When ARUP Laboratories formed 40 years ago as a tiny startup spun off from the University of Utah, few anticipated it would become one of the nation’s four largest reference laboratories, with hospital and health system clients in all 50 states.

Since day one, however, ARUP has remembered its origins, and ARUP’s new multidivisional organizational structure will ensure that the company can meet the needs of a growing local health system while also continuing to grow outside Utah.

In April 2024, ARUP named Dan Albertson, MD, as president of the newly created University Business Unit, which encompasses laboratory medicine at University of Utah Health and spans transfusion medicine, a blood donor center, university clinical labs, and anatomic pathology. Alberson has his eye on the future without losing focus on the present.

“We always need to be cognizant of the road ahead. When I think about ARUP and the University of Utah Health system, I’m thinking about what needs to be done in the next 12 to 18 months, the next two to five years, and beyond,” Albertson said.

The health system is growing in complexity, with satellite facilities across the state. The number of patients who rely on it will continue to increase as more people discover the benefits of living and working in Utah. Albertson said part of his role involves preparing for the growth, expanding the laboratory footprint to meet patient needs, and improving efficiency.

“The focus on high-quality patient care must remain our priority, and I can’t think of a better place to provide that sort of care than to our own community,” he said.

ARUP is the sole provider of laboratory medicine and blood products for U of U Health and the Huntsman Cancer Institute, a role that has given ARUP an additional depth of clinical and laboratory expertise that can be shared with its clients across the country.

“If we can show that our own lab can benefit from a patient care standpoint and perhaps an operational or financial standpoint, that can bring value and be applicable to clients nationwide,” Albertson said. He added that ARUP’s medical directors provide excellent diagnostic expertise, and the partnership between ARUP and U of U Health results in a level of care that cannot be replicated in most institutions.

ARUP began transitioning to a multidivisional structure of distinct business units in July 2023 with the creation of the Innovation Business Unit, which is comprised of the ARUP Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision Medicine™, the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology^®, and the company’s Clinical Trials and PharmaDx groups. CEO Andy Theurer said the change allows business units to focus, ensures quality, and increases the level of service ARUP can provide, while also allowing for agility, something Albertson embraces.

“We have utilized digital pathology for many years at ARUP in a limited fashion, but we are on the cusp of utilizing it in a manner that spans all of cytopathology, surgical pathology, and molecular oncology in a way that enhances clinical sign-out, improves processes around archival storage and retrieval, promotes scholarship and research, and increases workforce flexibility,” Albertson said.

Albertson does not view the digital transformation as a replacement for pathologists and laboratory personnel. “To date, there’s not a robot than can replace human expertise at the bench or an artificial intelligence (AI) application that can accurately interpret one of many thousands of diagnoses made on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides in the context of clinical history. Our present goal should be to utilize digital platforms and software applications that enhance what our experts do in the lab to improve operational efficiency and enhance patient care.”

Albertson said he has full confidence in the ARUP workforce to tackle the challenges currently facing labs.

“Our teams are experts at what they do. I’ve worked with most of my colleagues for years. They come to work every day with the primary goal of providing excellent patient care,” Albertson said. As he implements change and works toward increased cohesion in the University Business Unit, he cannot see the finish line, but he said, “I’m in it for as long as I can actively contribute to our mission and provide value to the organization.”

Albertson received a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and an MD degree from the University of Nebraska, and then completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He joined the Department of Pathology and ARUP as a fellow in 2012. He held multiple leadership positions in Anatomic Pathology before he was named division chief in 2022.

He had planned to stay in the Midwest following his education there, but that changed during his surgical pathology fellowship at ARUP and the U.

Albertson loves living in Utah and all of the outdoor activities available just outside the windows of his office, which look out on both the Wasatch Range and the Salt Lake Valley. He is an avid hiker, backpacker, trail runner, and snowboarder. On October 5, he participated in the DC Peaks 50, a 50-mile footrace that took him through the mountains in Davis County, Utah.

His approach to the race was like his approach to his new role as University Business Unit president.

“There are few things more difficult and simple at the same time,” he said. “We all know where the finish line is, and the only way to get there is [to] start putting one foot in front of the other.”