AACC is a global scientific society dedicated to clinical laboratory science and its application to healthcare. The association’s leadership in education, advocacy, and collaboration helps lab professionals adapt to change and do what they do best: provide vital insight and guidance so patients get the care they need. AACC's current president is Carmen Wiley, PhD, and the association headquarters are located in Washington, D.C..
AACC Members
AACC’s approximately 8,000 members come from all areas of lab medicine—clinical and research laboratories, diagnostic companies, government agencies, original equipment manufacturers, and more. Collectively they develop and run lab tests and lab instruments used throughout healthcare. They also manage labs, conduct research involving biomarkers, and promote accurate diagnostic testing. AACC represents the diverse interests of a global lab community: its members come from 110 countries and hold the spectrum of lab-related professional degrees, certifications, and credentials.
AACC Annual Scientific Meeting
AACC holds several scientific conferences each year, the largest and most prestigious of which is the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo. First held in 1949, this educational meeting and technology exposition is a leading event in the field of laboratory medicine, attracting an average of 20,000 participants.
AACC's journal is the leading international journal of clinical laboratory science, providing 2,000 pages per year of peer-reviewed papers that advance the science of the field. In addition to being the most cited journal in the field, Clinical Chemistry has an impact factor of 8.636, the highest among journals of clinical chemistry, clinical pathology, analytical chemistry, and subspecialties such as transfusion medicine and clinical microbiology.
Launched by AACC in 2016, is an international, peer-reviewed publication that showcases the applied research in clinical laboratory science that is driving innovation forward in healthcare.
Published since 1975, AACC's monthly magazine, , is the authoritative source for timely analysis of issues and trends affecting clinical laboratories, clinical laboratorians, and the practice of clinical laboratory science.
Lab Tests Online
is a peer-reviewed, patient-centered web resource focused on clinical laboratory testing. It is a resource to help patients and their caregivers better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine medical care as well as the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases.
Controversy
At the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting in 2016, Elizabeth Holmes, CEO and founder of Theranos, spoke at what AACC described as a “special session.” Holmes, who the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had recently banned from owning, operating or directing a blood testing service for a period of two years, was invited to present scientific data on her company’s much discussed Edison device. Instead, Holmes took the opportunity to unveil a new product dubbed miniLab. Several people on the Theranos scientific advisory board were members of the association.
Coronavirus outbreak
ACC members who are frontline laboratory specialists also encounter significant challenges in carrying out such studies. Lack of product selection and research materials as well as personal protective equipment, known as PPE, are the most important of these barriers. In recognition of these obstacles to optimizing research ability, AACC sent a letter to the Coronavirus Task Force advising the Task Force and White House to minimize supply chain issues, and to identify and organize tools such that doctors, nurses, laboratory personnel and other healthcare staff may do their jobs. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry has produced instructional videos demonstrating serology, treatment of polymerase chain reaction, and more through research in the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
