Have You Ever Thought About the People Behind Your Lab Results? Now’s the Time!

In honor of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, taking place April 23 to April 29 this year, we are celebrating our teammates responsible for every clinical lab test result that helps patients and physicians make more informed decisions about healthcare.

Here at Myriad Genetics, we are fortunate to have an amazing group of laboratory professionals working across three states and running a broad array of genetic tests. We’re inspired every day by their commitment to generating reliable, high-quality results as quickly as possible.

To learn more about these dedicated team members, we sat down with Alberto Hernandez, who recently joined Myriad Genetics as our senior vice president of lab operations.

Q: Why does clinical lab testing matter for healthcare?

A: Labs represent a very small percentage of the healthcare space, but the results they generate influence a huge proportion of healthcare decisions. With any type of ailment, a doctor will run a lab test to understand what’s going on with a patient. Those results allow the patient and clinician to take whatever steps might be necessary.

Q: What’s involved in lab testing?

A: Lab professionals handle everything from receiving and processing the samples to preparing them, running them on carefully validated equipment, and rendering results in a way that’s helpful to doctors and patients. Most people aren’t aware of the complexity of testing a sample and issuing a result. It involves a lot of quality control, verification, and validation for every single aspect of the process.

Q: How has lab testing changed over the years?

A: When I started years ago it was a very different industry. There has been so much innovation. Laboratory teams have helped develop new tests and markers that also lead to new therapies and answers to the questions people have about their health. I believe there is a massive opportunity to advance genetic testing in the overall healthcare ecosystem.

Q: Can you tell us more about the laboratory professionals at Myriad?  

A: We celebrate our laboratory professionals who are always adapting to meet the needs of our patients and their families with resilience, innovation and expertise. For Laboratory Week 2023, we asked our lab professionals why their work is so meaningful to them. Here’s what they said.