12:57 p.m., Oct. 6, 2009----The Department of Medical Technology at the University of Delaware observed its 60th anniversary with a celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Marriott's Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware. The 80 attendees included Dorothy (Damon) Brandenberger, one of three graduates in the inaugural Class of 1950, and Janet L. Clark from the Class of 1951.

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The program's roots date back to 1948, when Prof. James Kakavas facilitated its establishment within the Department of Biological Sciences in UD's College of Arts and Sciences. The first students began their 12-month internship at the Memorial and Delaware hospitals in Wilmington, Del., in 1949, graduating with bachelor of science degrees a year later. During its first five years, the program turned out 33 graduates, including just two men.

Sixty years later, the program's hundreds of graduates are working for dozens of employers, including hospitals, medical institutes, pharmaceutical companies, blood banks, and manufacturers of diagnostic equipment. Most are in the mid-Atlantic region, but others are as far away as Texas, Colorado, and Hawaii.

In her welcoming remarks at the celebration, department chairperson Anna Ciulla credited the excellent reputation of alumni in the workplace with building and maintaining the program's reputation over the years.

She also thanked alumni for providing financial support, giving guest lectures in classes, and communicating with students who are looking into medical technology as a career.

Brian Little, vice president of academic affairs and research at Christiana Care Health Services, also addressed the group, pointing out that the medical technology profession has been affected less by the economic downturn than other professions and that medical technologists play a critical role in the healthcare delivery system.

According to Ciulla, more than 50 percent of the medical technologists employed in Delaware's medical laboratories are graduates of UD's program, the only four-year program in the state.

In addition to working as clinical professionals, UD med tech graduates are doing research and development, sales, and technical consulting. Other professional career paths include medicine and physician assistant.

The UD program, which achieved departmental status in 1995 and is now part of the College of Health Sciences, currently has about 110 students, including 26 seniors. Some 90 percent of graduates typically have immediate job offers, and they enter the workforce with extensive student laboratory experience on a wide range of state-of-the art equipment, much of which is donated by companies and hospital affiliates, as well as excellent experience through clinical practicums at the affiliate institutions.

Joan Thompson Dyer, who earned a degree in biology from UD in 1959 and went on to receive a med tech certificate from a hospital program in 1984, is now a clinical lab scientist at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif. Back at UD last spring for a visit, she said, “You have a great set-up in the department -- I'd love to work here.”

“I also want to thank you for our most recent hire, Colleen Carey,” Dyer said. “She's very knowledgeable and capable.” Carey earned a B.S. degree in medical technology in 2007 through UD's Honors Program.

“I'm really glad to see that you have so many students,” Dyer added. “The average age of the professionals in our lab is 55. We need to attract qualified young people to the field.”

Two new courses and a minor were recently added to the department's offerings. MEDT200, The Language of Medicine, is a medical terminology course for students interested in healthcare careers, including medicine and technical writing. MEDT220, Forensic Science, provides an introduction to forensic science with an emphasis on blood analysis, DNA testing, forensic toxicology, and bioterrorism. Both courses are open to nonmajors.

The new minor, in medical diagnostics, is designed for students preparing for admission to professional schools in medicine and dentistry and to graduate programs in related health fields such as physician assistant. According to Ciulla, these new offerings are evidence of the department's growing openness to some of the needs of non-major students within the university.

Another recent development is a proposed articulation agreement with Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, a liberal arts college that does not have a med tech program. The agreement would enable students to complete a five-year program in which they earn a bachelor's degree in biology from Stockton and a degree in medical technology from UD.

Ciulla sees the agreement as a win-win situation, with Stockton filtering students into UD's program and those students returning to their own communities in New Jersey to work as clinical professionals, where there is a shortage of medical technologists.

Ciulla, who has been on the UD faculty for 30 years, was particularly gratified to receive a tribute from the Delaware House of Representatives in May 2009. Signed by all 41 state representatives, the document recognizes the 60th anniversary and commends Ciulla and all involved for “making this program such a wonderful success.”

“It might look like just a piece of paper to some people,” she said, “but to me, it's like gold. University faculty and hospital affiliates have worked hard to keep this program flourishing over the past six decades, and it was wonderful to receive tangible appreciation for its value.”

Article by Diane Kukich
Photos by Kevin Quinlan