The ICCS Portland meeting was a great success.  Attendance was at a record 435 participants for the meeting and 164 for the preceding course. I’m sure those of you who attended would agree that there was a vibrant atmosphere.  Not only were all the events well attended, but the vendor/poster areas, not to mention the halls and nearby restaurants/bars, were alive with animated discussion. There was also an international feel to the meeting, with attendees from around the world, the “International Focus” plenary session, and the announcement that the following members have been elected to Council: Jan Gratama (Netherlands), Mariela Monreal (Argentina), and Elizabeth Stone (USA).

The five ICCS Portland plenary sessions covered topics of interest to all members and are outlined in reports written by members of the Education Committee in this issue of the eNewsletter.  The luncheon workshops included a mixture of new presentations and old favorites.  The posters were a diverse selection of interesting presentations that can be viewed in abstract form in Cytometry, Part B.  It was a difficult choice, but the following posters were selected as session winners and the presenters each awarded with an iPad: Stacy League from the Mayo Clinic, USA (P32: Improvement In Accuracy Of Clinical Lymphocyte Subset Quantitation By Flow Cytometry Using A 7-Color Assay Incorporating CD14) and Sandy von Salisch, from the Heart Center Leipzig, Germany (P34: Phospho-flow cytometry to assess biomarkers for a therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplantation). 

For the second year running, there was a “Women in Cytometry” session at the ICCS annual meeting.  In addition to providing an opportunity to network, and initiating a mentor/mentee program, this session also hosted a presentation by Jonni Moore on “Unconscious Bias”.  Jonni brought to the attention of the men and women in the audience that we all have preconceived notions that influence the way we behave, without us necessarily being aware of them.  An example of this would be inadvertently emphasizing nurturing skills, rather than career skills, in a letter of recommendation.  So you think you’re unbiased?  Take a survey to find out https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/.  If you’re interested in getting involved in the Women in Cytometry group contact Maryalice Stetler-Stevenson stetler@mail.nih.gov.

The Case Study Interpretation (CSI) session held at the Portland meeting included four interesting cases illustrating issues related to the diagnosis of B-cell neoplasms.  These cases will be published next year in Cytometry, Part B.  The eCSI challenge presented by Weina Chen in this issue of the ICCS eNewsletter is a quite difficult case with a B-cell focus.  This case requires not only interpretation of the flow cytometric data, but also integration with morphologic, cytogenetic and molecular diagnostic findings.  Indeed, I think this case highlights the need for new techniques that can facilitate correlation of phenotypic and molecular findings at a cellular level.  Weina gives a good discussion of the issues and offers her favored diagnosis.  What do you think?  Have you encountered a case like this?  Send your thoughts to the newsletter at newsletter@cytometry.org.

Up for another challenge?  How about taking the International Cytometry Certification Examination (ICCE).  The exam is up and running and has been passed by some of your peers. Visit the ICCE website for details and a list of testing centers.

Looking for a little light relief from studying for the exam?  Think of topics for the eNewsletter and send me your suggestions.  Next year we will be starting a section for technical tips.  Have you come across a procedure or process that really helps your flow lab. and might be of interest to others?  



Fiona Craig (Editor)
your editor
craigfe@upmc.edu