eNews: October 2026

On 21 September 2026, the IFCC Live Webinar Series hosted the hot topic webinar in laboratory medicine, “Innovations in Automation, IT, and Data Analytics. „This 90-minute session brought together laboratory professionals from around the world to discuss how digital tools are reshaping everyday laboratory practice. The webinar was moderated by Tara Rolić (Croatia), EuSpLM and PhD candidate at Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, Chair of the EFLM Division Communication, and member of the IFCC Task Force for Young Scientists (TF-YS).

Automation and data-driven approaches are no longer limited to large laboratories. Laboratories of every size now face similar questions: how to streamline workflows, which results can safely be released without manual review, and how to turn the data into better clinical decisions. Three speakers from Türkiye addressed these questions in three interconnected presentations, moving from the physical organization and automation of laboratory workflows to the decision-making process behind the validation and release of laboratory results, and finally to the intelligent use of laboratory data.

Transforming clinical labs

Oğuzhan Zengi (Türkiye), Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry at Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, opened the programme with “Transforming Clinical Labs: Advanced Automation and IT Solutions for Modern Workflows.” His first message was simple: process comes before technology. Automation is step five of a lean redesigns, not step one, because automating a poor process only produces waste faster.

He described the laboratory as three layers working as one workflow: the track moves samples, the middleware decides, and the LIS remembers, held together by open standards such as HL7, FHIR and LOINC. Reviewing the evidence on total laboratory automation, he showed that the tail of the turnaround time distribution shrinks more than the mean (99th percentile down by 13% against 6% for the mean), which is why laboratories should “measure the tail, not the mean”. He urged participants to design for the bad day, with peak load, single points of failure, downtime and cyberattacks written into the specification, and reminded them that the laboratory owns its rules and code mappings, whoever supplied the software.

Autoverification unveiled

Kamil Taha Uçar (Türkiye), Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry at the same hospital and TF-YS member, continued where the first talk ended with “Autoverification Unveiled: Practical Applications and Future Trends Across Lab Settings.” Starting on the principles outlined in CLSI AUTO10 and AUTO15, he guided the audience through the design, validation and staged go-live of a middleware-based autoverification system covering clinical chemistry and haematology.

Using ALT as an example, he showed how verification ranges can be built from a laboratory’s own patient percentiles, widened by the allowable analytical error, and combined with delta limits based on biological variation and state of the art goals. He then shared current performance: about 76% of clinical chemistry and immunoassay results and 77% of complete blood count panels are released automatically. Monitoring the reasons for held results proved as informative as the rates themselves; a third of clinical chemistry holds, for example, were waiting for a QC run rather than reflecting an abnormal patient result. Looking ahead, he highlighted patient-based real-time QC in the release decision, rule sets evaluated like diagnostic tests, and machine learning applied with clear guardrails.

Harnessing data in-house

Deniz İlhan Topcu (Türkiye), Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry at İzmir City Hospital, closed the programme with “Harnessing Data: In-House Analytics for Smarter Laboratory Practices.” He opened with an orchestra tuning before a concert: the finest instruments still have to be tuned to the room, and the same is true of analysers, middleware and LIS. Commercial tools, he argued, stop where your own population starts.

He gave three examples that no vendor delivers: reference intervals derived from the laboratory’s own patients (an indirect aPTT interval of 22.9 to 32.4 s, against 23.6 to 30.6 s on the insert), autoverification rule sets exported and audited in readable form, and patient-based real-time QC tuned to local analysers. He then demonstrated through a published no-code workflow in Orange that turned 3.75 million timestamps into a monthly turnaround time report by tower and clinical unit, which led the quality committee to act and cut order-to-phlebotomy time by 17.5%.

His central message was that an in-house tool is a device, and what it owes depends on what it touches. Every tool faces five questions: validation, data quality, version control, what happens when the builder leaves, and data security. A report may need only a saved file and a quality indicator, while a tool that affects result release needs the full discipline of a laboratory-developed test. He also shared how his residents first learn to analyse data by hand before using AI tools, so they can recognise when the output is wrong. His advice for Monday morning: find out whether raw results with timestamps can leave your LIS as a file, and if not, fix that first.

