The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) announced the launch of its Data Science in Laboratory Medicine Certificate Program, designed to help clinical laboratory professionals and pathologists use healthcare data to solve challenging patient problems. Through expertly curated real-world examples, participants will learn about core data science concepts and get practical tools to improve testing algorithms, reduce errors, enhance lab operation efficiency, and collaborate with local data analysts.

Every year, clinical labs produce billions of test results — a treasure trove of data that holds the key to more personalized testing and treatment, and ultimately, better patient outcomes. In order to harness the immense value of this data, laboratory medicine professionals at all stages of their careers should be equipped with additional expertise in data analytics and data science. Until now, however, there was no training program specifically designed to provide a comprehensive overview of data science's applications in the clinical laboratory.

Developed by a team of ADLM's data science experts, this new program will fill this need by enabling clinical laboratory professionals to gain competency at the intersection of data science and laboratory medicine. The program will give lab professionals a solid foundation in the different types of data analytics and how these are applied in lab medicine and pathology to augment expertise and clinical impact for the patient. The program dives deep into best practices related to data science, ranging from healthcare data security to mitigation of lab data problems. It also delves into the laboratory applications of machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence.

"We are thrilled to launch this new certificate program for laboratory medicine professionals and pathologists who want to stay ahead of the emerging developments in data science," said ADLM President Dr. Paul J. Jannetto. "Our members saw the need for a professional program that would not only address foundational data science education, but that would also raise awareness of the value of data analytics in laboratory medicine. Healthcare professionals who complete this program will be uniquely distinguished in a field increasingly driven by data and analytics."