It’s been a while since our last newsletter, but a lot has been going on behind the scenes that is now coming to fruition. So here goes.
45th Annual Meeting of the BSC
As we announced in our last newsletter, the next annual meeting of the BSC will be held in San Antonio, Texas on September 26, in conjunction with the annual conference of the National Society for Histotechnology. This meeting brings together 700-800 working professionals in the field, and we anticipate that it will be an excellent venue for spreading the word about what we do. details about the meeting can be found here; highlights are:
1. There will be three parts to our meeting. First, we will host an oral presentation session in the morning. It will begin with a plenary talk by Dr, Michael Giacomelli of the University of Rochester Medical Center entitled Histopathology of live tissues for surgical guidance. This will be followed by a set of talks by some of our board members and staff focusing on various practical aspects of staining. Second, in the afternoon our vice president Dr. Sheila Criswell will lead a hands on “wet lab” session in which participants will conduct seven different staining procedures. Finally, we will man a booth in the exhibition all throughout September 26-7, so that all members of the NSH have an opportunity to learn about what we do.
2. Registration will be handled by the NSH, and will open on April 1, 2026. BSC members will have the option of registering for the morning session for $75.00, or for the entire BSC session (morning and afternoon) for $175.00. In addition, members can choose to enroll for part of all of the NSH meeting at discounted rates. Note that our afternoon session is limited to 20 participants, so if you are interested, you should register as soon as possible. More details can be found at the NSH Convention website.
Membership Matters
We value our members and are grateful for your ongoing support. In order to get members more engaged with the BSC, we are developing more opportunities for online interactions. Currently, we are starting to have member events that allow you to participate in Commission business; in the future we will be adding members-only educational materials.
So what as a member should you be aware of right now?
- At present, there are a number of individuals in our database whose memberships have expired. In early April, we will be purging those members, so we urge that you check your membership and renew it if it is expired. To check your status, log into your account and click on Membership -> Membership Status. If you are current in your membership, it will show you your status; if not, it will take you to a page from which you can renew your membership. If you have any questions, please email either Carol Bain or me for more information.
- As I’ve indicated previously, we have two vacant positions on our Board of Trustees that need to be filled. To do so, we need to select a nominating committee consisting of two members selected by the Trustees and one by the general membership On a Zoom call last week that was open to all members, those in attendance agreed that the committee should consist of Sheila Criswell (chair), Chad Fagan, and Lamar Jones, a member and past member of the board. They will be putting forward nominees in the very near future, and we will then conduct online balloting to select from among the nominees.
The nominating committee has asked that candidates be proposed for consideration by Friday March 27. If you wish to suggest someone (including yourself) please contact Sheila Criswell by then. Once the slate of nominees has been established, their names and brief cv’s will be posted. Balloting will commence by mid-April and will close at the end of that month.
Assay Laboratory News
It’s been a busy time for Chad Fagan, our Assay Laboratory Manager. He spent much of the Spring and Summer overseeing the move of the lab to a new location in the University of Rochester Medical Center, while also continuing to carry out certification testing and modernizing processes for sample submission and certification reporting. Part of this latter process involved the creation of a new, more streamlined dye submission form, one that is both easier to navigate and specifies the guidelines and terms of certification more clearly:
BSC Certification Guidelines and Terms: The Biological Stain Commission (BSC) endorses biological stains as a BSC Certified Stain. The lot number(s) for this dye is formally recorded within the BSC Assay Laboratory archive under the unique BSC Cert code. Commercial Use: The BSC Certification endorsement supports the commercial sale of dry powder as a certified product. Labeling Requirements: To maintain a certified status for commercial sale, BSC Certification labels must be prominently displayed on all bottles of dry solid dye. To guarantee end-user accuracy, biological stain products meeting BSC certification standards are only endorsed by the BSC as “certified”. Ownership of endorsement: This certificate is issued specifically to the company named on this document and is intended for their use only. Certification Period: The BSC Certification has an expiration of 10 years from the date of report or until a product modification occurs. Product Modification: A product needs recertification if there is a change in ownership, the lot/batch identifier is altered, or if the material undergoes a “product modification” as outlined in the BSC New Vendor guidelines. Use of the term “certified” applied from BSC Certification documentation is prohibited outside of these terms.
I am sure you will join me in thanking Chad for all of his hard work. More details regarding updates to the certification will be posted on our website shortly.
That’s it for now. I hope everyone is managing to survive the winter weather – I’m told that Spring will be here soon.