The speakers agreed on a shared message: automation and data analytics should expand what laboratories can do safely, never reduce the safety margin. Rigorous validation using real patient data, continuous monitoring, data quality and clear professional ownership remain essential foundations for ensuring patient safety.

The webinar concludes with Q&A session, giving 1217 registered participants the opportunity to ask the questions. The strong attendance and active discussion reflected the growing interest of the laboratory medicine community in translating automation, IT, and data analytics into safe, effective, and measurable improvements in everyday laboratory practice.

• How long have you been associated with IFCC?

I have been an active participant in various IFCC conferences/congresses for more than a decade.  More recently since 2024, I have served as a Corporate Member in the Task Force Corporate Members (TF-CM) representing QuidelOrtho.

• What inspires you to get more involved?

I always want to get more involved in IFCC-associated programs and activities.  I took the role as a Corporate Member in TF-CM, because I am fully aligned with the goal of TF-CM to strengthen the collaboration between IFCC and its Corporate Members, as well as among Corporate Members.  TF-CM also allows Corporate Members to make significant contributions to IFCC activities, and to elevate key topics and priorities to advance laboratory medicine and health care.

In TF-CM, I have the opportunity to work closely with many talented representatives from other In vitro diagnostics (IVD) and medical device companies to address our common interests and challenges, and to bring innovative, safe and effective products to patients in need.  In addition, there are many other task forces and working groups targeting important IVD needs, such as assay standardization/harmonization, reference interval databases, new biomarkers to fulfill unmet diagnostic needs, etc., all of which provide platform and forum for industry representatives to collaborate to advance laboratory medicine.

• What do you like most about your involvement with IFCC?

What impressed me the most is the spirit of collaboration of Corporate Members to identify and address common interests/challenges and to achieve common goals in the IVD industry.

When working on TF-CM initiatives, one of the areas the Corporate Members identified was the need to share complicated and highly regulated processes and challenges for IVD companies to bring new products onto the market.  This type of knowledge, although second nature to industry scientists, may not be readily aware by academia or the end users of the products, thus, could often generate confusions why companies could not make product changes quick enough.

Realizing the need to communicate product development processes to a broader audience in the IFCC family, the TF-CM members brainstormed on key topics as well as ways to deliver the message.  Some of the interesting topics include:

– New product development: from idea to patient care

– Life cycle management & Post market surveillance

– Meet Regulatory or Notified Body requirements for product clearance/approval

– What does it take to achieve assay standardization among manufactures

– Ideas have been circulated to develop webinar series on these industry specific topics.  If you have additional thoughts or if you are interested in delivering any of these topics, please contact us.

• What advice do you have for other Corporate Members?

As one of the newer TF-CM members, I have more leaning experiences than advice.  Since one of the objectives of TF-CM is to serve as the “voice of industry” and be more accessible to all IFCC teams and leadership, enabling a more diverse understanding and appreciation of needs among corporate members and the IFCC, this is the right forum to bring up ideas to advance laboratory medicine for the benefits of the customers and patients.  So be actively involved and also to encourage your colleagues to be involved in various committees and working groups.

• Is there anything else you would like to add before we close this interview?

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a group of passionate industry professionals/leaders in the TF-CM on many important topics. It is never easy and often takes a village to make any meaningful impact, so, I am very excited about the TF-CM strategies and initiatives, and I look forward to working with all Corporate Members to enhance our partnership with IFCC and to drive advancements in laboratory medicine and patient care.

The UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence program recently awarded an integrated clinical care team from Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences (Jinan, China) prestigious honors for innovation, teamwork and measurably better performance. Their recently recognized best practice involving strategic application of high-sensitivity troponin into risk assessments in patients in lung cancer is just one of many programs being led by this world renown site to enhance and maximize patient outcomes.

At the core of this momentum is a leadership team that “walks the talk,” reinforcing high-quality care, exceptional experiences and unparalleled patient outcomes. To better understand and further explore the leadership culture that enables such transformational care, Tricia Ravalico, Executive Lead, UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence program, sat down with Professor Jinming Yu, Academician and President of Shangdong Cancer Hospital for the engaging discussion below.

• Tricia Ravalico: Can you introduce the treatment philosophy of Shandong Cancer Hospital and the core mission you have always upheld?

