AOAC INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSES 2010

Join us in Orlando at the 124th AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition to learn about:

  Laboratory Management
  Method Validation
  Quality Assurance
  Accreditation

All courses are designed to provide high-quality, hands-on training that emphasizes practical, real-world solutions to everyday problems encountered in the laboratory. Participants learn not only from AOAC’s exceptional course instructors—recognized experts in their respective fields—but also from their peers and colleagues who share similar interests and challenges.

AOAC Members save up to $170.00 on course registration fees! If you’re not already a Member, join today to take advantage of these significant savings, and to begin enjoying all the benefits of AOAC Membership. JOIN AOAC TODAY.

There is an additional charge to register for a training course, which includes the course fee, instructor, materials on each day. Luncheon ONLY for the one and two day courses on each day.

REGISTER NOW ONLINE!
Advance registration and payment are required for all courses —no on-site registrations can be accepted. Registration deadline date is September 7, 2010.

Build your knowledge and skill in Microbiology and Chemistry!
AOAC is pleased to offer four courses this year. We have made it easier for you to decide what course(s) you should attend!
Choose from the following courses:

CHEMISTRY:
    Single Laboratory Validation of Quantitative Chemical Analytical Methods
    Official Methods of Analysis^SM Program: Quantitative Collaborative Study of Chemical Methods

MICROBIOLOGY:
    NEW!  Performance Tested Methods^SM Program: Validation of Rapid Microbiological Methods
  
CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY:
    Quality Assurance for Analytical Laboratories

All attendees will receive a “Certificate of Training” for participating in the AOAC Training Course.

Registration Fee:
AOAC Member: US$875
Non-Member: US$1045

Who Should Attend: Analytical chemists and technicians, managers, and other advisory staff concerned with developing valid analytical methods and who seek a better understanding of the AOAC guidelines for single laboratory validation of those methods.

What You Will Learn: Proper in-house validation of a protocol (potential method) ensures that its technical performance and fitness for purposes can be objectively evaluated. To that end, this course provides an in-depth and comprehensive review of the AOAC guidelines and criteria for single laboratory (in-house) method validation for quantitative chemical methods. Participants will acquire the basic information and skills needed to optimize the probability that a given protocol can be in-house validated to the technical and practical standards required to meet AOAC’s criteria for methods approval.

After taking this course you will be able to:
    Determine a systematic approach to the development, optimization and validation of quantitative chemical analytical methods;
    Systematically generate and objectively evaluate raw (performance) data pertaining to linearity, accuracy, precision, ruggedness, LOD, LOQ, etc.;
    Determine fitness for purpose and evaluate the scope of matrices that a method can be utilized for; and
    Clearly and effectively document methods and SOPs in a written “AOAC-ready” format, using appropriate checklists of key criteria (requirements) for validation.

Course Level: This is an intermediate level course.

About the Instructor:
James Neal-Kababick is the founder and Director of Flora Research Laboratories (FRL) which specializes in the research and analysis of botanicals, dietary supplements and related compounds. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Bastyr University where he teaches botanical drug identification by microscopy and thin layer chromatography. In addition to his work at the private research lab and university, he also serves on multiple committees for AOAC International, the National Institutes of Health and a variety of expert committees in various industry trade organizations. Currently, his work is focused on the utilization of modern analytical technologies in the investigation of dietary supplements and other agricultural products. He is pioneering a new field, which he calls “Phytoforensics.” Phytoforensics involves utilizing numerous technologies from microscopy to mass spectroscopy to detect adulteration and contamination in the global food supply chain.

Registration Fee:
AOAC Member: US$450
Non-Member: US$525

Who Should Attend: Bench scientists, laboratory managers, advisory staff, and others concerned with organizing and conducting full collaborative studies of quantitative chemical test methods that meet AOAC guidelines.

What You Will Learn: Proper validation of a method ensures that its technical performance and fitness for purpose can be objectively evaluated. To that end, this course will provide study directors (and other stakeholders) with a comprehensive overview of the basic information and training required to optimize the probability that a single laboratory validated (SLV) method will undergo successful validation in a full collaborative study (i.e., be able to meet the technical and practical standards required in AOAC’s methods approval process).

After taking this course you will be able to:
    Recognize and prioritize decisive (determinative) factors/parameters as a prelude to organizing and coordinating successful full collaborative studies;
    Write clear, concise, and unambiguous collaborative study protocols that maximize the likelihood of successful collaborative studies;
    Apply the AOAC INTERNATIONAL suite of statistical tools to systematic consolidation and objective evaluation of raw (performance) data;
    Systematically and objectively develop a full collaborative study protocol; and;
    Clearly and effectively write the results of the full collaborative study in an “AOAC-ready” format.

Course Level: This is an intermediate level course and is suggested as a pre-requisite for study directors conducting collaborative studies of chemical methods.

