Overview
The Clinical Chemistry section serves the University of Alabama 1190-bed tertiary care major medical center and the satellite clinics, mainly including the Core Clinical Chemistry lab in the University Hospital, UED lab, Point-of-Care testing (POCT), the Clinical Toxicology lab and the Forensic Toxicology lab.
Our Faculty
Liyun Cao, PhD
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine
Director, Clinical Chemistry; RNICU; Specimen Receiving Lab
David Figge, MD, PhD
Instructor Fellow, Laboratory Medicine
Forest Huls, MD
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine
Director, Protein Electrophoresis and Related Services; UABMW Imaging Center
Jose Lima, MD
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicince
Associate Director, Laboratory Medicine
Director, Clinical Immunology and Therapeutic Apheresis
Karen Scott, PhD
Associate Professor, Laboratory Medicine
Director, Forensic Toxicology Lab
Residency Training
Residents spend three months in the Clinical Chemistry rotation. Residents are trained through attending didactic sessions, perform clinical duties, and conducting clinical research projects. Residents are primarily responsible for daily protein electrophoresis sign-off, drug report sign-off, chemistry on-call, monthly QC review, and send-out test approval. Residents are strongly encouraged to present their work at national meetings such as ACLPS, ASCP, and AACC annual meetings.
Residents attend weekly Clinical Chemistry lab meeting, and participate in a number of case reports, journal clubs, and grand rounds in the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Pathology. They also attend multidisciplinary conferences such as the Endocrinology Case Conference and Internal Medicine Case Conference.
Clinical Chemistry Consultation and Tests
The Clinical Chemistry team provides comprehensive expert consultative service for protein electrophoresis and pain management drug report.
The Core Clinical Chemistry lab offers a wide range of tests including basic metabolic panel (BMP), complete metabolic panel (CMP), tumor markers, cardiac markers, lipid profile, hormones, therapeutic drug monitoring, protein electrophoresis, and other miscellaneous tests.
The Clinical Toxicology lab offers a comprehensive drug screen covering 66 analytes from multiple drug classes and a confirmation menu of quantitating 68 different scheduled medications that are routinely used for pain management, as well as drugs of abuse.
The Forensic Toxicology laboratory offers testing for the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s office as well as other hospital and private Medical Examiner’s offices. The Medical Examiner’s offices have jurisdiction over unnatural deaths, gunshot victims, drug overdoses, unidentified remains, accidental deaths, vehicle accidents, and persons who do not have a physician to sign the death certificate. The Forensic Toxicology laboratory offers a full drug screen using immunoassay which is confirmed by GC/MS. An alcohol screen panel including ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone is also conducted in the lab.
Contact Us
Liyun Cao, PhD
Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine
Director, Clinical Chemistry; RNICU; Specimen Receiving Lab
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
231 Shelby Biomedical Research Building
lcao@uab.edu