Prof Yu: Over the years, we have consistently adhered to the philosophy of “precision, innovation, and integration.” Thus, treating cancer is never something that can be accomplished by a single discipline or a single technology. We have abandoned the traditional single-treatment model, with MDT (multidisciplinary teams) as our core support, and innovative technologies – such as proton and heavy ion therapy as precision radiotherapy tools – we ensure that every cancer patient receives the most standardized, most scientific, and individualized optimal treatment plan, thereby maximizing the cure rate while preserving quality of life.

• TR: Could you explain the uniqueness of your hospital’s MDT system?

PY: In traditional cancer care, a single discipline diagnoses and treats the patient, resulting in a single treatment plan. Often, poor coordination between specialties can lead to overtreatment or undertreatment and easily misses the optimal treatment window. What we have built is a standardized, routine, and normalized hospital‑wide MDT system. It is not simply a multidisciplinary consultation. Our MDT brings together experts covering the entire chain: radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, imaging, pathology, ultrasound, nutrition, and more. We have also set up dedicated MDT subgroups. More than 80% of our team members are high‑level professionals with overseas study experience. For over six years, we have adhered to fixed times, fixed locations, and fixed experts, providing full coverage without dead ends. We have broken disciplinary barriers, avoided treatment pitfalls, and enabled patients with complex and difficult cancers to say goodbye to blind treatment, achieving standardization, individualization, and precision throughout the entire diagnosis and treatment process.

• TR: The UNIVANTS Award for Healthcare Excellence is the world’s first international prize focusing on value‑based healthcare and translational medicine practice. It recognizes outstanding clinical teams that demonstrate multidisciplinary collaboration, laboratory‑data‑driven approaches, and measurable improvements in healthcare quality. This year, the initiative entitled “Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality in Lung Cancer Patients through Prospective Screening and Intervention” – won the UNIVANTS Award. In Shandong Cancer Hospital’s MDT practice, what successful experiences and practices do you have in improving healthcare quality and enhancing healthcare performance?

PY: I believe our hospital’s MDT model – driven by administrative leadership, guaranteed by systems, covering all patients, and free of charge – has become a benchmark in China for improving cancer care quality and elevating treatment standards. Our pioneering MDT model covers all cancer patients in the hospital, truly achieving full coverage without blind spots. At the same time, we have built a telemedicine platform to reach primary hospitals. From case screening, expert discussion, plan formulation, implementation supervision, to treatment response feedback, we have formed a complete closed‑loop process. The expert panel is dynamically adjusted, a young expert echelon has been established, and AI tools are introduced to enhance quality control. MDT runs through the entire cycle: diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and follow‑up. The results have been remarkable, with improvements in both quality of care and treatment outcomes. For over six years, patient outcomes under MDT have been better than those under traditional models. Cumulatively, we have saved patients over 200 million RMB in treatment costs. The number of newly diagnosed patients has increased from 29,000 to 51,000, with an average annual growth of 20%. More than 50,000 patients have come from other provinces, with over 15,000 hospitalizations – ranking first in Jinan and earning patient recognition. We have also been recognized as a national advanced model and a provincial benchmark, driving the MDT rate across the province to exceed 40% and promoting homogenization of regional diagnosis and treatment.

• TR: This award highlights the importance of managing adverse cardiovascular events during cancer treatment. What does this mean for cancer patients and oncologists? And what impact will it have on the future development of cancer treatment in China?

PY: Emphasizing the management of cardiovascular adverse events in cancer treatment has far‑reaching significance. First, it improves survival and reduces mortality risk by preventing treatment interruptions and ensuring completion of the full course. Effective management of cardiotoxicity prevents premature discontinuation of cancer treatment, lowers long‑term mortality (cardiovascular disease has become the second leading cause of death), and enables early intervention for high‑risk myocarditis, saving lives. Second, it safeguards quality of life and reduces chronic disease burden, avoiding repeated hospitalizations and alleviating patient burden. Third, it ensures safety throughout the treatment cycle, protecting heart health, standardizing treatment, reducing risks, and minimizing disputes. It breaks down barriers and promotes multidisciplinary collaboration, with AI early warning and data‑supported research. At the industry level, it will foster the emergence of the discipline of cardio‑oncology, establish consensus, fill gaps, incorporate cardiac safety into efficacy endpoints, drive the development of less toxic new drugs, and enable precision and intelligence. It moves prevention forward, supports tiered diagnosis and treatment, benefits millions of patients, and promotes high‑quality development.

