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 reduce their environmental footprint. Dr. Wiencek shares actionable strategies for improving sustainability through laboratory stewardship, recycling initiatives, and effective advocacy without compromising quality or safety. Whether you’re a laboratorian, administrator, or trainee, this conversation offers ideas you can implement immediately. Listen in as we rethink waste in the clinical laboratory and consider how you can contribute to a more sustainable future in laboratory medicine.

Related Information:

• Estimated Waste Generation From 1 Million Basic Metabolic Panels: A Multisite U.S. Study [hyperlinked to: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41048040/]
• Potential Savings of Two Practical Interventions on Vitamin D Ordering Practices at a Large Academic Medical Center [hyperlinked to: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41140116/]

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, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Dr. Kacy Peterson, director of laboratory optimization and clinical integration and laboratory service line administrator at Avera Health. They join us to discuss their laboratory careers, the value of the DCLS degree, and the ways the degree has helped to empower their laboratory, clinical, and scientific leadership across different practice settings.

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 Clinical Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry at ARUP Laboratories, discuss how emerging diagnostics are transforming the diagnosis and management of AD. Together, they explore how collaboration across clinical and laboratory disciplines can accelerate diagnostic innovation and support advances in patient care.

Related Information: Plasma-Based Diagnostics for Alzheimer’s Disease: Current State and Clinical Relevance of pTau 217 [aruplab.com/pTau217-2026]

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 ideas, advocating for yourself, and driving meaningful transformation.

Related Information:

When Uncertainty Knocks: How To Regain Control and Reclaim Confidence https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-uncertainty-knocks-how-regain-control-reclaim-confidence-diaz-hn6we/?trackingId=XcqMp8lVT6upzDtJUH%2Fnfg%3D%3D

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 interview, Dr. Kelly Doyle, an ARUP medical director of Special Chemistry, Endocrinology, and Mass Spectrometry, shares insights from novel methods to establish pediatric-specific reference intervals. Using an innovative indirect approach and a large dataset of patient results, Dr. Doyle explains how these new standards can improve diagnosis and care for children worldwide.

Related Information: Webinar: Development of Pediatric G6PD Reference Intervals Through Integration of Indirect Methods and Molecular Data https://arup.utah.edu/education/doyle-g6pd-2025.php

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 career. During Dr. Jackson’s final episode, he shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including the state of U.S. healthcare and the contributions of pathology, while also reflecting on his time hosting this podcast.

Related Information:

• LabMind - An Interview With Dr. Carl Kjeldsberg (Part I): Founding and the Early Shaping of ARUP https://arup.utah.edu/education/podcasts/labmindEp2.php

• LabMind - An Interview With Dr. Carl Kjeldsberg (Part II): Scaling ARUP into a Mature Company https://arup.utah.edu/education/podcasts/labmindEp3.php

• LabMind - An Interview With Lab Superheroes: Stories of Ingenuity, Creativity, and Grit (Part II) https://arup.utah.edu/education/podcasts/labmindEp50.php

• LabMind - An Interview With Rick Panning: How Laboratories Can Reduce the Total Cost of Care https://arup.utah.edu/education/podcasts/labmindEp36.php

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 Information:

• YouTube Series: “Mansplaining Medicine” (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkpqin9U2WgT423DqJo2guQwould)
• Book: “When the Doctor Has a Stroke: (How I recovered, and you can too)” (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNLCLF9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_G68R6WEVAJEPMFJFY2CP?skipTwisterOG=1)

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 diabetes and shares how her continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and laboratory test results have helped her take control of her disease and her life.