Nadine Fydryszewski is program director for the world’s first Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS) program at Rutgers University. Modeled after other health professional degree programs, including those for pharmacy and physical therapy, this doctorate-level role for clinical laboratorians was developed to complement interdisciplinary patient care teams. Brandy Gunsolus, the program’s first graduate, currently practices at Augusta University Medical Center in Georgia. In this conversation, the two explain what it took to get the DCLS program off the ground and why clinicians are so enthusiastic about including DCLSs on their care teams and hospital committees.

A restaurant delivery or car ride can be ordered easily from your smartphone. Why not phlebotomy services when you need your blood drawn? This is the question Mike Eller asked a colleague back in 2018. Then, with some tech and marketing collaboration, they made it happen. In this discussion, Jim Crawford, Eller, and Chris Zavala explain the origin of their LabFly mobile phlebotomy service, its critical role in supporting telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it positions Northwell Health Laboratories for the patient-centric care of the future.

Health systems wishing to reduce overall healthcare costs would do well to focus less on direct laboratory costs and more on the meaningful ways laboratories can impact clinical efficiency. In this interview, Rick Panning, who served as Senior Administrative Director for Laboratory Services at HealthPartners in Minnesota, describes his work to reduce the total cost of care through improved testing service levels, saving money while improving the patient experience.

Clinical laboratory science might just be the most invisible of all the healthcare professions. Maddie Josephs, president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, is trying to change that. In this interview she explains why many Millennials and Gen Z individuals feel drawn to this field, and describes some of the barriers to expanding the ranks of clinical laboratory scientists to meet this country’s growing healthcare needs.

Clinical laboratories were hit hard when COVID-19 erupted in the United States last spring. Labs scrambled to develop and ramp up COVID-19 testing while facing PPE shortages, the need to keep staff infection free, and sharp drops in revenue due to patients delaying routine care and elective procedures. In this interview, Dr. Jon Genzen, COO of ARUP Laboratories, describes a few of the many ways ARUP quickly and successfully adapted to this unfamiliar and challenging environment.