Stories – MCL at Work

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.

Before he arrived at Mayo Clinic, Tim Brantner worked for a variety of organizations outside of health care. He joined Mayo Clinic Laboratories 14 years ago to help tell the labs’ story.

Katie Perry’s work as a supervisor for the Mayo Lab Inquiry call center helps ensure that clients get the information they need, when they need it, and smooths the way for tests to be completed without delay.

As a client account representative, Heather Van Buskirk uses her problem-solving skills to make sure invoices get paid in a timely manner, so Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ services remain available to providers and their patients.

As director of Contract Administration, Cara Ryan’s work spans a diverse range of activities that connect with a variety of groups across the organization, all with a goal of supporting patient care.

As a bid coordinator, Meredith Clark’s work helps expand testing capabilities for Mayo Clinic Laboratories clients, so they can offer the right test at the right time for the right patient.

Sainu Owusu-Afriyie has held a wide range of laboratory roles throughout her career at Mayo Clinic. Now she’s focused on strategic management, where the work can sometime be ambiguous, but the focus remains squarely on benefitting patients.

As a field service manager, Robin Mount is committed to building and leading a team of client-based specimen processors who can work independently and consistently produce accurate, high-quality work for Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

Recipient of a young investigator award from the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Maria Alice Willrich’s work has been crucial in advancing therapeutic drug monitoring to improve outcomes for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Even though the area he supervises is extremely busy, and patients typically spend only a short amount of time there, Todd Juen strives to foster an environment where no one is treated like a number and everyone feels well cared for — patients and staff members alike.

Through her work behind the scenes in Mayo Clinic BioPharma Diagnostics, Dawn Stacy is dedicated to helping advance new therapies and diagnostics for patients through clinical trials and other innovative projects.

Firas Abdul-Hadi, international regional manager for the Middle East and North Africa region, connects health care providers with Mayo Clinic Laboratories, so their patients can benefit from the most advanced, highest quality laboratory testing in the world.