• TR: Your hospital has deeply integrated MDT with cutting-edge proton and heavy ion radiotherapy, creating a unique treatment model. Please share the core value of this integrated model?

PY: Cutting-edge technology must be paired with standardized, appropriate care in order to benefit patients. Accordingly, we adhere to the dual-precision model: MDT-based precise patient selection + precise proton therapy. Proton radiotherapy is an advanced technology, but it is not suitable for everyone. Thus, a dedicated MDT team rigorously evaluates indications, and provides full-process oversight to prevent overtreatment and ensure optimal treatment plans.

Interested in learning more about this best practice and their outcomes? Please visit www.UnivantsHCE.com

About Professor Yu: Professor Jinming Yu is the President of Shangdong Cancer Hospital and a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), one of the highest lifetime academic honors in China, comparable to being elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine or Engineering. Academicians in China are highly influential leaders in medicine, research, and healthcare policy. Professor Yu is a nationally recognized oncology expert and President of Shandong Cancer Hospital, with strong influence on cancer clinical practice, research collaboration, and adoption of innovative diagnostic technologies in China

On August 17th, 2026, the pre-congress course “Reference Intervals in the Clinical Laboratory: From International Standards to Big Data and Multicenter Projects”was held at the Conference Hall of the Institute of Public Health of Chile (Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile). Organized by the Chilean Society of Clinical Chemistry (Sociedad Chilena de Química Clínica, SCHQC) as part of the 22nd Chilean Congress of Clinical Chemistry, the course brought together clinical laboratory professionals from different regions across the country. Using a combined theoretical and hands-on approach, the course aimed to strengthen competencies in the management, verification, and estimation of reference intervals by integrating regulatory, statistical, clinical, and data-analysis principles applicable to the institutional realities of clinical laboratories.

Throughout the course, participants explored the clinical relevance of reference intervals, their distinction from clinical decision limits, the principles underlying the selection of reference populations and partitioning according to age and sex. The limitations of the direct approach and conventional reference interval verification were also discussed, together with the CLSI EP28-A3c guideline, ISO 15189:2022 requirements, and the potential risks associated with the uncritical adoption of reference intervals provided by reagent manufacturers.

A major focus of the program was the use of routine laboratory data and indirect methods for reference interval estimation. Statistical approaches including the Hoffmann, Bhattacharya, and TML methods were reviewed, together with computational tools such as refineR, reflimR, and R. International experiences and initiatives associated with IFCC C-RIDL, CALIPER, EuroMedLab, and WorldLab were also presented. The program concluded with a hands-on workshop focused on data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation.

The course was developed as a complementary activity to the national project “National Multicenter Study: Determination and Validation of Clinically Relevant Reference Intervals in the Chilean Population Using the Indirect Method.” The initiative seeks not only to advance the generation of nationally relevant evidence, but also to build sustainable capacity within clinical laboratories to assess, verify, and establish local reference intervals according to their patient populations, analytical methods, and institutional contexts.

The faculty included Alan Carvalho Dias (Brazil), Pablo Letelier Arias, Wilder Prado Pacci, Paulina Ruiz Rojas, Carolina Salas Palma, and José Patricio Miranda, bringing together expertise in reference intervals, biostatistics, data science, laboratory information systems, quality management, research, precision medicine, and clinical interpretation.

The participation of professionals from different regions of Chile reinforced the national and collaborative nature of the initiative, contributing to the development of sustainable capabilities for a more appropriate and evidence-based application of reference intervals in Chilean laboratory medicine.

*The Consensus Document, approved by the Public Health Commission in June, sets out common recommendations for the various stages of the process and establishes requirements to ensure test quality

*SEMEDLAB’s participation reinforces the clinical laboratory’s role in the quality, reliability, and comparability of the results supporting fetal chromosomal risk assessment

The Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEMEDLAB) highlights the importance of the Consensus Document for the development and implementation of the National Health System’s (SNS) population-based prenatal screening program for chromosomal anomalies, aiming to advance the standardization of prenatal screening programs and reduce disparities in their application across centers and autonomous communities.

