The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a critical need for medical laboratory professionals —or those who work tirelessly behind the scenes in laboratories across the United States— to develop, perform and interpret diagnostic tests, among other duties. The Need for Medical Laboratory Professionals Nationally and locally, medical laboratory professionals fill roles at medical centers, but there … Continued

Vicky LeGrys, a well-respected educator and researcher, is set to retire from the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science in July 2021. LeGrys joined the faculty in 1983 and was promoted to professor in 1995. Her scholarly work involved the laboratory diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF). She applied her clinical and scientific expertise to improving the … Continued

Division of Clinical Laboratory Science alumna Srijana Chhetri ’20 was weeks away from graduation when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged—which facilitated the opportunity for her to study the virus alongside other researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill. In early 2020, Chhetri joined a the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Ecology (IDEEL) Lab, part of the Institute for Global Health … Continued

A new online master’s degree program in clinical laboratory science designed for working professionals—the first of its kind our state—has welcomed its inaugural student cohort, which began instruction in summer 2020. The program, housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences’ Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, aims to prepare its graduates for service through education, research, … Continued

The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) recognized three alumnae of the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science as “Voices Under 40” at its annual meeting, hosted online in summer 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle Campbell (’18 MS MDS), Sophia Chandrasekar ’16 and Letycia Nuñez-Argote ’07, each received recognition for their contributions … Continued

Morgan Fisher ’20 will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science; she will also enter the profession with a wealth of patient care experience in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fisher said these experiences allowed for her to have firsthand experience with patients, which she will take with her as she … Continued

Neil Patel ’18 trained as a clinical laboratory scientist but never imagined he’d work with a team of scientists and researchers to fight the spread and intensity of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Patel, a Charlotte, North Carolina native, works as a cytometry associate at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York. The field of … Continued

Nontraditional student Jay Chen, a senior in the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, spent four years as a medic in the U.S. Army—a time he credits with building a sense of discipline and rigor. Chen has found these attributes to be useful in studying clinical laboratory science. “The Army training made me a better person … Continued

Alumni from the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science are playing a key role in COVID-19 testing in an effort to provide better access to care for patients who may have the virus. Several of the division’s alumni, particularly those in microbiology, are working at McLendon Clinical Laboratories, the in-house laboratory for UNC Health. NBC’s morning … Continued

Kripa Ahuja, a senior in the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, will represent the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the nationwide 2020 CLARION case competition, which is dedicated to improving health care through interprofessional collaboration. The competition, hosted annually at the University of Minnesota, brings together teams from different health professionals schools to analyze … Continued