations to bring commercial assays to market.
Robert C. Jerris, PhD, D(ABMM) is currently the Medical Director of Clinical Microbiology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in GA. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Jerris has directed clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostic laboratories for over 30 years. In that time, he has developed and brought to market a number of clinical laboratory systems and assays. He is well published and presents his research at national and international meetings. As the current Chair of the American Society for Microbiology's Professional Affairs Committee, Dr. Jerris is committed to the workforce and regulatory oversight for clinical laboratories.
Reviewer Information: Rita Austin, DHEd, MLS(ASCP)CM, SMCM has been teaching in the Medical Laboratory Science Department at Farmingdale State College (part of the State University of New York) for 13 years and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor. She has been responsible for the development and delivery of all Clinical Microbiology content and also teaches Laboratory Research and Education. She has facilitated the Blood Bank and Immunology Laboratory courses as well. She maintains her expertise through continued practice as a per diem NY State Licensed Clinical Laboratory Technologist in a local Health System's Regional Microbiology Laboratory where her employment spans 36 years. Her BS degree in Medical Technology was earned in 1987 at New York Institute of Technology. She earned her MS in Medical Biology with a specialization in Microbiology from Long Island University in 2009, and her Doctorate in Health Education from A.T. Still University's College of Graduate Studies in 2019. She is certified by the ASCP as a Medical Laboratory Scientist and as a Specialist in Microbiology. Research interests include Interprofessional Education which has resulted in a publication and several poster presentations. She has participated in several textbook reviews and has co-authored chapters in a microbiology textbook.
Course Description: This course will briefly describe the basic principles of MALDI-TOF MS through the preexamination, examination, and postexamination phases and update the laboratorian to current applications of this technique.