The Document—prepared by the Working Group on the Prenatal Screening Program for Chromosomal Anomalies of the Public Health Commission’s Population Screening Panel—establishes requirements and recommendations for the program’s various stages. These range from organization and coordination to target population recruitment, information provision and informed consent, test performance and interpretation, diagnostic confirmation, genetic counseling, and continuous evaluation. It was approved by the Population Screening Panel on May 19, 2026, and by the Public Health Commission on June 11, 2026.

A common framework to ensure equity in prenatal screening

Dr. Paula Argente del Castillo, a member of SEMEDLAB’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine Commission, and Dr. Carla Ramírez, a member of the Society’s Board of Directors, participated in the review of the Document. Its primary objective is to establish common criteria to unify and standardize prenatal screening for chromosomal anomalies within the healthcare system, defining the tests to be used, and ensuring the quality of ultrasound, biochemical, and genetic processes, as well as defining clear, safe, care pathways for managing results and making informed decisions.

As the specialists explain, the document aims to ensure that “all pregnant women have access to a screening program that is consistent, equitable, and based on quality criteria, regardless of their place of residence.” It also establishes that participation in screening must be voluntary and based on clear, understandable, and sufficient information.

Key contributions include categorizing first-trimester combined screening results into three risk levels—high, intermediate, and low. This classification allows for standardized decision-making, the incorporation of contingent screening using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for women at intermediate risk, and the optimization of referrals for invasive testing.

“One of the most significant contributions is precisely this risk stratification, which allows clinical management to be organized based on the results obtained and establishes recommended actions for high-risk situations,” the specialists note.

Analytical quality: an essential element of the program

For SEMEDLAB, the involvement of Laboratory Medicine specialists has been crucial in ensuring the reliability and comparability of the analytical results that underpin individual risk assessment—and, consequently, the clinical decisions derived from screening.

The Society’s contribution focused on reviewing the document and reinforcing aspects related to the program’s analytical quality. Emphasis was placed on the need for laboratories to implement standardized procedures, quality assurance systems, and periodic process monitoring to guarantee the reliability, traceability, and accuracy of results. “These contributions are fundamental to ensuring that risk stratification and clinical decisions derived from screening are based on robust analytical results that are comparable across centers,” both doctors highlight.

The document establishes requirements covering every phase of the analytical process: from the proper collection, identification, transport, and processing of samples to the use of validated reagents and software, the metrological traceability of laboratory tests, and the use of scientifically backed risk-calculation algorithms. It also underscores the importance of internal controls and participation in external quality assessment programs.

From biochemical screening to confirmatory diagnosis

The clinical laboratory plays a key role throughout the various stages of managing fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Primary laboratory tests include maternal biochemical markers used in combined first-trimester screening—specifically free β-hCG and PAPP-A. When integrated with ultrasound and maternal data, the results of these tests allow for the calculation of an individual’s risk regarding major fetal trisomies.

For pregnant women at intermediate risk, the work of laboratory medicine specialists is crucial—both in analyzing cell-free DNA in maternal blood (a contingent or second-line screening test) and in performing invasive diagnostic techniques. In specific situations, these techniques allow for the confirmation of detected or suspected chromosomal abnormalities; they include fetal karyotyping, QF-PCR, and microarray analysis.

According to both specialists, the adoption of these new technologies must be accompanied by high standards of analytical quality, method validation, standardized procedures, traceability, and quality control programs.

A model based on inter-specialty collaboration

This consensus represents a significant step toward standardizing prenatal screening for chromosomal abnormalities in Spain by offering agreed-upon recommendations aimed at reducing the variability that currently exists between autonomous communities and healthcare centers.

In this model, collaboration between specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology and those in clinical laboratories is essential for the rigorous, coordinated integration of clinical, ultrasound, and analytical data. “This collaboration ensures a diagnostic process that is coherent, accurate, and compliant with the quality standards required for managing fetal chromosomal abnormalities,” conclude Dr. Argente del Castillo and Dr. Ramírez.

Sociedad Española de Medicina de Laboratorio (SEMEDLAB)

https://semedlab.es/

@Semedlab

LINKEDIN SEMEDLAB SEQC-MLSEQC-MLSEQC-ML

FACEBOOK Sociedad Española de Medicina de Laboratorio – Semedlab

Astana, Kazakhstan — September 2026

Laboratory medicine is changing rapidly. New technologies, automation, artificial intelligence and advanced diagnostics are transforming laboratory practice. At the same time, health systems face a fundamental question: how can laboratory medicine develop as an integrated part of healthcare rather than as a collection of individual laboratories and technologies?

