Business Correspondent Kristin Bryant
Sam Therese isn’t obsessed with leaving a personal legacy, but he admits that his impact is important to him.
It’s not about personal glory. Rather, his priority is to leave the company he has led for more than a decade in a stronger position than when he took over.
That commitment starts with prioritizing the well-being of our patients, employees and the industry as a whole.
Alverno Laboratories operates 34 hospital laboratories in Indiana and Illinois and provides clinical and anatomic pathology services to the hospitals, clinics, and senior living facilities it serves.
As CEO and President since 2011, Terese has positioned the company as an industry leader, taking pride in pursuing innovation to improve quality diagnostic data and laboratory services. Therese said his goal is to advance healthcare as a whole and benefit both medical facilities and the patients they serve.
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“If you look at the world we live in, we have innovated in microbiology to improve the speed of diagnosing patients with life-threatening sepsis conditions, and today we have digital pathology and artificial intelligence. These are classic methods in which we have played a leadership role to fine-tune biopsy interpretation,” Therese said.
What might surprise some people is how Alverno uses the information he gathers in the field.
“We created a program that if someone asks us how we do it, we will tell them how to do it,” Therese said. “It is fundamentally important to our community that we keep secrets, whether within our community or other communities around the world. Innovation and technology have a far-reaching impact on healthcare. If we give that, we have an absolute responsibility to share it with the world.”
Ultimately, sharing information has a positive impact on all parties, including Alverno.
“Maybe they’ll do it better than us, maybe they’ll come back 100 times better than what we made, but now we can do it better,” Thérèse said. said. “We must not be isolationist towards the rest of the world.”
Among the latest projects led by Alverno Laboratories is the implementation of Ibex AI cancer diagnostic software to assist pathologists in prostate, breast and stomach biopsies. The company plans to roll out the technology first in prostate biopsies this spring.
Alverno Laboratories is also partnering with the Genomics Testing Cooperative to provide access to GTC’s advanced testing for oncology patients with more complex cases.
Terese holds an MBA in Strategic Planning and Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a BA in Medical Technology from Rosalind Franklin University of Chicago, and a BA in Biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
But Therese’s drive to position Alverno Laboratories at the cutting edge of innovation comes not only from business acumen but also from clinical experience.
Terese joined Alverno in 2005 as a member of the senior management team, starting out in the field as a phlebotomist and laboratory technician, working in both diagnostics and research.
“I think having that knowledge in both areas will give you a better understanding of initiatives and projects, not just the experimental science part, but also the impact on patients and health care providers,” Therese says. “It helps us understand the ‘why’ questions: why are we doing this and what is the value of it, rather than just thinking in terms of ROI?”
With around 2,000 employees, Therese says it’s all about culture.
“About eight years ago, we took a different approach and asked our then 1,000 employees what our culture should be,” he said. “That’s where our mission, vision and values come from. It’s very deeply ingrained within the workforce because they created it.”
In addition to fostering a company’s culture, Thérèse emphasizes the importance of fostering growth by providing opportunities for workers to enter the industry and make a meaningful difference.
Alverno Laboratories’ NOW Career Program offers those with a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, or other physical sciences the opportunity to become a medical laboratory scientist and join our team in just 90 days. We provide Our histology training program provides on-the-job training.
Alverno also offers an Emerging Leaders Program for team members interested in management positions.
“The Alverno model we have created is a model of a quality organization, and we continue to see it grow,” Therese says.
As economic forces drive consolidation and transition in health care, Alverno is in a position to help other facilities and organizations, Therese said.
“That’s what we’ve been doing, that’s the core of who we are,” he said. “We are well-positioned to continue supporting organizations through this difficult time. The science and innovation aspects of care will continue to play a critical role in adding value-based care. ”
