Top science honour for blood expert Betty

The honour for senior chief biomedical scientist Betty Kyle, who is based at Wishaw General Hospital, was announced at the Institute’s annual general meeting last week.

Betty is the strategic lead biomedical scientist for haematology in Lanarkshire, and also lead healthcare scientist for education in NHS Lanarkshire laboratories.

Betty joined the IBMS as a fellow in 1983 and became a Chartered Fellow in 2004.

She has devoted years of service to the Institute as a regional council member, as well as acting as a specialist diploma examiner for haematology and a registration portfolio verifier (which is essential for graduates looking to enter the profession).

She has published articles on blood transfusion and on errors in laboratory medicine, and is also is also an IBMS professional advisor to the Scottish clinical transfusion advisory committee – and she represents the IBMS on the UKAS policy advisory forum.

For her endeavours in the training and education of biomedical scientists in the West of Scotland and nationally, Betty was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences by Glasgow Caldedonian University.

IBMS President Ian Sturdgess said: “The Institute is truly grateful to have a member of such experience and dedication to the profession.”

In the UK alone, pathologists are involved in more than 70 per cent of diagnoses in the NHS.

Biomedical scientists like Betty diagnose disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments through the analysis of fluids and tissue samples, handling over 150 million samples every year.