Off the Bench

Just in time for spooky season, Kelcey Harper, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, sits down with Doryan and Sophia to share their experience in wastewater surveillance. Learn about what wastewater surveillance entails, how the important information is used, and some challenges faced in the field.

In this episode, Sophia Chandrasekar sits down with Dr. Letycia Nuñez-Argote , Dr. Tara C. Moon, and Dr. Juan Ulises Rojo, to learn about the Clinical Laboratory Science Journal. The three are associate editors of the CLS Journal, and they share their advice and expertise on the importance of having a laboratory journal and how to start your own manuscript to submit to the CLS journal!

Doryan and Sophia sit down with Stacey Robinson, Cherie Petersen, and Holly Covas to explore the multigenerational workforce in the medical laboratory. From communication styles and workplace expectations to work-life balance and generational stereotypes, the group discusses where differences can create both challenges and opportunities for understanding. Listen along as they explore how we can learn from one another and how laboratory leaders can help bridge generational differences to build a stronger, more collaborative workplace.

Recorded live and in person at the 2026 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, it’s the return of Query Check! Hosts Doryan Redding, Sophia Chandrasekar, and Emily Woten take the stage once again for this Off the Bench game show tradition. Contestants Dr. Kathryn Golab, Dr. Elizabeth Fisher, and Federico Rodriguez Quezada face off in a fast-paced battle of laboratory-ish knowledge, creative scenarios, and just the right amount of chaos. So … who earned the bragging rights and took home the coveted Query Check Champion Trophy? Listen and play along to find out!

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde, University Distinguished Regents' Professor and Chair for the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University, joins Sophia and Doryan to discuss some of the infectious diseases currently making headlines: Hantavirus, Ebola and more. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in microbiology, virology, and public health, Dr. Rohde helps us separate fact from fiction while exploring the critical role clinical laboratories play in outbreak response.