Honors received by UIS faculty, alumnus at national CLS meeting

Paula Garrott, interim director of the Science Division and Emeritus Associate Professor of Clinical Laboratory Science at the University of Illinois Springfield, received the Robin H. Mendelson Memorial Award at the recent national convention of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS).

Garrott was nominated for the award by the Board of Directors for her continuing advocacy for clinical laboratory science and her work as chair of the Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce (CCCLW) over the past three years. As chair of CCCLW, Garrott led the cooperative effort of medical laboratory stakeholders to ensure an adequate supply of laboratory professionals.

The Robin H. Mendelson Memorial Award was established in 1971 to honor the memory of a young man who struggled for five years to survive kidney dialysis and two transplants during the infancy of the technology. The award honors outstanding service and contributions to clinical laboratory science, and Garrott is one of few people who have received this award multiple times.

Only the president, officers and representatives of ASCLS are eligible for the Mendelson Award. The award was presented at the national meeting held July 21 to 25 in Chicago.

Also at the national meeting, Dr. Timothy Randolph, a 1983 graduate the UIS Clinical Laboratory Science program, was elected to be Region VI Director and to serve on the Board of Directors of ASCLS. He was also awarded the Grant-in-Aid, Unrestricted, for research in clinical laboratory science. Randolph is currently an associate professor at St. Louis University.

ASCLS is the preeminent organization for clinical laboratory science practitioners, providing dynamic leadership and vigorous promotion of all aspects of clinical laboratory science practice, education and management to ensure excellent, accessible cost-effective laboratory services for the consumers of health care.

For more information, contact Linda McCown, director of the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program at UIS, at 217/206-7550, or Paula Garrott at 217/206-7348.