About the Instructor:
Mark C. Roman is President of Tampa Bay Analytical Research, Inc. in Largo, Florida. Tampa Bay Analytical Research, Inc. was founded to provide contracting services to the dietary supplement community. As President, Mark has worked extensively with industry, government, and academia in the areas of analytical method development and method validation. He currently is a contractor for AOAC INTERNATIONAL as a Dietary Supplement Subject Matter Expert, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Blaze Science Industries. Previously, he served as Director of Research & Development for ChromaDex, where he was responsible for development and validation of analytical test methods for the analysis of dietary supplement raw materials and finished products, for writing and issuing SOPs, test methods, and protocols, for presenting seminars and classes relating to the analysis of dietary supplements, and for providing technical customer support. He has served as director and co-study director for AOAC collaborative studies on methods for dietary supplements.

Registration Fee:
AOAC Member: US$225
Non-Member: US$270

Who Should Attend: Method developers, contract laboratories, food manufacturing quality assurance personnel and AOAC methods experts are encouraged to attend. Attendance is required for those contract laboratories interested in qualifying as independent laboratories and those individuals interested in qualifying as expert reviewers for the AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested Methods^SM program.

What You Will Learn: The presentations will include an overview of the Performance Tested Methods^SM program, detailed information and suggestions for performing the laboratory work necessary for a validation study along with specifics and examples on the current recommended statistical analysis for the evaluation of microbiological methods. This course will provide practical real-life examples of AOAC validation studies.

Course Level: This is an intermediate level course and is suggested as a pre-requisite to the training course named, “Official Methods of Analysis^SM Program: Quantitative Collaborative Study of Microbiological Methods”.

About the Instructor:
Sharon Brunelle has worked with the AOAC Research Institute since January 2003 as a technical consultant coordinating microbiology and chemistry method validation studies in the Performance Tested Methods^SM program.  Sharon also serves as a Project Manager for the Official Methods of Analysis^SM program, was the technical lead for the AOAC Task Force on Best Practices for Microbiology Methods, is a technical lead on contract projects for detection of biothreat agents and veterinary drug residues, and played a major role in developing guidelines for validation of biothreat agent methods and revision of the guidelines for validation of microbiology methods.  Prior to AOAC, Dr. Brunelle worked for 10 years in diagnostics development and validation, both in food microbiology and clinical oncology.  Sharon earned her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry and a minor in biology from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Brandeis University.  Her postdoctoral work was in medical biochemistry at Rockefeller University and the Picower Institute for Medical Research.

Registration Fee:
AOAC Member: US$875
Non-Member: US$1045

Who Should Attend: Quality Assurance Officers, Laboratory Managers, Analytical Section Leaders, Laboratory Directors, Quality Control Chemists/Technicians, Quality Managers, and any chemistry laboratory personnel interested in improving or developing a laboratory quality system.

What You Will Learn: Through lectures, exercises and discussion you will learn about the components of a quality system, how they interrelate with each other, procedures to implement this information into your laboratory to improve your current quality system and, if applicable, achieve accreditation or certification. How you can use analytical quality control data and statistics to reduce variation and improve the quality of data produced by the laboratory. The basics of statistical process control and control charting are presented and demonstrated. Analytical methods are a key factor in the overall plan for quality, and a variety of method validation techniques and levels of complexity are presented. The need for external and internal auditing, and how to address these issues, is covered in addition to the application of the results to the quality system. Documentation requirements are presented through a series of examples along with record-keeping needs. The components of a laboratory quality manual and their application are demonstrated.

Course Level: This is an intermediate level course.

About the Instructors:
Gene Klesta is the Central Region Quality Manager for Underwriters Laboratories, in South Bend, Indiana. In this capacity his major responsibilities include oversight of the quality of analytical data produced, management and implementation of the QA Program. Gene has extensive experience in the area of quality system certification. While working at Metal Management Inc., his leadership and direction resulted in the company becoming certified to ISO 9002-1994, in 1996. Previously, Gene spent more than 12 years with Waste Management, Inc., as Laboratory Director, Head of the Quality Assurance Department, and Supervisor of Customer Service; and he has worked for several major industrial laboratories. Gene has been actively involved in AOAC for many years, having served as a member of the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee. He has been an instructor and course director for the “Quality Assurance for Analytical Laboratories” training course for more than 15 years.

Jerry Hirsch is Director of JH TechRight Consulting. Jerry retired in 2001 from his position as Associate Director of the Burnaby Laboratory for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Vancouver, Canada. From 1997 to 2000 he was Laboratory Director of the Burnaby Food Safety Laboratory with CFIA, and prior to that he was Chief of the Food/Drug Laboratory Division for the Health Protection Branch (Health Canada) laboratory in Burnaby. He led the CFIA Burnaby Food Laboratory in its successful application to achieve ISO Guide 25 accreditation with the Standards Council of Canada in 1999. Jerry assisted in the integration of the Burnaby Food and Burnaby Fish Laboratories, and led the scope expansion accreditation activities to ISO 17025 in 2001. Jerry’s CFIA laboratory developed a basic EMS program in 2000 as part of a national ISO 14000 self-assessment exercise. Jerry has been an active member of AOAC for a number of years, serving as Chair of the Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee, Chair of the Committee on Sections, and as an officer of the Pacific Northwest Section. He has been an instructor for the “Quality Assurance for Analytical Laboratories” course for more than 10 years.