Doryan Redding
Clinical Laboratory Scientist, University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Professional ambitions? I’ve been part of the medical laboratory science profession for the past four years and have gained invaluable knowledge from the community. During this time, I've identified areas for improvement and remain inspired by opportunities to enhance practices and the overall environment. These positive experiences have motivated me to continue my education to better empower others through leadership. Additionally, I’m focused on improving communication within our field by seeking speaking engagements and hosting productive discussions on my podcast, “Off the Bench by ASCLS”.
I am currently pursuing my master's degree and hope to obtain a Master of Science in Health Science in Biomedical Laboratory Science, with a concentration in Immunohematology and Biotechnology from The George Washington University. I hope this degree will open more doors in my career, giving me a platform to advocate on a higher level. Education is particularly appealing to me because of its power to impact students' lives by exposing them to new opportunities and concepts. I have personally benefited from great educators, and I believe that the right credentials are essential to make that kind of impact. Getting my master's is a significant step in the right direction to influence not only the next generation but also to elevate myself as a recognized and outspoken voice for the profession.
If I could create my dream job, I would be inspired to travel around the country to speak and teach about the latest medical technologies, new ways of thinking, or simply have conversations about the state of our profession. Doing this on a small scale through my podcast is already incredibly rewarding. It's the best part of my month to engage with a diverse array of individuals, learn from their unique perspectives and insights, delve deep into their passions, and receive feedback from our listeners that we are making a positive impact. Playing a role in facilitating a universal community centered around our shared laboratory experiences is something I truly value. Uniting as a collective professional force demonstrates that we are here, we matter, and we have so much to teach others about why what we do is important.
Inspiring mentor or educator? I’ve been fortunate enough to have had two mentors who have really inspired me and shown me what I want in my own career. The first one is Rodney Rohde, who was my very first professional contact. I remember scheduling an appointment to meet him as a pre-clinical laboratory science major to discuss the expectations of the program. I was a bit intimidated because he had the link to his TEDx talk in his email signature, and I thought he was the coolest science celebrity I could ever meet. From the start, he was incredibly encouraging and motivating, making me realize that I could excel in a program like his.
As I progressed through the program at Texas State, Rohde continued to encourage and motivate me to improve. I got involved in extracurriculars, participated in the Student Society for Clinical Laboratory Science at Texas State, and was inspired by his own involvement in organizations like ASCLS and ASCP. His example motivated me to attend the Texas Association for Clinical Laboratory Science meeting and my first ASCLS Joint Annual Meeting in 2019. His precedent of involvement and success was encouraging, and seeing him advocate for our profession during the COVID-19 pandemic through numerous publications and TV appearances was inspiring. He showed me the kind of change I wanted to see in the world regarding the visibility of our profession. Rohde has always supported me on social media and acknowledged my contributions, and I can’t thank him enough for that. He remains active and recognizable as a face and voice for the profession, which is what I aspire to be one day.
If Rohde was the force that got me started in my professional organization participation, then I have Kyle Riding to thank for my continued success. Again, I was a little starstruck when I first met Riding because he was the Secretary-Treasurer for ASCLS at the national level. During our first interaction, I introduced myself, and he said, "Oh, I know." Looking back, I remember that moment as the first time I felt seen as a professional in my own right.
Since then, there have been times when I felt overwhelmed and struggled with comparison to other skilled professionals, but Riding reached out and told me he believed in my potential. Over the past few years, he has been a cheerleader for me, constantly checking in and making sure I knew my worth. He is the penultimate professional and mentor, carving time out of his busy schedule to schedule a phone call with me to check in on me and ensure I am doing well. He encouraged me to accept more responsibilities that furthered my professional aspirations and helped me realize I was worthy and capable. His support system has set me up for continued success in my career, and I am truly thankful to him for that.
Attracting talent… I believe the journey toward attracting more scientists starts with meeting people where they are. There is untapped potential for recruiting students from career fairs when they are young or making the field more accessible through literature and pop culture. Increasing visibility is crucial for recognizing the profession and fostering a sense of familiarity with it. Even having more characters on TV shows who are medical laboratory scientists would help people relate to the field. Many people know what labs are but have never been given the opportunity to think twice about them.
Too often, when I tell people I’m a medical laboratory scientist, they stare at me wide-eyed, as if they've never heard those three words put together. My elevator pitch when I tell people what I do is: “You know when you go to the doctor for a physical and they say, 'We’re going to draw some blood' or ‘You’ll pee in a cup and we’ll send it to the lab?’ Well, that's me. I’m the lab. We extract so much diagnostic information from those samples that, without us providing that information to your healthcare providers, they wouldn’t know where to start.”
Not only that, but we as current professionals need to be better at self-promotion too. If we were more vocal by telling those around us details about who we are and what we do, it could help spread the word. When people think of health professions, most people can name at least one nurse that they know. How great would it be if people had that same recognition of medical laboratory scientists? Making information about this profession more accessible and increasing visibility will make a huge difference! People often choose a biology major because everyone has heard of biology, but few know what a biologist does with that degree. Changing the narrative to people knowing what medical laboratory science is and understanding our worth to public health is vital. Everyone has had something at stake with public health at some point. Meeting people where they are, whether through media, campaigns, or increased awareness is how we can attract and retain more talented scientists to our cause.
