LabMind

Laboratory billing is a complex and often challenging aspect of healthcare, yet appropriate reimbursement is essential to sustain operations and support high-quality patient care. In this episode of LabMind, Ashley Zarling, director of Business Development and Marketing at Doc Lab, shares practical strategies for developing and maintaining effective laboratory billing solutions. This discussion al...

Vaccination has been at the forefront of public discourse in recent years, yet the role of clinical laboratory testing in evaluating vaccination status has been largely overlooked. In this episode of LabMind, Dr. Patricia Slev, professor of Pathology at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, explores how immune response to vaccines can be assessed through clinical lab...

Clinical laboratories play a critical role in patient care while also generating substantial waste, including single‑use plastics, paper, and e-waste. In this special Lab Week episode of LabMind, we sit down with Dr. Joseph Wiencek, associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to explore practical and attainable ways laboratories can reduc...

The doctorate in clinical laboratory science (DCLS) is designed to address critical practice needs involving high-complexity CLIA laboratory directorships and effective laboratory representation with clinical services across the health system. This episode of LabMind features guests Dr. LaShanta Brice, scientific engagement and clinical education scientist at Diagnostica Stago, Dr. Melody Nelson,...

New blood-based tests for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are advancing and reshaping how this devastating disorder is detected and treated. In this episode, Dr. Christine Cliatt Brown, assistant professor in the division of Cognitive Neurology at the University of Utah, and Dr. Heather Nelson, assistant professor in the department of Pathology at the University of Utah and medical director of Clini...

Change is the new constant—especially in clinical laboratories and healthcare organizations. In this episode of LabMind, Danny Diaz, senior director of Clinical Application Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, shares why resilience is more than a buzzword—it’s an imperative. As he explores his own career journey, Diaz offers practical strategies for building networks, advancing idea...

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a genetic condition that can lead to life-threatening hemolysis in both children and adults. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical, but identifying G6PD deficiency in newborns and young children isn’t always straightforward—most reference intervals are based on adult values, which don’t necessarily apply to pediatric patients. In this inter...

After seven years and almost 100 episodes of LabMind recorded, Dr. Brian Jackson, former medical director at ARUP Laboratories and faculty with the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, has moved into a new clinical laboratory leadership position at the University of Maryland—leaving the podcast mic behind for a clinical challenge he always knew he wanted to take in his...

In 2016, Dr. Shaiba Ansari-Ali, a rheumatologist with Northwestern Medicine, experienced a near-fatal stroke that was followed by a misdiagnosed case of sepsis. In this interview, she explains how her positivity and tenacity were key to her successful rehabilitation and recovery, and she illustrates how this experience has made her a better physician despite her physical limitations. Related Infor...

As laboratory professionals, we’re often focused on our critical role as part of the healthcare team in delivering results to providers. But, do we ever stop and think about the power laboratory data can have in the hands of the patients themselves? In this interview, Cherise Shockley, a diabetes social media advocate, describes her experience being diagnosed with an under-recognized form of diabe...

Whenever a new infectious disease enters the scene (or reenters, as in the case of measles), developing precise and accurate diagnostic tests as quickly as possible is critical. In this interview, Dr. Ben Bradley, ARUP medical director of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Infectious Disease Genomic Technologies, High Consequence Pathogen Response, Virology, and Molecular Infectious Dise...

In this age of algorithms, how do we ensure clinical care is both science based and personalized? In this interview, Dr. Ryan Metcalf, section chief of Transfusion Medicine at ARUP Laboratories and University of Utah Health and associate professor of Pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, shares the story behind the new platelet transfusion guideline from the Association for the A...

Health equity and personalized medicine share a common goal: tailoring care to the needs of each individual. In this interview, Dr. Octavia Peck Palmer from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, immediate past president of ADLM, explains how diversity is foundational to advancing clinical science and improving patient outcomes.

After nearly dying from a mysterious disease during medical school, Dr. David Fajgenbaum dedicated his career to breaking down barriers in biomedical research. Fajgenbaum is now an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and cofounder of Every Cure. In this conversation, we discuss his personal diagnostic journey and the errors and delays he encountered along the way. We...

Every specimen represents a potential mystery, and laboratory professionals often play the role of detectives. For the 2025 Lab Week episode of LabMind, Amanda Openshaw, a genetic counselor at ARUP, shares examples illustrating the importance of good investigative work in the laboratory to discover accurate diagnoses. 

Why hasn’t there been more progress in developing therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia? One reason has been the lack of specific laboratory tests that can properly diagnose and characterize these diseases. In this interview, Dr. Qinwen Mao from the University of Utah describes how her research team is helping to bring new blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers into cli...

As laboratory professionals, we may think we have a good understanding of how physicians use our services. But how often do we ask them for practical feedback? In this interview, family physician Dr. Keith Elkins shares his perspectives on what clinical laboratories and pathologists do well, and what opportunities they may be overlooking to better support frontline clinical care. 

Many people in the healthcare profession know that clinical laboratories are under more rigorous regulatory scrutiny than just about any other area of medicine. What they may not know is that the New York State Department of Health (NY DOH) was the pioneer in laboratory regulation, starting long before the implementation of either the FDA Medical Device Amendments or the Clinical Laboratory Improv...

In this age of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, laboratory professionals might think they need to be experts in sophisticated new technology to glean insights from laboratory data. But as ARUP’s medical director of operational informatics Dr. Jenna Rychert points out in this interview, data analysis doesn’t always have to be complicated to provide meaningful value. Rela...

Anatomic pathology is on the verge of its biggest technologic shift in over a century. Making a smooth transition will require leadership to pay as much attention to the human impact as to the technology itself. In this discussion, Dr. Suzanne Dintzis from the University of Washington explains why hospital and department leaders will need to partner with front-line laboratory professionals and pat...

As of September 2024, there remains enormous uncertainty about the FDA’s final rule on laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). Will it hold up in court? Which tests are subject to which requirements? How can laboratories best prepare? In this interview, Dr. Jonathan Genzen, ARUP’s chief medical officer and senior director of governmental affairs, responds to questions sent in by members of the laborato...

Fixing American healthcare will require more than mere tweaks around the edges. Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Boston-based Lown Institute, believes that it will require a return to medicine’s humanist roots. In this interview he describes some of the ways in which many healthcare organizations prioritize revenue and profit over patients and communities. He also explains why he remains optimist...

Clinical laboratories offer great careers, but lack of awareness and other barriers can prevent excellent candidates from pursuing laboratory science professions. In this interview, Isak Schmidley, MLS(ASCP), explains how he first stumbled across medical laboratory science while attending community college in his early teens and then persevered past age stereotypes to land his first hospital labor...

Most hereditary cancers, including those associated with BRCA1 mutations and Lynch syndrome, can be prevented through a combination of genetic testing, surveillance, and surgery. Yet only a small minority of eligible individuals currently receive this lifesaving intervention. In this interview, Dr. Brian Shirts, director of the Institute for Public Health Genetics at the University of Washington,...

Due to genetic variation, patients metabolize and respond to medications in vastly different ways, so why do most drug therapy regimens continue to be one-size-fits-all? In this interview, Dr. Yuan Ji, ARUP’s section chief of Molecular Genetics and Genomics, discusses how currently available genetic tests can be used to improve both the safety and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy. Related Content:...