DUBOIS – Penn Highlands Healthcare has announced that St. Marys native and long-time Penn Highlands Elk staff member, Marsha Uhl, has been named the system’s Assistant Vice President of Laboratory Services.
The AVP of Laboratory Services is a new position created to plan and coordinate laboratory and pathology services across the system to ensure efficient and effective operations.
As part of the Penn Highlands Healthcare leadership team, Uhl will be responsible for developing and implementing the overall operating plans for laboratory services for the system’s four hospitals and its other affiliates. Approximately 120 staff members throughout the system will be under Uhl’s direction.
“I’m proud to make this announcement and let people know the quality of leaders that are already in the Penn Highlands Healthcare system at all of our hospitals,” Penn Highlands Chief Executive Officer Raymond Graeca said.
“Marsha reflects the system’s desire to promote within and to showcase the talent that has always been in our local hospitals. She was selected from a large group of local and regional candidates. Her combination of experience, leadership and laboratory operations made her the ideal candidate.”
Uhl has been the laboratory director at Penn Highlands Elk since 2003. During that time, Uhl excelled at modernizing the supply systems and policy and procedures, as well as maintaining regulatory and accreditation benchmarks. She was also instrumental in merging the two laboratory systems when the Ridgway hospital was brought into the Elk health system.
Uhl received her Bachelor’s degree from Clarion University, serving her internship at W.C.A. Hospital School of Medical Technology in Jamestown, N.Y. In addition to her leadership role, Uhl has also served as the laboratory supervisor for Penn Highlands Elk and as a medical technologist for both Penn Highlands Elk and Penn Highlands DuBois. She was also the clinical site coordinator for Harcum College’s medical technology program in Bryn Mawr.
“As our system continues to grow, we will need experienced leaders like Marsha to help expand our services,” Graeca said. “We currently offer laboratory services at more than a dozen individual locations across our system. We’re proud of the access we provide for this critical service and realize that many of our patients use laboratory services on a regular basis.”
Uhl will be focused on customer service initiatives, performance improvement and keeping the Penn Highlands lab services on the forefront of technology and practice.
“It’s an honor to be picked as the system’s very first assistant vice president of laboratory services,” Uhl said. “The pathologists, medical technologists and other laboratory staff in our system rival any staff you could find at larger, urban centers.
“We’ve always been very committed to serving this region and it’s exciting to see the changes happening in our facilities that will help preserve local control over our healthcare system. I look forward to helping our system grow.”