Clinical Laboratory Science

My research initiative focuses on community-level testing and health approach to support equitable health outcomes in resource-limited communities. The start-up fund will support the generation of preliminary data from two approaches. The first assesses community health through microbiome profiling, aiming to identify microbial markers linked to health disparities and aging. The second investigates environmental exposure to heavy metals—an ongoing health disparity particularly affecting children in rural agricultural communities. This project seeks to understand the mechanisms by which co-exposure to heavy metals and parasitic infections contributes to chronic disease.

Shawn Luby is an Assistant Professor and MCLS-MLS Admissions chair for the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science. He teaches the division’s undergraduate Immunology and Clinical Chemistry coursework, and directs the CLS student rotations in Molecular Microbiology, Immunology, and Clinical Chemistry. Before joining the UNC-CLS faculty in 2018, he worked as a medical laboratory scientist in the Core Laboratory of UNC Healthcare’s McLendon Clinical Laboratories, with a focus on hematology, body fluid analysis, and coagulation testing. His academic and professional interests center on information design and development, with particular emphasis on the role of effective communications in both student learning and patient education settings.

Dr. Moon is a faculty member and Director of the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, where she has taught and mentored students since 2002. She teaches and directs courses in Immunohematology and Research Methods and oversees the Immunohematology rotation, Education Practicum, and Capstone I and II. Her research interests include diagnostic testing for cystic fibrosis, immunohematology and transfusion medicine with a focus on ABO blood groups, lifespan studies, and massive transfusion protocols, as well as issues related to the CLS workforce and education. Dr. Moon actively contributes to faculty governance at the University and serves on several committees that support academic and institutional initiatives. In addition, she is an Associate Editor for the Clinical Laboratory Science journal, Secretary for the North Carolina Association of Blood Bankers, and Faculty Advisor and Intellectual Development Chair for the Epsilon Chi chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at UNC Chapel Hill.

Teaches/Directs:

• Basic and Molecular Laboratory Methods: Specimen Collection
• Hematology I and II Laboratories
• Bacteriology Laboratory
• Parasitology & Mycology Laboratory

In the undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science program at UNC-CH, I teach Biochemistry, integrated molecular and basic skills laboratory, and I am the course director for the clinical rotation in transplantation medicine. In our graduate program in the CLS division, I teach a survey course in Molecular Diagnostics, a genetics course, and a course in molecular diagnostics techniques.
In my faculty role I also advise some of our graduate students which includes advising them about progression through the program and mentoring them through their Capstone project.

I am an educator who teaches Bacteriology, Special Pathogens, Laboratory Math, Basic Lab Skills and Laboratory Management. My goal is to coach students to engage fully in their learning process within the space and context that I provide, and then to apply what they have learned thereafter. I know that applicational recall only occurs when students actively participate in the process. My role is to support students in the early stage of the CLS program as they navigate their transition from academic learner to professional laboratory practitioner. By building strong relationships based on trust and mutual respect from the beginning, I work to build each student’s confidence in their ability to learn, foster their desire to accept responsibility for their own learning, and encourage willingness to be accountable for their actions. With these skills, I believe they will be well prepared to thrive in our program, successfully pass their board of certification examination, and provide high-quality, high-complexity laboratory services to improve outcomes for the citizens of North Carolina.