Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, 900 Seventh Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20001, United States, 202-857-0717
Dear colleagues,
A clear professional identity is essential to every role in the future of laboratory medicine. To support that direction, and with approval from the ADLM Board of Directors, the Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) Council has adopted a new name: the Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) Council. ADLM will also begin using the title Medical Laboratory Scientist for these professionals throughout our programs and communications.
This decision reflects ADLM’s commitment to strengthening the visibility and influence of everyone in the laboratory workforce. A single, widely understood title for these professionals supports workforce recruitment, improves clarity for employers and clinical partners, and provides stronger footing for advocacy efforts where titles and scope are often misunderstood.
Accreditation and professional organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) also have adopted the Medical Laboratory Scientist designation, reinforcing a more consistent identity across the profession.
This change also helps ensure the broader health system recognizes MLS professionals as highly educated, credentialed experts who generate the data that drive medical decisions alongside clinical chemists, pathologists, and others within the lab community.
This shift is grounded in the contributions MLS professionals make across ADLM and the field. Their expertise is represented in ADLM councils and committees, in educational programs, and in the science shaping the future of laboratory medicine.
ADLM is committed to a unified, forward-looking laboratory community—one equipped to lead the next chapter of healthcare.
Sincerely,
