Wichita State University’s Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (MDL), a vital resource during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now leveraging its expertise to explore new frontiers. By addressing critical gaps in the health care system, the lab is also offering invaluable hands-on training for students, shaping the future of health care.
Building on its pandemic-era success, MDL is now expanding its reach in three significant areas:
- Microbiology services – Collaborating with small, rural hospitals to process their microbiology specimens, ensuring these communities have access to essential and timely diagnostic services.
- Technical consulting and professional services – Offering technical consultancy and professional services to help small hospitals and clinics maintain and achieve certification, empowering them to establish and operate their own laboratories.
- Pathology partnership – MDL secured a contract with Southcentral Pathology, bringing its technical work under Wichita State’s purview.
These initiatives underscore the lab’s commitment to enhancing health care access and quality in underserved areas. Through these efforts, MDL will be emphasizing its work with small, rural hospitals, an initiative that stems from MDL Director Sarah Nickel’s past work experience where she frequently worked with smaller institutions in the microbiology department.
“It was disheartening to see significant cases like septic infections being sent from small hospitals only to find them already positive by the time they reached us,” said Nickel, who is also an associate professor of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Wichita State.
Filling a critical gap
On average, microorganisms take 12-18 hours to grow. Smaller hospital labs in rural areas often send samples to large reference laboratories, which can result in even longer turnaround times.
“We’re hopeful that, similar to the way we innovated processes during the COVID crisis, we can find solutions to minimize these delays,” Nickel said. “We aim to provide a more personal and immediate experience compared to large reference laboratories. Our goal is to offer a more intimate relationship with clients, providing direct assistance and support.”
The MDL is a critical component of Wichita State's dedication to the health and wellness of the broader community. While the lab itself will not be housed within the upcoming Wichita Biomedical Campus, both represent the university's ongoing efforts to strengthen health care infrastructure.
“Wichita State's commitment to improving the health and wellness of our community is at the heart of everything we do. The work being done at the MDL is a direct result of that focus, ensuring that underserved and rural areas have access to critical diagnostic services while also providing students with hands-on experiences that prepare them for tomorrow's health care challenges,” said Wichita State President Rick Muma.
The Biomedical Campus, with its focus on education, research and partnerships, will further enhance the region’s health care landscape, complementing the MDL’s role in providing essential diagnostic services and hands-on learning opportunities for students. Together, they reflect Wichita State’s commitment to advancing community health and well-being.
Sharing expertise
Additionally, MDL’s medical laboratory professionals will serve as technical consultants for laboratories, assisting with certification, validations and procedure writing.
MDL is CLIA-certified as a high-complexity laboratory by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) is part of a federal regulatory program established in 1988 to ensure the accuracy and reliability of laboratory testing performed on humans. The process for CLIA certification involves a rigorous application and review, and that’s where Wichita State can help smaller labs achieve and maintain this essential certification, ensuring they meet the highest standards of testing accuracy and reliability.
So far, MDL has multiple clients signed up to receive professional consulting and services.
“We’ve completed our first equipment checks, ensuring that instruments are functioning correctly for those laboratories,” Nickel said. “Basically, if we perform a service at MDL, we are also offering to help perform these services in other laboratories.”
Pathology partnership
In addition to their new professional and consulting services, MDL recently entered a partnership with Southcentral Pathology, a comprehensive anatomic pathology laboratory in Wichita, where MDL will perform their technical laboratory work. Students working at MDL will have the opportunity to learn about pathology and shadow the various laboratory professionals working in the pathology laboratory.
Exposing students to these real-world opportunities opens previously unknown career avenues and helps build the talent pipeline in the health care field.
“Students may not even realize what opportunities are out there unless they're presented in front of them,” Nickel said. “Our hope is that we’re driving the student experience, growing students’ networks, and helping them build valuable relationships so that they might eventually want to work in health care.”
Preparing students for the future of health care
When MDL is at full capacity (estimated April 2025), Nickel said — there will be enough work and space for many students to prepare cultures, conduct low-level testing, and assist in processing specimens.
“They won’t perform the high-complexity work, but they’ll be working with laboratory professionals,” Nickel said. “As students advance, they’ll gain more experience and understanding of our laboratory processes.”
Working with Southcentral Pathology is of particular interest to Alex Reida, a junior in biological sciences from Wichita. Alex has been working at MDL for two years and has his sights set on going to medical school to become a forensic pathologist.
“The staff at MDL have been more than welcoming and are consistently willing to share their knowledge,” Reida said. “This job has provided me the opportunity to ask questions of various processes as they arise and has bolstered my ability to work in a laboratory environment.”
Sawyer Kirkland, a junior on a pre-med track within biological sciences, appreciates the practical learning experience she gets by working at MDL.
“Being in the laboratory, I have a better understanding of some of the core applications of my classes and I have opportunities to ask questions, which is priceless,” said Kirkland, who came to Wichita State from Bartlesville, Oklahoma. “Additionally, I am learning life skills about processes that ensure quality care that I hope to use with my own patients one day.”
The future of MDL
Since its rapid inception in the fall of 2020, Wichita State’s MDL has served as a valuable asset to the state of Kansas and continues to grow and evolve to meet the employment and health care needs of our region.
“We’re excited about where we’re headed, though there’s still much to do,” Nickel said.
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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