4th International Conference On Quality
Contributed by Rosa I. Sierra-Amor, PhD, National Representative IFCC, Mexican Association of Clinical Biochemistry.
On July 15th, 2009, the 4th International Conference on Quality was transmitted by Internet from the IMSS Medical Center Auditorium “Century XXI” in Mexico City, to 9 sites in Latin America and to 12 provinces in Mexico. In total, there were 1.604 attendees, health professionals in medical laboratory and blood bank specialists.
This event, as in the past, was held under the IFCC auspices, and the Mexican Association of Clinical Biochemistry, the Mexican Federation of Clinical Pathologists, and the Mexican College of Clinical Chemists. The IFCC National Societies from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay also gave their auspices to this event, The support and collaboration of BIO-RAD representatives from the above listed countries helped to have a full program put in place.
Dr Graham Beastal, President IFCC sent his welcome message to the audience by video clip from London, UK. His message highlighted the conference by allowing all participants to meet him as the representative of the IFCC Board and membership. This was possible with the help of BIO-RAD UK and BIO-RAD Mexico/Latin America.
M. Octavio Zendejas, BIO-RAD Latin America director, opened the conference wishing everyone a very successful event and declared that this virtual meeting would definitely increase the knowledge and understanding of quality concepts, not just in one country but region-wise wit a common aim of improving patient care.
This year, the speakers very well recognized experts in quality matters, were Luis Rene Garza, MD, Clinical Director, Laboratorios Moreira, Monterrey, NL, Mexico, who first spoke about “Quality, today’s reality in the clinical laboratory in Latin America”; immediately after, Greg Cooper, PhD, Manager of Clinical Standards and Practices, Bio-Rad Laboratories, US spoke about "An introduction to Risk assessment in the laboratory”; an expert from the academic field, Dr Curtis Parvin, PhD, Clinical Research Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology. Division of Biostatistics. Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis MO US, spoke about “QC Strategies in the era of laboratory automation” and finally, Gianni Tamburini, PhD, from Italy, and Manager of Quality Control Division, Clinical Diagnostic Europe, Bio-Rad Laboratories spoke about “the quality control in blood bank”.
We are looking forward to meeting the experts next year on another successful quality party!
Speakers, organizers and participants of the 4th International Conference on Quality, Greg Cooper, Gianni Tamburini, Hugo Baez, Luis Rene Garza, Rosa I. Sierra-Amor, and Curtis Parvin at the Auditorium Century XXI of IMSS Medical Center in Mexico City last July 15th, 2009.
