Earlier this month, Brandy Gunsolus received a doctorate in clinical laboratory science from the School of Health Professions at Rutgers University in New Jersey. According to the university, Dr. Gunsolus is the first person in the nation to receive the DCLS degree.
Rutgers University launched the new degree program in 2014 to address an ongoing need for greater accuracy and cost efficiency in laboratory testing. It is the first doctoral program in the field at any university in the nation and Dr. Gunsolus is its first graduate.
“There is a gap between practicing physicians and labs not understanding the correct tests to order or how to interpret them,” Dr. Gunsolus said. “For patient safety, we need to fill this gap.”
During her residency at a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, Dr. Gunsolus joined rounds at the hospital with the medical team, reviewed all laboratory test orders and was part of the hospital’s diagnostic management team. During her residency, she documented nearly $700,000 in savings that came from consulting with clinicians and health care providers about lab tests.