Stories – MCL at Work

Michael Baisch has been a systems engineer in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at Mayo Clinic for 18 years. Michael partners with the laboratories and business offices to evaluate their workflows for optimal quality, efficiency, and cost. He strives to improve processes so the entire team can get results into the hands of the patient and their care team in an accurate, timely, and cost-effective manner.

As an event management coordinator for the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, Jason Majorowicz acts as an investigator when something may deviate from its established process. With a background in biotechnology and over 20 years of experience at Mayo Clinic, Jason helps with process improvement, quality assurance, and problem-solving.

Elise Bieri Patzke has worked at Mayo Clinic for 17 years and is currently a project manager in Mayo Clinic BioPharma Diagnostics. She enjoys collaborating with her laboratory colleagues to pursue test development projects and biopharma opportunities that support the advancement of health care.

Deb Wells is the director of Quality Management Services at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. A science lover from a young age, Deb has long worked in medical laboratory science and is passionate about being an advocate for lab safety and quality.

Connie Ohnstad is the supervisor for Mayo Clinic Laboratories Inventory, which includes Mayo Clinic Laboratories Packaging and Specimen Kit Orders (SKO). Connie wears many hats as a supervisor at MCL, and she has a long history with Mayo Clinic, which has employed several generations of Connie’s family. She takes pride in ensuring that every day she offers her best for her employees, patients, and clients.

Tim Plummer is an operations administrator at Mayo Clinic Laboratories supporting the Division of Anatomic Pathology. He supports his team members by providing them with tools and resources to innovate and succeed. He has worked at Mayo Clinic for over 36 years and is driven by the determination to help people solve problems, help others be happy and successful, and be a part of solutions.

Todd Walker is a laboratory supervisor for Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Specimen Operations, where he helps lead the department that serves as the gateway between collecting and delivering specimens and getting them processed. Todd credits his diverse, agile team and the impressive global logistics infrastructure that allows them to support the processing of 40,000 specimens in a day.

Working with Mayo Clinic BioPharma Diagnostics clients, Grant Elmquist is engaged in a wide range of activities that span research and science technology, as well as a host of disease states, all with the end goal of enhancing patient care.

As manager of the department’s Education Program, Deb Hagen-Moe and her team welcome new staff to Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Then they continue to offer a wide range of continuing education and professional development to those staff members throughout their careers.

As director of Regulatory Affairs for the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Shannon Bennett helps safeguard Mayo Clinic’s reputation for quality care by ensuring that its clinical laboratories operate at the highest level of regulatory compliance.

As a clinical laboratory technologist, Daniel Kronemann enjoys going beyond his day-to-day work as he explores new ways to enhance processes and systems in Bacteriology.

In her role as a proposal writer, Lisa Wortman Raring helps show clients everything Mayo Clinic Laboratories has to offer, making it clear how the organization can best meet their needs and the needs of their patients.

A pioneering researcher, Dr. Vanda Lennon has spent five decades delving into questions of neuroimmunology. Today, she continues that work as director of the Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.