Chris Aukerman manages the lab at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center .

Tim, a toxicology supervisor at the Lucas County Coroner's office, manages a staff of three and oversees the laboratory testing. A Dayton , Ohio , native, Tim particularly likes the science aspect of his job and the toxicology arena.

“I enjoy doing bench work,“ says Tim. “This job gives me the flexibility to supervise and still do hands-on work. The technology keeps getting more sophisticated, but there is always an opportunity to do extractions and other chemical procedures.”

A relatively new facility, the Lucas County Coroner's lab opened in January 2005, allowing Tim to be involved in the start-up of a new facility. Toxicology work for the Lucas County Coroner previously was performed at the former Medical College of Ohio.

Tim's job includes a heavy dose of forensic work, including drug and toxicology screenings for police agencies and the coroner's office, which performs about 800 autopsies annually.

Prior to his current position, Tim worked at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center , where he had interned while he was a student at BGSU. He also worked in the hematology and toxicology departments at the former Medical College of Ohio and as a medical technologist at the University of Michigan .

Teamwork, versatility key to job satisfaction
Chris, a native of Marion , Ohio knew from the time she was a freshman in high school that she wanted a career in the medical field. “I was looking for a convertible career that would give me a number of options,” says Chris. To increase her opportunities, Chris took classes in business, medical ethics and economics, a decision she says has served her well.

Chris, who met Tim at a Medical Technology Club meeting while students at BGSU, enjoyed her internship at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center so much that she decided to stay. “Initially, we had nine medical technology graduates from BGSU in our department,” she says. Today, four of those graduates are still working there.

Chris has worked in a number of medical technology and related positions at St. Vincent 's during the past 25 years, including supervising the second shift lab, managing the phlebotomy department, directing an outreach center and her current position as lab manager.

For Chris, a large part of her career satisfaction comes from interactions with team members. “I like mentoring the team leaders and enjoy the versatility and change that my job offers,” she says. Working for an institution that performs 3 million laboratory tests each year, versatility comes naturally. From DNA testing to cytogenetics, the labs perform hundreds of thousands of different tests, a sign of scientific and technical advancements. “The laboratory is a very complex ancillary department,” says Chris.

“Not long ago, it may have taken an entire day to get results from a lab test that we had to perform manually,” she explains. “Today, we can use an analyzer and get the same results in 15 minutes.”

Chris credits her ability to manage and work with others to her experiences at BGSU. “I always lived with four other girls when I was a student and worked at jobs that involved resolving conflicts,” she says. “You learned to work as a team.”

–Julianne Jardine

Photo cutlines:
Tim Aukerman at work in Lucas County Coroner's office.
Chris Aukerman manages the lab at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center .