Posts written by our bloggers may contain content that is not the opinion, stance, or policy of the ASCP.
Christi Wojewoda, MD, is certified by the American Board of Pathology in AP/CP and Medical Microbiology. She is currently the Director of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Vermont Medical Center and an Associate Professor at the University of Vermont. She enjoys teaching pathology residents, medical students and clinical laboratory science students. One of her interests is test utilization.
Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) “Dan The Lab Safety Man” has over 25 years experience as a certified medical technologist. He has a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dan worked as a laboratory generalist in hospitals ranging in size from 75 to 800 beds before becoming a laboratory manager. Today he is the Laboratory Safety Officer for Sentara Healthcare, a system of seven hospitals and over 20 laboratories and draw sites in the Tidewater area of Virginia. He is also known as Dan the Lab Safety Man, a lab safety consultant, educator, and trainer.
Becky Socha, MS, MLS(ASCP)CMBBCM graduated from Merrimack College in N. Andover, Massachusetts with a BS in Medical Technology and completed her MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She has worked as a Medical Technologist for over 40 years and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Merrimack College, UMass Lowell and Stevenson University for over 20 years. She has worked in all areas of the clinical laboratory, but has a special interest in Hematology and Blood Banking. She currently works at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. When she’s not busy being a mad scientist, she can be found outside riding her bicycle.
Clare McCormick-Baw, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Microbiology at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. She completed her Medical Microbiology fellowship in 2019 following completion of her Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency in Temple, Texas at Baylor Scott and White. Prior to attending medical school in her home state of Louisiana at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, she defended her dissertation in Medical Bacteriology at University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2009. She has a passion for teaching about laboratory medicine in general and the best uses of the microbiology lab in particular.
–Darryl Elzie is the Regulatory Affairs Manager Inova Blood Donor Services. He has been an ASCP Medical Laboratory Scientist for over 25 years, performing CAP inspections for two decades. He has held the roles of laboratory generalist, chemistry senior technologist, and quality consultant. He has a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Ashford University, a Doctorate of Psychology from The University of the Rockies, and is a Certified Quality Auditor (ASQ). Inova Blood Donor Services is the largest hospital-based blood center in the nation. Dr. Elzie is also a Counselor and Life Coach at issueslifecoaching.com.
–Taryn Waraksa-Deutsch, DHSc, SCT(ASCP)CM, CMIAC, LSSGB, is the Cytopathology Supervisor at Fox Chase Cancer Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She earned her master’s degree from Thomas Jefferson University in 2014 and completed her Doctorate of Health Science from Bay Path University in 2023. Her research interests include change management and continuous improvement methodologies in laboratory medicine. She is an ASCP board-certified Specialist in Cytology with an additional certification by the International Academy of Cytology (IAC). She is also a 2020 ASCP 40 Under Forty Honoree. Outside of her work, Taryn is a certified Divemaster. Scuba diving in freshwater caverns is her favorite way to rest her eyes from the microscope.
Andrew Clark, PhD, D(ABMM) is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Pathology, and Director of the Bacteriology Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed a CPEP-accredited postdoctoral fellowship in Medical and Public Health Microbiology at National Institutes of Health, and is interested in the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, susceptibility testing, and the evaluation of novel technology for the clinical microbiology laboratory
Phyu Thwe, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM is Technical Consultant/Technical Director of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, NC.
Rebecca Yee, PhD, D(ABMM), M(ASCP)CM is the Chief of Microbiology, Director of Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Microbiology Laboratory at the George Washington University Hospital. Her interests include bacteriology, antimicrobial resistance, and development of infectious disease diagnostics.
Hasan Samra, MD is the Director of Clinical Microbiology at Augusta University and an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Georgia.
Alison Krywanczyk, MD, FASCP, grew up in the Burlington, Vermont area and attended the University of Vermont for medical school and residency in anatomic and clinical pathology. She then did a fellowship in forensic pathology at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office (in Cleveland, Ohio) and a fellowship in cardiovascular pathology at the Cleveland Clinic. She is currently a Deputy Medical Examiner at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jason P. Nagy, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM is a Lab Safety Coordinator for Sentara Healthcare, a hospital system with laboratories throughout Virginia and North Carolina. He is an experienced Technical Specialist with a background in biotechnology, molecular biology, clinical labs, and most recently, a focus in laboratory safety.
–Deepti Reddi, MD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, UW School of Medicine; UW Medicine’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) peer trainer at the Office of Healthcare Equity (OHCE) and teaches Racism & Bias for Center for Learning & Innovation in Medical Education (CLIME) in Advanced Clinical Teaching Certificate program. She is also a 2021 ASCP 40 Under Forty Honoree.
–Frances Valencia-Shelton, PhD, D(ABMM), SM(ASCP)CM is the Clinical Infectious Diagnostics Director for the Baptist Health System in Jacksonville, FL. She is actively engaged in the Jacksonville Area Microbiology Society and the American Society for Microbiology. Her interests include defining and utilizing clinical best-practice for testing and reporting. She is equally interested in learning with and educating others in the field of clinical microbiology.
–Kaysi Bujniewicz, MLS(ASCP)CM graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of North Dakota School of Medicine with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science. She has worked in clinical laboratories for over eight years as a certified and licensed Medical Laboratory Technician and a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Although her true callings are in Immunohematology and Clinical Microbiology, she currently works as a Generalist.
Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP) graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. She worked in clinical laboratories for almost 20 years before joining the publication team at American Society for Clinical Pathology. Her first love is microbiology, but she enjoys all areas of the lab. She’s the Director of Publications and Executive Editor of Journals at ASCP.
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Lablogatory 
I would like permission to use the post ‘Microbiology Case Study: Traveler with Fever’ in my Microbiology classroom.
Yes, you may do so. Thank you for asking, and thank you for reading!
Thanks so much