Clinical Laboratory Science alumna's research featured in journal

By T.C. Sprencel
University News Service
October 29, 2010

Texas State University-San Marcos Clinical Laboratory Science alumna Callie Camp has literally made her mark on Laboratory Medicine, as it is her research article that is featured on the cover of the high-profile journal’s Nov. 2010 issue.

Camp’s manuscript, “A Review of Acinetobacter baumannii as a Highly Successful Pathogen in Times of War,” is the feature article in the current issue of the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s (ASCP) peer-reviewed journal. The article, coauthored by Owatha Tatum, is a review of a particularly resilient bacterial pathogen that has proliferated in hospital settings and has significantly affected U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I was absolutely shocked when I saw that my article was the feature article,” said Camp, a Houston native who graduated from Texas State in 2009 and recently received her master’s in molecular pathology from Texas Tech University. She now works at Austin clinical laboratory company Cenetron.

The new wasn’t so surprising to those who worked with her at Texas State.

“We’re growing future leaders in the lab area, and there are always those special ones that come along,” said Rodney Rohde, associate professor in the CLS department. “Callie is one of those special ones.”

Camp, who chose Texas State specifically for its CLS program, served as vice president of the CLS Student Society and as student vice chair of the Texas Association for Clinical Laboratory Science--all while juggling the demands of Texas State’s rigorous CLS curriculum.

“We have one of the highest hour requirements of any bachelor’s degree,” said Rohde. “Our students spend a lot of time in classes and labs, as well as in actual clinical settings.”

Camp credited her time in the program as a primary reason for her professional success.

“I'm very grateful to Texas State and the CLS program for the quality training and experience I received,” said Camp, noting the importance of time management and communication. “Every class helped prepare me for my profession.”

That profession, Rohde pointed out, is an integral part of diagnosing and understanding disease. As Camp continues her work in such an important area of study, the mark she has made on her field--only months out of college--will certainly grow more prominent.

For more information, please visit the ASCP’s website for “Laboratory Medicine” at http://labmed.ascpjournals.org/.