September 2024

2025 ASHI Membership Renewal is Open!

ASHI memberships run on a calendar year, so they expire on December 31, 2024. Renewal for 2025 opened on September 1st. Renewing your ASHI membership is easy! Log-in to the ASHI website and click the link to securely renew your membership. You'll first be asked to update your profile information, then submit payment via credit card or by printing an invoice to mail us a check. Click here for a short tutorial on renewing your membership.

There will be a slight increase in ASHI membership dues this year. This adjustment is necessary due to new contractual arrangements with our publisher, which has resulted in higher costs associated with our electronic and printed scientific journal,

Human Immunology.

Please note that 2025 membership dues will increase by $5 across all ASHI memberships. Additionally, the cost of the printed version of Human Immunology

will increase from $30 to $50.

Ready to renew? First, see if you are eligible for one of our ASHI discount programs.

As you know, the new CMS regulations on histocompatibility and personnel go into effect on December 28, 2024. ASHI hosted a town Hall discussion a few weeks ago and is planning on hosting a second town hall session shortly before the ASHI Annual Meeting in October

(date & time TBD).

The US CLIA regulations now require directors of laboratories performing high complexity testing to have at least 20 continuing education (CE) credit hours in laboratory practice that cover director responsibilities as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 493.1445. ASHI University is the place you need to go to see this comprehensive, 2-part course to meet the 20 hour CE requirement. Click here.

For four decades, the OPTN Board of Directors has been one-and-the-same as the corporate Board of Directors for the federal government’s contractor, raising issues about potential conflicts of interest. Now, as part of the OPTN Modernization Initiative, HRSA has separated the OPTN Board of Directors from the OPTN contractor so it may better serve the interests of patients and their families. In the latest step, announced on August 29, HRSA has awarded an OPTN Board Support contract to The American Institutes for Research (AIR) to support the newly incorporated OPTN Board of Directors. See HRSA's OPTN Modernization webpage for more information.

Click here to learn more

Presented by the Laboratory Professional Recruitment Initiative Taskforce

Hosted by the Technologists' Affairs Committee

The webinar will review the current initiatives of the Laboratory Professionals Recruitment Taskforce, highlighting our goals and strategies. It will also include a briefing on the taskforce's accomplishments and milestones. Additionally, there will be a presentation of the poster from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) meeting, detailing its content and reception.

Click here to register

ASHI is seeking a volunteer editor, experienced in scientific writing and instructional design, to oversee the quality and consistency of the ASHI-University educational platform long term. This position would ensure that the content of the platform remains relevant and comprehensive to support those seeking credentialing in the fields of histocompatibility and immunogenetics. The editor will work with the ASHI-U committee to identify authors and scientific reviewers and manage the production workflow for the release of updated and new modules. Click here to review the job description and to complete a volunteer application.

EMO-2 Survey

The EMO-2 survey is scheduled to ship Tuesday, September 10th, 2024.

2024 AC-1 Report  

AC-1 reports are available in the ASHI PT Data Center. Participating laboratories were notified at the end of August that reports were finalized.

Last 2 Shipments of 2024

HT-2 samples will ship Tuesday, Oct. 1 and AC-2 samples will ship Tuesday, Oct. 29.

2025 Ordering

2025 PT ordering will be available in October. If your lab is new to ASHI, why not give us a try? Email chartman@ashi-hla.org for more info as you consider your PT options for 2025.

Coffee & Compatibility

Molecular Testing in HLA and Beyond



Dr. Gerald Morris, the current Chair of the OPTN Histocompatibility Committee, discusses upcoming changes in HLA testing and nomenclature, and their potential impacts on organ allocation in the US.

Click here to listen and receive CECs.

"I would like to obtain accreditation for Transfusion Support, for my laboratory. What do we need to qualify?"

Click here to view the Accreditation Review Board's response.

ASHI Volunteer Spotlight

"Volunteering with ASHI will help you grow – come and grow your knowledge, experience, and friendship."

Check out our featured volunteer spotlight, Dr. Liu!

Read More

ASHI Member Spotlight

"My first job out of college was...working in the HLA lab to type platelet donors. From there I was hooked!"

Check out our featured member spotlight, Sharon Skorupski! Read More

Would you like to be featured as our next ASHI Member or Volunteer Spotlight? Click the links below to answer a few questions about your member/volunteer experience. For more information, or if you would like to nominate someone to be highlighted as our next spotlight, contact Cathy Landolt at clandolt@ashi-hla.org.