This question was at the heart of the VIII National Forum of Laboratory Medicine — NatForLab 2026 — held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 18–19 September 2026.

Organized by the Federation of Laboratory Medicine (FLM) of Kazakhstan, the Forum brought together approximately 1,000 laboratory professionals, healthcare leaders, experts and representatives of the international laboratory medicine community. Speakers and participants from around 20 countries contributed to discussions on the current challenges and future development of laboratory medicine.

For FLM, NatForLab is intended to be more than an annual scientific meeting. It is being developed as a national professional platform connecting laboratory specialists, clinicians, healthcare managers, policymakers, international organizations and industry around common priorities for laboratory medicine.

One of the key themes emerging from the Forum was the need to strengthen laboratory medicine at the system level. Quality cannot depend only on the performance of an individual laboratory. It requires appropriate infrastructure, competent professionals, harmonized standards, effective quality management, digital connectivity, rational use of laboratory tests and strong communication between the laboratory and clinical teams.

Another important priority is regional development. Kazakhstan has a large geographical territory and significant differences in healthcare resources between regions. Strengthening regional laboratory capacity and creating sustainable professional networks are therefore essential for equitable access to reliable diagnostics.

More than 1,300 Laboratory Medicine Professionals together in Ramallah

By: Rana Khanafsa, IFCC National Representative – Palestinian Medical Technology Association

Ramallah, Palestine – 10 July 2026 – The Palestinian Medical Technology Association (PMTA) organized a major scientific conference in Ramallah under the theme “Scientific Tribute Conference to Honor the Legacy of Founding Leader Dr. Osama Al-Najjar.” The event brought together approximately 1,300 laboratory medicine professionals and PMTA members from Jerusalem, Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jericho, Salfit, and other Palestinian governorates.

Held at the headquarters of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, the conference represented an important national platform for continuing professional development, scientific exchange, and strengthening the role of laboratory medicine in patient care.

The event drew Palestinian Minister of Health Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan, Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Wael Al-Sheikh, PMTA representatives, leaders of Palestinian health professional associations, and a wide range of academic, professional, and scientific figures.

In his address, the Minister of Health praised PMTA’s continuing scientific activities and highlighted the essential contribution of laboratory professionals to the healthcare system. He also announced that the Ministry of Health would officially recognize the best scientific paper presented by a young laboratory professional, emphasizing the importance of encouraging research and supporting the next generation of scientists.

PMTA President Samer Abu Najmeh highlighted the importance of professional unity and expressed appreciation for laboratory professionals working under particularly difficult circumstances in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized PMTA’s commitment to supporting its members, advancing the profession, and maintaining scientific and professional collaboration across all Palestinian governorates.

Dr. Ayman Al-Najjar, President of the Conference and Chair of its Scientific Committee, stressed that continuing education and specialized scientific lectures are fundamental to developing laboratory medicine.

“The patient’s interest must remain above all considerations. Laboratory medicine is a professional responsibility that we have accepted, and we must always strive to be worthy of it,” he said.

The scientific program featured four specialized lectures delivered by Prof. Amer Jawaireh, Dr. Yacoub Al-Ashhab, Dr. Suheir Abdeen, and Dr. Ziad Abu Khaizaran. The sessions addressed contemporary scientific and professional topics relevant to laboratory practice and attracted strong engagement from participants.

The conference placed particular emphasis on supporting young professionals. Three scientific papers were presented in the young scientist’s category by Hanadi Al-Khatib, Ahmad Jaffal, and Hiba Al-Sulaibi. Following evaluation by an independent scientific committee, Ahmad Jaffal received the “Founding President Dr. Osama Al-Najjar Award for Scientific Excellence.”

The conference also highlighted ongoing cooperation between professional associations, universities, healthcare institutions, and the private laboratory sector in promoting scientific education and professional development.

By combining continuing education, scientific competition, professional leadership, and recognition of young laboratory scientists, the conference reflected PMTA’s commitment to advancing laboratory medicine in Palestine while preserving the scientific and professional legacy of its founding leaders.