Theresa Blake, Jennifer Moody and Heather Radford, the first three students to pursue the new hybrid track for the Master of Science in Cytotechnology and Molecular Cytology program, received their white coats on Sunday.
Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Meenakshi Malik presided over the White Coat Ceremony which also honored more than 20 additional students in the clinical laboratory sciences’ bachelor and master’s programs, the bachelor’s in biotechnology and the master’s in clinical laboratory sciences, and the master’s in cytotechnology and molecular cytology.
Both clinical lab scientists and cytotechnologists are critical pieces of the health-care puzzle as they provide laboratory information and services needed for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Honorees heard from guest speaker Caleigh-Shea (Shea) Murphy ’20, a newly appointed part-time cytotechnology faculty member at ACPHS. After graduation, Murphy worked as a cytologist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY, and eventually made her way back to Albany. She has been a cytologist at Albany Medical Center (AMC) for the last three years.
The annual tradition of a white coat ceremony symbolizes a commitment by students to become competent and caring professionals. The cloaking is performed by faculty members of the College, who have the responsibility of guiding students onto their career paths. Following guest remarks and cloaking of white coats, students recite the CLS Pledge to the Profession and Cytotechnology Code of Conduct.
The students receiving their white coats included:
Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Zoe Zielona Catiling
- Nicholas Alexander Hunter
- Abigail Kievit
- Alexa Nagy
- Heaven Pickel
- Connor Zabko
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Technology and Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Lindsey Gwilt
- Racheal Lavigne
Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Caitlin Azzopardi
- Shannon Crannell
- Christina A. Martinez
- Jessica Musacchio
- Yu-Fang Tsai
- Angela Zhang
Master of Science in Cytotechnology and Molecular Cytology
- Theresa Blake
- Kasey Conklin
- Bethanie Hagen
- Galit Kireenko
- Alexandra Lumley
- Colleen Malone
- Marie Mathieu
- Hannah McCarthy
- Jennifer Moody
- Heather Radford
- Jamie Siebring
The time-honored event, held at the Gozzo Student Center on the ACPHS campus, included more than 100 in-person guests and culminated with a reception for family and friends.
The new 16-month Master's hybrid mode was launched in Fall 2024 to increase access to those seeking to become cytologists leveraging regional satellite extension site locations for the program's laboratory portions. Currently, ACPHS has agreements to partner with UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, New York, and Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, New York to support the laboratory/hands-on component of the program in a clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed cytotechnologist. The College expects to continue building the network of partners throughout New York State and beyond.
View a full photo gallery from the event.