Bloodlines: The Connection Between Blood Donation and Patient Health
In this episode, you'll hear a conversation with transfusion medicine expert Michelle Mullens about how blood donation underpins patient health and the critical role it plays in healthcare. Discover how donated blood is vital not only for trauma care, but also for cancer treatments, chronic illnesses like sickle cell disease, and a wide range of surgeries. The discussion explores the growing challenges of blood supply shortages, the importance of specialized blood types, and how automation in blood banks is helping labs maintain safety and efficiency despite staffing pressures. Learn how each donation makes a difference and why maintaining a robust blood supply is essential for patient care and safety.
About our speaker:
Michelle Mullens
Global Portfolio Marketing Manager for Transfusion Medicine, QuidelOrtho
Before beginning her career on the vendor side with QuidelOrtho, Michelle was a senior medical technologist at Baptist Health, serving in leadership roles in transfusion medicine and immunohematology for nearly 30 years. With QuidelOrtho, Michelle has served as a technical specialist, business development consultant and clinical science liaison before taking on her current role.
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11:27
Diagnostic Pathways to Women’s Health and Wellness
In this episode, you'll hear a conversation with three women's health experts about how early diagnostic testing is transforming care for heart disease, STIs, and preeclampsia. Discover how proactive screening empowers women, supports personalized care, and helps shift healthcare from reaction to prevention.
About Our Speakers:
Dr. Lindy Crimmins, Global Medical Affairs Manager. Lindy's clinical experience spans from emergency medicine to critical and primary care. Currently, she is responsible for providing medical support for the QuidelOrtho acute care menu throughout the product lifecycle. Lindy is passionate about education, testing guideline updates and assay utilization to drive improved patient-centered outcomes.
Dr. Rea Castro, Director of Medical Affairs. Rea is a seasoned medical professional with extensive experience in pharmaceutical clinical development, biotechnology and diagnostic product development across multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology and women's health. She is currently a cross-functional leader in medical affairs and is committed to advancing healthcare outcomes through innovative research, quality healthcare delivery and rigorous safety standards.
Vonda McAllister, Director of Global Product Management. Vonda's diagnostic experience spans from R&D and program management to marketing. Now a member of the Point of Care business unit, she previously managed the Triage™ portfolio of assays and the clinical labs team for North America. Vonda is currently focused on supporting the global regions with our PlGF tests, that is, placental growth factor, and toxicology assays, as well as expanding the Triage toxicology and women's health testing portfolio. She also serves as global leadership co-chair for the QuidelOrtho Women's Leadership Network.
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15:34
Beyond burnout: Key factors and strategies to solve the laboratory staffing crisis
In this episode, we spotlight the essential yet often-overlooked role of medical laboratory technologists – the backbone of today’s healthcare. With 70% of clinical decisions relying on lab results, these professionals face challenges including staffing shortages, rising diagnostic demands, burnout and low compensation. We explore what's driving the crisis and, more importantly, what can be done to solve it.
About Our Speaker:
Katy Marcum
Global Head of Clinical Labs Business Unit
QuidelOrtho
Katy is responsible for leading innovation and commercial success of the business unit worldwide, including strategic direction and solutions development for laboratory diagnostics. In her more than 13 years in the clinical laboratory and invitro diagnostics industry, Katy has served in corporate leadership roles and in the lab with top-tier hospitals, including specimen processing and registration, core lab generalists, and microbiology and serology.
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13:10
Under attack: Sepsis and patient safety in the age of antibiotic resistance
This episode discusses the growing threat of sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming response to an infection. It explores the connection between the rise in sepsis cases and the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, highlighting the importance of effective diagnostic tools and antibiotic stewardship programs in combating this public health challenge.
About Our Speaker:
Dr. Mike Broyles
With more than 30 years of experience as a hospital pharmacy and laboratory director, Dr. Broyles is a leading expert on sepsis and the clinical use of drugs with a focus on antimicrobial stewardship. Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dr. Broyles was a consultant for over 25 years working with a large independent hospital network as pharmacy advisor chairman focused on developing and implementing hospital-wide clinical initiatives. Dr. Broyles has worked passionately throughout his career to define effective protocols and decision support processes in patient management and the use of diagnostic technology to help clinicians improve outcomes through better clinical care.
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22:47
Take heart: How Point-of-Care Cardiac Diagnostics Save Time and Lives
In this episode, we’ll discuss the importance of cardiac testing at the point of care with two renowned experts on the topic, doctors Martin Than and Paul Collinson. Both of our guests today have extensive experience on the front lines of patient care and have witnessed firsthand how point-of-care testing can save time and save lives.
About our speakers:
Doctor Martin Than currently holds several positions in the field, including consultant specialists and director of research for the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand. He has authored 187 peer-reviewed journal articles on emergency medicine, cardiac care and diagnostics. Doctor Than is recognized worldwide for his research on the rapid diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.
Doctor Paul Collinson is presently a professor of cardiovascular biomarkers and consultant cardiologist at City Saint George's Medical School in London. Doctor Collinson has held clinical staff and university faculty positions in orthopedics, general family medicine, cardiology and pathology. He has published over 300 papers and review articles, 281 abstracts and 15 book chapters. Doctor Collinson has also been recognized numerous times for his research by the American Association of Clinical Chemists, including the Outstanding Research Award in point-of-care testing, as well as the high test award, now the IFCC Award for Lifetime Achievement and Cardiovascular biomarkers.
Today’s healthcare marketplace is more complex than ever. Labs today are faced with increasing regulatory and quality demands coupled with a shortage of skilled labor. QuidelOrtho is committed to helping labs meet these challenges head-on. Join us every month as we discuss the complex questions labs are facing every day.
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