Behind nearly every diagnosis, treatment plan, and surgical decision is a laboratory result. Lab data accounts for nearly 73% of all electronic medical record content at UAB Medicine. In celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week April 20-26, let’s appreciate how our hospital labs make life-changing care possible.
Supporting an academic medical center means meeting a diverse range of lab demands related to inpatient and outpatient care, emergency interventions, and cutting-edge research. Here, more than 35 independent laboratories support care across five major facilities (UAB Hospital, UAB Hospital-Highlands, The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, The Whitaker Clinic of UAB Hospital, and Gardendale Primary & Specialty Care) and nine satellite locations. The 535 dedicated lab professionals at UAB include medical technologists, clinical lab scientists, and lab technicians, working in areas most patients never see — from blood banks to microbiology and molecular diagnostics.
Hospital lab leaders coordinate closely with the Department of Pathology and numerous specialty areas, such as hematology, oncology, trauma, anesthesia, cardiology, and infectious diseases, to ensure accuracy and quality in every result.
As the only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center in Alabama designated by the American College of Surgeons — as well as a destination for complex surgeries, transplants, and cancer care — UAB Hospital utilizes an enormous volume of blood products. These include red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and other components derived from donated blood, each processed and prepared by hospital labs to meet urgent and ongoing clinical needs. In 2024 alone, more than 76,000 units were prepared and dispensed, thanks in part to our strong community participation in blood drives.
How can you say thanks? Donate blood and recruit others to do so. And take a moment to reach out and thank a lab employee for the role they play in changing lives across our enterprise.