🔬How should the laboratory respond when patient requests fall outside the test menu and established standards? ❔This question is a recurring topic — how to respond when belief-based testing requests conflict with evidence-based practice — within the PLUGS (Patient-centered Laboratory Utilization Guidance Services) laboratory stewardship collaborative. 💻 💡Read the full article to learn more about PLUGS co-founders and the work of this laboratory stewardship collaborative: bit.ly/4dDzoQi #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues #CV

Santosh Kadel, DCLS, MS, CC(NRCC), MLS(ASCP)CM, is a clinical architect for Laboratory Medicine at ChristianaCare health system in Delaware and one of the first doctors to earn a doctorate in clinical laboratory science degree (DCLS). Watch his video interview to learn what intrigues Dr. Kadel most about laboratory medicine, what inspired him to pursue this career, and how his work directly impacts patient care: bit.ly/4v67fIT #CriticalValues #PressPlay #StrongerTogether #3QuestionsWith

For Rahim Wright, MLS(ASCP)CM, the groundbreaking decision to pursue a career as a lead medical laboratory scientist in blood bank came from a seed his mother, Deborah, planted when he was in elementary school. Although Deborah didn’t try to influence Rahim’s career path, she was impressed with how invested he was in doing well and understanding the results at the science fair. “My mom was able to secure a donation of agar plates, and I designed an experiment to swab various surfaces around the school to determine which area harbored the most bacteria.” He was surprised to learn that “the principal’s doorknob showed more bacterial growth than even the urinal flush handle!” Read more on their adjacent paths here: bit.ly/4tb42WS #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

A career in pathology was stitched into the childhood of Courtney Jackson, MD, as early as preschool. Her interest was piqued by the frequent visits to her mother’s laboratory growing up. Watching her mother, Ann Long Jackson, MD, work full-time as one of the few women physicians in her small town was an experience that Dr. Jackson never forgot. “She would pick me up from preschool and bring me to her grossing lab. I would sit on a stool next to her and help by opening the contents of the plastic specimen bags and placing a requisition form next to them.“ Now, she carries her mother’s legacy with her every day. Read more on how her mother’s career still impacts Dr. Jackson’s here: bit.ly/4ukJ4G2 #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

@RodneyRohde, PhD, MS, SM(ASCP)CM SVCM,MBCM, has had a storied career in laboratory medicine. Critical Values sat down with him to talk about mentors, the importance of laboratory medicine in patient care, and more. Watch now! bit.ly/3Mdvb7Q @txst #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues #3QuestionsWith

When Karen Etter MBA, MT (ASCP), began her 37-year-long career as a Clinical Laboratory Supervisor, she didn’t anticipate her daughter, Ashley Etter MLS (ASCP), following in her footsteps years later. Inspired by the stories her mother shared and the opportunities to tag along during overnight shifts in the laboratory helped Ashley choose a similar career path. Read more about their stories here: bit.ly/4vnyLlU #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

Swikrity Upadhyay Baskota, MBBS, MD, FASCP, is the Fellowship Director for Cytopathology at the University of California Davis. Dr. Baskota spoke to Critical Values at the 2025 ASCP Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Watch Dr. Baskota’s video interview to learn more about her experiences: bit.ly/4swEKTr #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether #PressPlay

After working 18-hour days as a nurse, Sheila Washington MLS, MT, decided it was a career far too demanding to fulfill the needs of her two daughters at home. In search of a change, she took a urinalysis class to fulfill credit hours, but it sparked a new interest in a laboratory career. This pivotal moment would have a ripple effect that inspired her two daughters, Brittany and Amber Jackson, to pursue laboratory careers. Read more about their path to the lab here: bit.ly/47k3Qwq #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

Stephen Norman, MD, was first introduced to pathology in high school when his father, Dr. Tom David Norman, opened a private practice and let him shadow on autopsies. Dr. Norman’s late great uncle, Dr. Foster Matthew Johns was a clinical pathologist and served as president of ASCP in 1936. These two connections introduced him to medicine, but it’s the family’s legacy that keeps him going today. Read our Q&A with Dr. Norman here: bit.ly/3NbKZgo #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #CV

Addressing the lab workforce shortage starts with awareness. If students don't know clinical laboratory careers exist, they can't pursue them. A new initiative out of North Carolina is changing that: UNC's Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine is partnering with NCABR to run CE workshops for science teachers, equipping them to introduce students to the wide world of laboratory careers. Because the best recruiter? A teacher who knows what's possible. Read more: bit.ly/4uvAFQW #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues #CV

