As the Director of Ancillary Services for Southwest Regional Cancer Center (SWRCC), Austin, TX, Shawn Tupy is responsible for all laboratory testing and management of the center’s central clinic as well as seven satellite locations. But it’s not unusual on any given day to also find her running a lab bench for a couple of hours, or assisting staff phlebotomists with patient blood draws during busy periods.

“It’s what I call a ‘servant leadership’ approach to laboratory management,” says Shawn. “When I work at a bench, I inevitably get “oh, by the way” type comments from the technicians concerning something they might need, or a problem they might be having. Then I can give them the tools they need to do their jobs more effectively. And I think the staff genuinely appreciates it when I get in the ‘trenches’ along with them when we get backed up with patient testing.”

Shawn’s hands-on leadership style stems from a desire to be as fully involved as possible in impacting patient care. It’s one of the key reasons she accepted the position at the high complexity physician office laboratory, which specializes in Hematology and Medical Oncology and includes 19 Board Certified physicians. “Previously, I worked as a Laboratory Supervisor for a reference laboratory, and before that I was a Technologist for hospitals both in Austin and Iowa, but I just didn’t have enough patient focus,” said Shawn. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, IA, an A.A.S. in Medical Laboratory Technology from Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA and received her certification as a Medical Technologist from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.