Laboratory Exchange Programme (EFLMLabX)

EFLM LabX report

by Nancy Larocca, Spain

My name is Nancy, I´m a Clinical Analysis resident at Hospital Universitario A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. My training period at Laboratory of Immunology and Primary Immunodeficiencies at NOVA Medical School (Lisbon, Portugal) ended two weeks ago. This center has been involved since last years in the implementation of assays for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with immune disorders, also establishing research projects that allow to increase our knowledge in the area of immunodeficiencies.

I am Nino Maziashvili a young scientist, MSc of biology and a member of the EFLM TG YS. I was honored to take part in the EFLM LabX program for a week, from 19th to 23th
August, I had the opportunity to visit the Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics at the Medical University of Bialystok under the leadership of Professor Joanna Matowicka-Karna. The course was led by highly qualified and skilled practitioners, Assoc. Professor Olga M. Koper-Lenkiewicz and Assoc. Professor Joanna Kaminska. Professor Olga M. Koper-Lenkiewicz, head of the training, accepted my application and generously offered to visit her laboratory to exchange knowledge in the following fields: cerebrospinal fluid analysis, examination of body cavity fluids, synovial fluid analysis, urine diagnostics (which covers also cytological examination), and parasitic and immunoserological diagnostics.

I have vivid memories of the beginning of my academic journey at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. It was marked by overwhelming enthusiasm for the field of laboratory medicine, and I eventually earned a master's degree in medical biochemistry. Despite thinking I was done with learning during specialization, life had different plans. An unexpected opportunity arose for a Ph.D. journey at the University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine. Focused on altered iron metabolism in colorectal cancer patients, compelling project reignited my commitment to the learning process. Alongside working at Osijek University Hospital's Department of Laboratory Diagnostics since 2015 as EuSpLM, I initiated activities in the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CSMBLM) and the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM). I had the honor to meet and collaborate with colleagues from Europe, directing their enthusiasm to elevate Laboratory Medicine in healthcare system. The possibility of applying for an internship through the EFLM LabX program, intrigued me since first time I heard about it...

I was honored to take part in the EFLM LabX program and for 2 weeks, from 16th to 30th October, I had the opportunity to visit the Institute of Medical Biochemistry And Laboratory Diagnostics – General University Hospital and the 1st Medical faculty of Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic). Prof. Tomáš Zima, the dean of the medical faculty and head of the laboratory, accepted me and offered a visit to the university laboratories to exchange knowledge in the following fields: Cytogenetics, Molecular Genetics, Prenatal and neonatal screening and inborn error diagnostics. My visit in laboratories was generously supervised by Dr. Ivan Šebesta.

As for me, I am a young doctor of laboratory medicine. For almost 11 years, I have been working in a local private medical laboratory named Mrcheveli as an assistant medical doctor of Genetics. The objectives of my Exchange programme were to observe all the phases of analysis, including pre- and postanalytics, to learn the different methods of diagnostics and bioinformatic analyses and according to the experience gained here, gradually help to establish the technology and knowledge development for the mentioned Laboratory disciplines in my home Laboratory. At present, samples for many tests from the above-mentioned disciplines are sent abroad, mainly to Germany, because there are no laboratories capable of doing such tests in Georgia and the Caucasus region...

My name is Ksenia, I am a medical laboratory scientist from Russia. My visit to the Clinical Chemistry-Biochemistry Laboratory, University General Hospital of Heraklion under the EFLM-LabX exchange program ended a few weeks ago.

I applied to participate in the program in May, and already in October Professor Tsatsanis was waiting for me at the Clinical Chemistry-Biochemistry Laboratory. Thanks to the financial support from EFLM, I was able to get this invaluable experience and plunge into my favorite job, but in a different country.

I got acquainted with the details of the laboratory work, new equipment and methods, and saw the differences in the healthcare system between our countries. The most valuable part of this training is the people I had the opportunity to work with. From the first day, I was surrounded by professionals who shared their knowledge and experience with me.

Professor Tsatsanidis provided assistance and support at every step, from discussing my training to my leave. I spent most of the time in the Clinical Chemistry-Biochemistry Laboratory, but thanks to Prof. Tsatsanis, I was able to visit other laboratories in the hospital...

From my spontaneous decision to apply on the EFLM LabX platform to the rapid and positive response from the EFLM Committee, this journey has been a series of wonderful surprises. The knowledge and skills gained during this internship have significantly enhanced my abilities as a laboratory medicine resident and researcher.

This experience has been nothing short of life-changing, and I am immensely grateful to the EFLM Committee for the financial support and the chance to enrich my knowledge and skills in the Laboratory Medicine field...

EFLMLabX is one of the most practical ways to take your career one step ahead. I would like to express my endless gratitude to the EFLM association for giving me that opportunity. Before going into the details of the wonderful experience, let me briefly introduce myself. After completing medical school in 2014, I worked in the emergency room for a year and a half. During that time, I realized that I was interested in the wide world of biochemistry and I turned to this field. I entered Medical Biochemistry Specialization Program which requires top scores with the National Medical Specialization Exam in Türkiye and completed my 4-year specialization education in 2020. For 3 years, I have been working as a Specialist Doctor in a governmental laboratory that has been dealing with more than 6500 samples of 2000 patients on average daily...

There have been many things I wanted to do throughout my career. But what I would most was an opportunity for international cooperation. Unfortunately, although I am a scientist who writes international articles, I have never had the opportunity to communicate internationally in my professional life.  Moreover, I was over the age of 40, when all scholarship opportunities were over. When I thought that was not possible anymore, I discovered the EFLM-Labx service and applied. And, I was accepted University Clinical Center Maribor in Slovenia for Laboratory diagnostics of autoimmune diseases with EFLMLabx scholarship.

Judit Gonda from Budapest, Hungary shared her EFLM LabX experience from the UCL Saint-Luc laboratory in Brussels, Belgium. During the winter of 2022, she spent one month at the laboratory headed by Prof. Damien Gruson. Her exchange program was supported by the EFLM LabX bursary, and the aim of the visit was to learn routine work in the laboratory as well as to collect notable knowledge about the measurement and evaluation of cardiac biomarkers from prof. Gruson and his colleagues...