ARUP Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Focus on the Future of Laboratory Medicine
June 13, 2024
ARUP Laboratories’ commitment to advance laboratory medicine was on full display on June 13 as the company hosted an Innovation Showcase as part of its 40th anniversary celebration. ARUP has grown from a small startup established in 1984 with about 100 employees into one of the nation’s four largest reference laboratories and one of Utah’s largest employers, with 4,300 workers.
The event began with a welcome from Andy Theurer, CEO, during which he recognized one of ARUP’s original employees, who continues to work at ARUP. Dozens of invited guests, founders, former employees, and current employees with at least 25 years of service gathered for the event.
“It has been my privilege for the past 33 years to work here and help build this exceptional institution into one with clients in all 50 states that receives up to 100,000 patient samples daily,” Theurer said.
Then, Carl R. Kjeldsberg, MD, an ARUP founder and former CEO, spoke about the company’s humble beginnings, the challenges leaders faced to blend business with academics, and the origins of ARUP’s culture.
“ARUP has a different model and different motives than the other large laboratories because we are science and patient oriented. Success is measured by peer-reviewed articles, scientific presentations, grants, and education,” Kjeldsberg said. ARUP’s experts publish more than 130 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals annually.
Julio C. Delgado, MD, MS, ARUP executive vice president and vice chair and chief of Clinical Pathology at the University of Utah, has worked at ARUP for almost 20 years. He amplified Kjeldsberg’s message about the company’s commitment to continually improving patient care.
“ARUP’s mission is to always do the right thing for the patient, educate the next generation of professionals in laboratory medicine, and pursue research and innovation,” Delgado said. “We have become a beacon of knowledge in every aspect of laboratory medicine.”
Tracy I. George, MD, ARUP chief scientific officer and president of the Innovation Business Unit, which was formed in September 2023 to improve patients’ lives by advancing groundbreaking diagnostic and prognostic technologies and innovative tests, described how ARUP will move into the future.
“We are collaborating and developing technology that leads to healthcare leadership, better patient outcomes, and increased academic exposure by partnering with a startup medical device company with remote blood collection, strategically integrating artificial intelligence (AI), and testing new gene therapies with pharmaceutical companies around the world—and that’s just the beginning,” George said.
Presentations at the showcase also highlighted research into a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers and expanded on validation of an assay using self-collected blood specimens.
Theurer wrapped up the formal remarks with a message for the more than 16,000 individuals who have been or are ARUP employees.
“Many have stopped for a short period of time, some never left, others have done great things in medicine. Thank you for helping us reach this milestone. ARUP is strong, and we have a bright future,” Theurer said.
Learn more about ARUP’s history here.
Read about the Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision MedicineTM here.
Bonnie Stray, bonnie.stray@aruplab.com