Raja Elina Raja Aziddin

     As 2023 draws near, I take this opportunity to wish all members a Happy New Year.

2023 promises to be an exciting year. As in previous years, the MACB will continue to play a key role in the career development of its members by providing them access to training programs. In 2019, members can look forward to exciting new training programs in addition to the annual conference, seminars, and workshops.

   To start the new year, the MACB will be hosting the APFCB MACB Chemical Pathology Course in Kuala Lumpur followed by a course on statistics. These courses will feature interesting topics and will be presented by local and overseas speakers. These courses have been registered with the MOH training center and participants will be eligible to claim CME credit points.

     The NOSS Clinical Biochemistry Level 5 training is expected to start in mid-2023. To date, the MACB has appointed Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Pantai Premier Pathology Ampang as practical training centers. MACB is also working on an online e-learning program. These programs will be announced on the MACB website from time to time.

   As MACB is a member of the IFCC, MACB members have access to online learning programs that are provided by the IFCC. The IFCC eAcademy is a significant online educational activity that provides training and continuing professional development to members. In addition, members have access to other IFCC educational materials such as IFCC Newsletter, IFCC eJournal, IFCC eNews Flash, and IFCC Social Media. The IFCC has also launched a newly formed IFCC working group for personal support (WG-PS) where international experts have offered to share their scientific or management expertise with senior trainees or newly qualified laboratory practitioners. Members can refer to the IFCC communication section on the MACB website for further details.

     MACB is also a member of the APFCB. MACB members also have access to APFCB news, webinars, and other learning material that is provided by the APFCB.

     In addition, MACB members are also eligible to apply for positions in the APFCB and IFCC committees, working groups, and tasks force. For positions in IFCC committees, please refer to the IFCC communication section on the MACB website to obtain more information on positions available. To apply for these positions, interested candidates are required to get a support letter from the MACB.

     I wish to thank all members who have contributed to the association in 2018 and look forward to more members actively participating in MACB committees, working groups, and activities in 2023. State representatives are encouraged to collaborate with MACB to organize seminars and workshops at the local or state level. For a start, I congratulate the Selangor Biochemists group for taking up the challenge to be the organizers for the 29th MACB Conference 2023. We hope this will encourage more state representatives to host MACB conferences in the future.

My best wishes to all members for a great year ahead.