Cell Bowl 2024 Gains Traction, Reinforces Learning, Builds Awareness of the Laboratory

The fourth annual Cell Bowl national hematology competition, organized by Tiffany Gill, MA, MLS(ASCP)^CM, (aka Medical Lab Lady Gill ) and sponsored by ASCP (Gold Level) and CellAVision (Silver Level), experienced several “firsts” when it concluded last fall. 

The winning team from Jacksonville, FL, was the first clinical team comprising both medical laboratory technician (MLT) and medical laboratory scientist (MLS) students. Previous Super Cell Bowl Champions have all been MLS or MLT teams from NAACLS-accredited programs and have never had a combination of MLT and MLS students on one team, according to ASCP member Aaron Odegard, MS, MLS(ASCP), who organized the winning team. 

Another “first” for the 2024 Cell Bowl was a community outreach component to build awareness of the laboratory profession. Ms. Gill added the community engagement component in the form of a scavenger hunt. Teammates had to go out into the community to seek or create opportunities to share information about careers in the laboratory profession with individuals or groups around campus, the gym, grocery store, or blood drives. The community could “up-vote” their favorite team by donating at least 30 whole blood units per vote at a local blood drive. 

The Cell Bowl is an interactive competition between medical laboratory science programs nationwide that culminates in the Super Cell Bowl for the Varsity league and the Second Chance Showdown for the Junior Varsity league. It tests the scientific knowledge of MLT and MLS students with team competitions that enhance their knowledge of blood cell morphology and build their professional networks. It also helps prepare them for the ASCP Board of Certification exams. 

ASCP’s Council of Laboratory Professionals has been supportive of the Cell Bowl since it began, with many of its members assisting in the planning and also promoting it on social media. 

“I am very excited about where this cell bowl competition is headed,” says Ms. Gill, a tenured professor and coordinator of the MLT program at the College of Southern Maryland, in Hughesville, MD. “I am excited to have more community involvement. Overall, the Cell Bowl emphasizes what the laboratory profession does, it highlights the medical laboratory education programs, and it raises awareness of the important work of the medical laboratory as part of the healthcare team.” 

Mr. Odegard, a laboratory quality coordinator at Baptist Health Jacksonville, in Jacksonville, FL, is delighted that the team he put together took first place. Throughout the six weeks of competition, his executive laboratory director, Gwendolyn Robles, and other leaders from departments across his health system frequently inquired about how the team was performing. Even the health system’s president, Ms. Nicole Thomas, offered her congratulations after the team won.  

Overall, “The Cell Bowl helped to create a strong sense of community for our team in the clinical setting. It’s fun and helps prepare the participants for the ASCP Board of Certification exams. Lastly, it raises the visibility of the laboratory profession throughout the health system and the surrounding community,” says Mr. Odegard. 

NAACLS-accredited MLT and MLS programs and clinical sites who host these programs’ students can learn more about the Cell Bowl and sign up at the new Medical Lab Lady Gill website.