The testing done at Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories is often behind the scenes, but this lab work takes center stage when it comes to delivering tomorrow’s health care today. With locations across all three Duke hospitals, dozens of specialized work centers, and phlebotomy across Duke Health facilities, there are many opportunities to grow and innovate as a lab professional at Duke Health. Read more about the labs and hear from lab team members who support this important work for patients and their families.

What is Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories?

Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories are College of American Pathologists accredited, state of the art, multidisciplinary labs. This specialized team is committed to providing laboratory services to meet the clinical, educational, and research needs of Duke so that local patients can receive robust, timely testing results. More than 900 team members work across these Duke labs, delivering over 10 million results to hundreds of thousands of Duke Health patients.

There’s so much going on – exciting things – from moving more into a digital care model, to bringing on new technology for testing, or even RFID technology. There are constant opportunities for team members to get involved in quality initiatives or projects to advance our health care system and improve the care we provide.

Diana Marcella Cardona, MD

Associate Director, DUHS Clinical LaboratoriesWith Duke since 2009

Where are the labs located?

DUHS clinical labs exist within all three hospitals – Duke University Hospital; Duke Regional Hospital; and Duke Raleigh Hospital, a campus of Duke University Hospital – as well as Duke Health facilities across the Triangle. Every location, regardless of specialization, supports Duke’s clinical, teaching, and research missions as an academic health care system.

Even though we have staff in multiple locations, our goal is for them to feel connected and that they can reach out to any of us when needed. I can reach out to anyone at Duke when I have a question.

Pamela Nelson

Manager, Offsite Labs and PhlebotomyWith Duke since 2002

What areas of focus exist within the clinical labs?

Each laboratory has a unique range of services, including specialized testing options. We have several general clinical locations as well as facilities with focus areas that include:

Stem cell
Immunology
Bone marrow transplant
Biochemical genetics
Transfusion
Platelet antibody
Molecular pathology
Flow cytometry
Autopsy
Electron microscopy
Phlebotomy
Pediatric
Microbiology
Blood gas, and more!

We offer almost any test you can imagine, from very high-volume, fast-paced, automated clinical chemistry testing to highly specialized, esoteric, molecular next-generation sequencing.

Michael B. Datto, MD, PhD

Medical Director and Associate Vice President, DUHS Clinical LaboratoriesWith Duke since 1995

How would you describe the culture within DUHS Clinical Laboratories?

Support and teamwork are driving forces for daily collaboration within the lab teams. The resulting work environment is filled with respect, and Duke Health builds on this by acknowledging the differences and celebrating the successes of the entire team. There are always new connections to make, new initiatives to join, and new opportunities to grow within the labs.

Everyone is a valued member of the team at Duke. We all depend on one another to care for our patients.

Carisa Crumpler

Manager, Flow CytometryWith Duke since 2020

What opportunities exist for career development?

No two career trajectories are ever the same, but we do offer the same constant support to every team member at Duke Health. Here you can access a wide range of opportunities—from mentorship, to continued education, and more—so you’ll have all the tools you need to create the career of your dreams.