ALMA provides a forum for lab managers to interact with other managers where the intent is to share solutions and ideas regarding the operation of a laboratory. ALMA’s mission is, “an association of laboratory managers that provides a forum for improving laboratory management skills worldwide through conferences, short courses, publication of a peer-reviewed journal, distribution of a newsletter, and frequent electronic communications- all at reasonable cost and with a view to the future.” There are six local chapters across the country that enable meeting attendance for those who cannot attend the annual meeting as well as serving as a forum for more frequent networking and sharing ideas about managing a laboratory. The New England chapter is the newer of the local chapters and one of the largest. More information about ALMA maybe found on their website, < http://www.labmanagers.org/home/>.

 

The local chapters typically meet at a host company’s site, targeting to meet three times per year. Participants in the local chapters are generally located within a reasonable driving distance to the meeting. Agendas vary by local chapter but in general include discussion topics, round table discussions and networking opportunities at each meeting.

 

The New England local chapter meetings are typically held during a weekday morning, usually starting around 10 AM and ending around noon. The meetings start with an informal gathering of attendees where old friends catch up on news and new friends have an opportunity to network. Each meeting has a learning topic. This tends to be an active time where not only is the presenter engaged but also the audience is active, resulting in an active sharing of information. After the presentation and question period, a session focused on planning for the next meeting commences including selection of the next topic, date and location; this ensures that the local chapter is member run.

 

The inaugural meeting of the local ALMA chapter was covered in The Nucleus’ summer 2006 issue. An update on the local chapter was published by The Nucleus in 2007.

A number of topics have been covered at these local meetings that benefit laboratory managers. These topics have included Outsourcing, Benchmarking Metrics to Improve Laboratory Productivity, RoHS, Overview of what Laboratory Information Management Systems are and what they are not, and Behavioral Interviewing for the Analytical Laboratory Environment.

 

For additional information contact Larry Murphy at Lawrence_Murphy@Cabot-Corp.Com.