Steve Ugbo, Acting Chief Medical Technologist & Laboratory Manager at the Atlanta VA Health Care System, highlighted the importance of National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week in honoring laboratory professionals for their invaluable contributions to Veteran health care. Despite often working behind the scenes, these professionals play a crucial role in all aspects of healthcare. The VA laboratory team consists of various professionals, including phlebotomists, specimen management technicians, medical lab scientists, histotechnologists, cytotechnologists, pathologists, and support staff.
The laboratory provides diagnostic data to healthcare providers to determine the best treatment for Veteran care. With over 1,000 laboratories processing nearly 300 million tests annually, the VA laboratory network is the largest clinical diagnostic system in the nation. At the Atlanta VA Health Care System alone, the laboratory processes nearly eight million tests each year.
Steve Ugbo expressed his pride in the laboratory team’s contributions to Veteran health care and encouraged everyone to recognize and thank these dedicated professionals during National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, which takes place from April 14-20.