Careers Blog Home > RTP Histology: What Changes and What Stays the Same

RTP Histology: What Changes and What Stays the Same

Chris, RTP Histology Supervisor

Getting to come into work every day and never living the same day twice is only one of the things I love about working at Foundation Medicine. The constant innovation and evolution of this company ensures that there is no standard, static blueprint for any given day.  

 

Histology_2021_3_Cropped.jpg

 

How I Got Here

After my previous experience as a histology lab manager at a university and working with a travelling medical staffing company, I was drawn to Foundation Medicine because I was excited about the idea of joining such a fast-growing company. I thrive off innovation, and I felt that Foundation Medicine would be a great place to utilize my skill set and develop my career path. Initially, I was working on a temporary basis, but I ended up staying on long term and rising up through the team in roles including Histotechnologist III, Systems Specialist and now, my current role, Histology Supervisor at our Research Triangle Park (RTP) location.  

Like I mentioned, a daily routine is hard to predict since every day is inherently different. But my general job is to oversee all operations in the Histology department and to support the associated technology and laboratory processes. Most importantly, I help ensure that the patient samples we deliver for testing are of the highest quality.  

 

Jack of Lots of Trades

Collaboration is a constant thread throughout my job. Because of my role as a Histology Supervisor, I work with colleagues across departments to ensure we’re working efficiently and strategically. Meetings about forecasting and hiring are also important. Although my strengths lie in Histology, I’ve learned about many other areas outside of that field that ultimately help me thrive in my role. Getting to learn about all the work that the amazing employees do here only pushes me to be better and to expand my knowledge. 

One of my favorite projects I’ve worked on is improving work-life balance within the Histology and Pathology departments. Our goal was to figure out ways to be more efficient with our workflow so that we can deliver the highest quality patient samples, while also prioritizing our personal wellbeing. It had been an ongoing initiative for quite some time, and it’s been rewarding to see the positive effects it has on our employees. 

 

Histology_Team_2021_1_Cropped.jpg

 

Grounding Ourselves

At the core, one of the best parts of working at Foundation Medicine is the people. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. Everyone is so incredibly driven and is dedicated to their work. Due to the dynamic environment at the company, we’re all openminded and curious, eager to find solutions, and excited to push beyond what we already know.  
The constant innovation of this team amazes me. The diversity in backgrounds, knowledge, and perspectives is an extremely beneficial asset to have, not only because it invigorates group brainstorming sessions, but also because it grounds us and reminds us of the big picture.  

Every day, when I look at a patient sample and know there is a patient with hopes and dreams, it brings me back to my personal experience of members of my extended family who have been affected by cancer. Truly understanding the importance of time when getting genomic insights to the ordering physician and recognizing that there is a patient story attached to every sample makes our work so much more impactful. It gives our work important perspective. 

 

Ramping Up for the Future 

It’s an extremely exciting time to be working at Foundation Medicine. The expansive growth of the RTP site in terms of both space and sample volume are a few of the major developments happening right now. With the dynamic mindset already ingrained in our culture, these new developments only add onto our important work and drive our passion. I’m looking forward to seeing all the amazing things we will accomplish.  

 

Histology_2021_2.jpg
 

Jobs you might be interested in:

Sr. Project Manager (Temp)

Corporate Management 102796 Boston Massachusetts United States 400 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Corporate Full Time
About the Job The Senior Project Manager, Portfolio and Program Management is responsible for the planning and execution of new biopharma clinical product development projects and/or lab expansion projects, as well as other business critical init...

Account Executive II (Orlando, FL)

Sales 102786 United States United States Commercial Full Time
About the Job The Account Executive II (AE II) is a field-based role with direct customer engagement on the Sales team within FMI’s Commercial operation. The position is responsible for driving sales volume for FMI’s suite of specialty products a...

Sr Administrative Partner

ctDNA-Cancer Genomics 102782 Boston Massachusetts United States 400 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States R&D Full Time
About the Job The Senior Administrative Partner supports the New Product Portfolio team located in Boston with dedicated executive administration and support in the areas of scheduling and project support, meeting effectiveness, on-site collabora...

Supervisor, Client Services

Client Services 102790 San Diego California United States Torreyana Road, San Diego, California, United States Client Services Full Time
About the Job The Supervisor, Client Services is responsible for leading the team that responds to and resolves a wide range of client inquiries and requests and liaises between FMI departments, partners, customers and the patient. The incumbent ...

Pathologist

Pathology 102789 Boston Massachusetts United States 400 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Lab Operations Part Time
About the Job The Pathologist is involved in all aspects of FMI’s laboratory operations and serves as an internal subject matter expert, applying medical knowledge to advise decisionmakers in support of FMI’s mission to transform cancer care. The...

 

Sign up for Custom New Job Alerts

Not You?

Thank you