June 26, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) clinical laboratory science students are learning their trade with the help of a top-of-the-line blood count analyzer donated by Abbott Diagnostics. The Cell-Dyn 1800, worth about $25,000, was given to the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program in the School of Health Professions (SHP) as part of Abbott’s Labs are Vital campaign.

The CD 1800 counts and classifies the red and white blood cells, as well as platelets, in a blood sample. Every hospital and many doctor’s offices have such machines. But most training programs do not.

“We could not afford to purchase and maintain a machine like the CD 1800 on our own,” said George Fritsma, MS, MT, (ASCP), associate professor of pathology and clinical laboratory sciences. “But it is a tremendous advantage for our students to be able to have hands-on experience in operating the machine and analyzing its results.”

Abbott Diagnostics is donating $1 million in equipment and resources to teaching institutions as part of its Labs are Vital campaign. UAB was one of 16 schools to receive a donation in the campaign’s first grant period. Abbott will provide materials and maintenance for the life of the instrument.

The school began using the CD 1800 in June with students in both the Clinical Laboratory Science program and the Surgical Physician Assistants program.

“The experience and knowledge our students gain from access to a diagnostic machine such as the CD 1800 is invaluable in preparing them for careers in laboratory science,” Fritsma said. “Their skill set is dramatically enhanced and their marketability is greatly increased.”

Fritsma says the donation also enhances SHP’s reputation as one of the top training destinations in laboratory science in the country and will be an outstanding recruitment tool.