SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, July 28, 2005 — Charles D. Hawker, Ph.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.B., scientific director of Automation and Special Projects at ARUP Laboratories, a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory, has received the Professor Alvin Dubin Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Discipline of Clinical Biochemistry of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB). The award was presented to Dr. Hawker at the 2005 Clinical Lab Expo in Orlando, Florida on July 27th.
This award, named in honor of one of the Academy's founding members and eighth president, recognizes a current or past member of the Academy who has made noteworthy advances and contributions to the mission and stature of NACB and whose professional activities have been dedicated to the advancement of laboratory medicine.
"It is always a great honor to be recognized by one's peers, and I am grateful to the NACB for this recognition of my contributions," remarked Dr. Hawker.
Beginning in 1993, Dr. Hawker led ARUP's entry into automation with projects that included the implementation of bar codes and computerized specimen storage and retrieval. Dr. Hawker played a key role in implementing an automation system that could transport and sort up to 2,000 specimens per hour, and later led a team that expanded that system to a capacity of 4,000 tubes per hour. He also led the implementation of an Automated Storage and Retrieval System in what may be the world's largest clinical laboratory freezer, measuring 30 x 60 feet and two stories high. This all-robotic system can potentially hold more than 2.3 million specimens and an individual specimen can be retrieved in about 2.5 minutes.
Dr. Hawker served the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry as president and secretary and is also a past president of the Clinical Ligand Assay Society. He has served on or chaired numerous committees with these organizations, as well as with the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA), and Health Level Seven (HL7). His work with HL7 led to a new chapter on clinical laboratory automation in the HL7 standard. In 2000, the ALA presented Dr. Hawker the Becton Dickinson Award for significant contributions to medical systems engineering.
A native of St. Louis, Dr. Hawker earned a B.A. in chemistry from Illinois Wesleyan University, an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author or co-author of 39 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 14 invited reviews or chapters in books, and 40 abstracts. Dr. Hawker currently resides in Salt Lake City.About NACB
The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry is the Academy of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of clinical laboratory medicine through research, education, and professional development. The Academy is a leading advocate for scholarship through scientific research and it conducts educational programs to promote scientific discovery, application, and integration. It publishes Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines (LMPG) for the application of clinical biochemistry to medical diagnosis and therapy.
About ARUP Laboratories
ARUP Laboratories is a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory and an enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. With nearly 1,800 employees, ARUP offers in excess of 2,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to highly esoteric molecular and genetic assays, for patients throughout the country. Rather than competing with its clients for physician office business, ARUP chooses instead to support clients' existing test menus by offering highly complex and unique tests, with accompanying consultative support, to enhance their abilities to provide local and regional laboratory services. ARUP's clients include more than half of the nation's university teaching hospitals and children's hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology™.
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| ARUP Contact Information: | ||
| Ronald L. Weiss, M.D., M.B.A.
President and Chief Operating Officer
ARUP Laboratories ( 801) 584-5188 |