CLSI Announces 2024 Board of Directors

Malvern, PA—1/8/2024—The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) is pleased to announce its 2024 Board of Directors.

CLSI CEO Barb Jones noted, “CLSI is excited to welcome these distinguished experts in laboratory medicine and public health to our Board of Directors. At a time when we look forward to growth and expansion of CLSI’s mission and impact, their experience and expertise will provide us with critical guidance. We’re so grateful for the tremendous time and contributions these leaders make to our organization.”

James H. Nichols, PhD, DABCC, FAACC, has assumed the role of CLSI’s new president. Dr. Nichols is a professor and medical director at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he oversees clinical chemistry and point-of-care testing services. He has been a CLSI Board member since 2014 and has contributed to many CLSI standards and guidelines as an expert panelist and chairholder.

“It has been an honor to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors this last year, and I look forward to working with all the CLSI members in 2024,” said Dr. Nichols.

Dr. Nichols succeeds Dr. Victor Waddell, who will continue to serve as immediate past-president.

“It has been a privilege to serve as CLSI president,” said Dr. Waddell. “I am excited to turn the role as president over to Dr. James Nichols, an amazing leader who has contributed greatly to the organization. I wish him good luck in his new role as president. I know he will do a fantastic job.” 

CLSI also welcomes two new directors to the Board: Michael Loeffelholz, PhD D(ABMM), and Debra B. Kuehl, MS, M(ASCP).

Dr. Loeffelholz is the vice president of scientific affairs at Cepheid, a leading molecular diagnostics company, and an adjunct professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston. He has a PhD in microbiology from Ohio University in Athens, OH. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in medical and public health microbiology at the University of Rochester, he was a senior scientist at Roche Molecular Systems. He then proceeded to hold various leadership positions in public health and private reference laboratories; serve as associate professor, then full professor, with tenure, in the department of pathology at UTMB; and assumed the role of medical director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. He served as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors, Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases (BSC DDID) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2015 to 2022. Dr. Loeffelholz previously served as editor of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. He is currently a member of CLSI’s Expert Panel on Point-of-Care-Testing.

Kuehl is the acting associate director for laboratory science (ADLS) at CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease (NCIRD). She has more than 25 years of experience in laboratory policy and quality and is the vice-chairholder of the CLSI Expert Panel on Quality Management Systems. Prior to working at CDC, she was a medical technologist for Quest Diagnostics in the Microbiology Department. Kuehl began her career at CDC in 2001 when she joined the HIV laboratory. She then was recruited by the International Laboratory Branch to lead it to accreditation by the College of American Pathologists, the first CDC laboratory to achieve this recognition of quality. Kuehl then assumed roles within the Division of Laboratory Science and Standards and Division of Laboratory Policy and Practice, both within CDC. She became the ADLS for the Division of Bacterial Diseases, before serving as the deputy ADLS for NCIRD. She has received several awards for her work, including the 2021 Government Innovation Award and the 2013 Presidential GreenGov Award.

In addition, CLSI announces the following changes to its Board leadership positions: Dr. Gary Procop (CEO, American Board of Pathology), who served as CLSI’s secretary, will become president-elect; Paula Snippes Vagnone (Microbiology Unit Supervisor, Infectious Disease Laboratory of the Minnesota Department of Health), who previously served as a Board member, will become CLSI’s secretary; and Dr. Loralie Langman (Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic) was re-elected for a second term as director.

CLSI also gratefully acknowledges the many years of dedication of Carl Mottram, who most recently served as immediate past-president.

CLSI thanks all its Board members for their dedicated service.

For more information about CLSI and its Board of Directors, please visit here.

 

CLSI is the leading global non-profit laboratory medicine standards development organization, with over 24,000 professional members, 2000 active volunteers, and 250 standards products. CLSI standards are recognized by laboratories, accreditors, and government agencies worldwide as the best way to improve their testing outcomes, maintain accreditation, bring products to market faster, and navigate regulatory hurdles.