At just 10 years old, Dr. Aisha Mohamed’s life changed when her family moved from the United States to Nairobi, where she witnessed firsthand the stark disparities in access to medical care. That experience sparked a passion for global health that continues to shape her journey today. Dr. Mohamed received an ASCP Trainee Global Health Fellowship, giving her the opportunity to complete a month-long rotation in Moshi, Tanzania. Watch her interview about the experience now: bit.ly/46COOSc #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues

Laboratory science isn’t just a career in the Johnson family — it’s a legacy. Taylor Johnson is a medical laboratory scientist (MLS) and #LIS specialist, working in clinical informatics. Her father, Nathan, is an educator and retired Air Force laboratory officer. Taylor’s aunt Laura is a retired #MLS, who started her career in a crime lab as a forensic serologist. Their careers cross disciplines but are rooted in science and service. Continue reading to learn about their career paths here: bit.ly/4qTDx7g #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

When the team at The Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo laboratory learned that they had received a Leading Laboratories designation, they took the news in the same spirit as they run their lab: as a team. This small but uniquely tight-knit group work toward and celebrate their wins together because they are all deeply invested in each other, their work, and their impact on patient health. Learn more about their journey. bit.ly/4kNo5s0 #LeadingLabs #CriticalValues

For Theresa Tellier-Castellone EdD, MPH, MLS(ASCP), her mother’s life-changing advice to pursue a career as a medical laboratory scientist in college changed the trajectory of her entire career. Initially, Theresa dreamed of helping people and wanted to be a pediatrician but her mother, Donna Castellone MS, MASCP, MLS(ASCP)SH, advised Theresa to have #MLS as a backup plan. “And so, in that moment I said, okay, even as an 18-year-old, I'll listen to my mother.” Read more: bit.ly/4rTgZV6 #RootsAndRoutes #CriticalValues #StrongerTogether

For Danielle Fortuna, MD, FASCP, the decision to become a #pathologist was the sum of many different experiences, slotted together like perfectly fitting puzzle pieces. When she first started medical school, she wasn’t aware of what a pathologist was or their role in patient care. But then she got her first puzzle piece--experiencing histology in her first year of medical school. Read more about how Dr. Fortuna continues to sort and add pieces to her pathology puzzle and see how new pieces fall into place. bit.ly/4k7JECZ #3QuestionsWith #CriticalValues

It has been a pleasure to be part of the ASCP community and to be featured in Critical Values. This interview gave me the opportunity to reflect on my journey, share some of my experiences, and revisit why I chose pathology. I’m grateful for this career and glad I made this choice. I’ve never looked back!! #pathology #ASCP #CriticalValues @ASCP_Chicago @EmoryPathology

@BroojAbro is endlessly intrigued by the stories that cells and tissues tell, and just when she thinks she’s seen it all, a surprising new case comes along to surprise her. Read more in the latest “3 Questions with” and find out why connecting scattered clues into a biological narrative is so gratifying for Dr. Abro. bit.ly/4rfFpaX #3QuestionsWith #CriticalValues #ASCP #StrongerTogether #LabLeaders

For Dr. Sri Bharathi Kavuri, being involved in patient care means showing up to work every day knowing that what she does truly matters. It is knowing that each slide, each antibody profile represents a person, complete with their own story. In this edition of “3 Questions with,” Dr. Kavuri shares her thoughts on what drew her to pathology, how she became involved with ASCP, and more: bit.ly/4s5iqAL #CriticalValues #3QuestionsWith #StrongerTogether #PatientCare

Born and raised in Indonesia, Dr. Elizabeth Kertowidjojo came to the United States during the 1998 Indonesian riots and went on to earn both her MD and PhD. She is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and practices as a surgical pathologist specializing in gynecologic pathology. Here, Dr. Kertowidjojo shares her insights on mentorship, challenging cases, and more: bit.ly/4pTSp62 #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues #3QuestionsWith

Researchers revealed a groundbreaking use of artificial intelligence to address a critical gap in healthcare diagnostics in low- to middle-income countries. The findings showed that when a deep learning model is trained on widely available pathology slides, it can accurately predict a breast cancer patient’s tumor estrogen receptor status without the need for more expensive immunohistochemistry tests. This breakthrough may soon help low- to middle-income countries to access breast cancer diagnostics that were once out of reach, leading to better outcomes for patients, and may have significant implications for global health. Read on to learn more about these findings: bit.ly/48n7Xcu #AI #StrongerTogether #CriticalValues