What we do
At the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM), our mission is to address the growing global need for skilled laboratory quality professionals in alignment with ISO 15189:2022 standards for medical laboratory quality and competence. To support healthcare and laboratory systems across Canada and internationally, we provide a comprehensive suite of educational programs, training, and professional services.
Beyond instruction, POLQM actively advances the field through academic research, scholarly publications, advanced education, and expert quality consultations to help organizations achieve and sustain laboratory excellence.
Our team
Founded in 2002 within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM) was created to meet the rising demand for skilled laboratory quality professionals ahead of international standard requirements. Over two decades later, as global interest in accreditation under ISO 15189:2022 and related standards continues to expand, POLQM remains at the forefront of quality education and consultation.
The dedicated team delivers a comprehensive suite of offerings, including the signature UBC Certificate Course in Laboratory Quality Management, self-paced courses like Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Interpretation, international workshops, and the Vancouver-based Laboratory Quality Management conference. Through continuous research, academic publications, advanced training, and expert consultations, the POLQM team empowers laboratory professionals worldwide to achieve and sustain excellence in quality management.
Dr. Lucy Perrone
MSPH, PhD, Director of Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia
Dr. Lucy A. Perrone is a diplomatic and value-centric leader and has more than 20 years’ experience at the international level strengthening health and laboratory systems in more than 30 countries.
Dr. Perrone’s work focuses on diagnostic medicine accuracy and equity, specifically laboratory quality and compliance, taking system- level approaches to ensuring equitable access to quality assured testing, network optimization, laboratory service sustainability, regulation and governance. Dr. Perrone has held faculty and leadership positions in academia and government, collaborated with many international NGOs and UN agencies including the WHO in near,ly every region. She has published 60+ peer- reviewed manuscripts, National plans, National policies and National guidelines.
Dr. Perrone currently holds the Donald B. Rix Professorship in Laboratory Quality, and is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Perrone is the Chair of the Canadian Microbiology Proficiency Testing Program (ISO 17043:2022 accredited), and the Director of the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management. Dr. Perrone is a member of the Canadian Standards Association and the ISO working group TC2-12 which shapes the ISO 15189:2022 standard.
Mr. Phillip Morehouse
MLT CMQ/OE (ASQ)
Adjunct Professor, Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC
Phillip Morehouse, an adjunct Professor at UBC is a Registered Medical Laboratory Technologist with the Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Sciences and a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence with the American Society of Quality.
He has over four decades of Medical Laboratory leadership experience spanning technical, operational and management for a wide range of laboratory disciplines including Quality Management, Regulatory Compliance, Point of Care Testing and Infection Prevention and Control.
Phillip has held leadership positions at the Director level for a large multisite Public Hospital Health Authority and most recently has been the National Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for LifeLabs, Canada’s largest Reference Laboratory.
With experience spanning five Canadian provinces, Phillip has worked closely with ISO 15189 and requirements from Accreditation Canada Diagnostics (ACD), the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP), the College of American Pathologist Accreditation (CAP) and Health Canada.
Phillip has been an Advisory Panel Member for Accreditation Canada Diagnostics since 2023 and was appointed to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Expert Panel on Quality Management Systems in January 2025. In addition, Phillip has been a CLSI volunteer and contributing author on numerous Quality Management System guidelines.
Since 2021, Phillip has been on the faculty of the Laboratory Quality Management Certificate Program at UBC and hopes to impact the quality of laboratory services globally through continuous learning and improvement.
Ms. Maggie Ma
Program Coordinator, UBC Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management
Maggie Ma has served as the Program Coordinator for the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM) at the University of British Columbia since 2008. As the primary point of contact for POLQM, she oversees day-to-day administrative operations, coordinates educational programs and workshops, and assists laboratory professionals and partners with program inquiries and engagements.
Ambassadors and Partners
At the heart of POLQM’s global impact is a dynamic network of international partners, healthcare organizations, and dedicated regional ambassadors. By collaborating with leading academic institutions, accreditation bodies, standards organizations, and public health agencies, POLQM bridges the gap between international quality standards and real-world laboratory practices.
Our regional ambassadors act as vital champions on the ground, advocating for ISO 15189 compliance, facilitating local training, and guiding healthcare professionals toward quality excellence within their respective regions. Together with our global development and clinical partners, these ambassadors help extend POLQM’s educational reach, foster international knowledge-sharing, and empower medical laboratories around the world to build sustainable cultures of quality and safety.
Dr. Nashat Nafouri
Regional Ambassador in Saudi
Dr. Nafouri is an advocate in Total Quality Management, Excellence Models, Strategic Planning, Healthcare Governance, Performance Management, Leadership Coaching and Mentoring, Excellence & Safety Cultures, Infections Prevention and Occupational and Environmental Health and Clinical Laboratories Accreditations with over 25 years of experience, tangible achievements and proven track records.
He serves on the Saudi Quality Council (SQC) Board as an Executive Officer and Chairman of the Healthcare Interest Group (HIG). The group that put the foundation of quality in healthcare institutions since established in 2003 and made remarkable milestones in advancing quality culture in the health community at national and regional levels and just held its 20th annual meeting in 2024.
He currently serves as Organizational Excellence and Quality Consultant at the Security Forces Hospital, Makkah which resulted in achieving the silver level of the prestigious King Abdulaziz Quality Award in its 7th cycle, 2024.
He also served as Organizational Excellence and Quality Consultant at King Salman Medical City and Madinah health cluster to lead the city’s effort toward King Abdulaziz Quality Award and Joint Commission International accreditation.
Nashat is engaged as ISO series trainer in SASO project for improving quality management in Saudi’s manufacturing factories in line with KSA 2030 vision toward internationalization of Saudi products.
He is currently becoming a registered Associat Consultant with British Standards Institute (BSI) for many ISO series including ISO 9001, 14001, 22000, and 31000.
He has many professional affiliations to advance clinical laboratories quality in the region by being the ambassador of the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM) of the University of British Columbia, Canada, where many quality professionals were recommended by him, graduated and leading quality in their organizations now.
Nashat in his capacity as regional representative keeps on promoting prominent non-for-profit standards organization including the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), USA and formerly the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), USA.
Dr. Nafouri had an academic fingerprint as former lecturer in the Community Medicine Saudi Fellowship Board, part-time faculty member at the American University of Cairo for the Infection Prevention & Control and Quality Management courses and former faculty member at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard. He has many publications, instrumental research and workshops that are searchable on the internet in the fields of his expertise.
In 2019, Dr. Nafouri has been recognized as quality giant by Professor Mohammad Zairi, the head of the European Center for Best Practice Management for his valuable contribution, dedication, and commitment to promote quality on a sustainable basis in an unrelentless manner for 25 years. He is the 2015 Quality Leadership Award winner endorsed by the World Quality Congress and Awards and Asian Confederation of Business.
Nashat earned his B.Sc. in Medical Technology from the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1991 then completed his post graduate Diploma in Biotechnology from British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver, Canada in 1998 and finally achieved his Ph.D. in Business Administration with Healthcare Quality Management focus from the International Washington University, USA in 2005.
Emails: nafourin@gmail.com
nafourin@qualitylogic.com.sa
Linkedin profile URL:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nashat-nafouri-28090921b