个人简介

Dr. Kristina Behan, chair and professor, teaches clinical chemistry, diagnostic microbiology and hematology. Behan is a certified medical laboratory scientist with 21 years of experience conducting diagnostic laboratory testing in hospital laboratories. Her research interest focuses on evaluating and improving the reliability of laboratory testing used for diabetes mellitus. She has written and co-written 30 articles in journals, book chapters and a monograph on various aspects of laboratory testing. A study, “One HbA1c Measurement Does Not Tell the Whole Story – 5 Case Studies,” published in the Annals of Clinical Laboratory Science, found that there can be much variability in any particular patient’s results that can be due to their diligence, motivation and their understanding of their condition. Another study published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, found that a major laboratory test used to monitor blood sugar levels can provide falsely low results for diabetic patients with sickle cell trait and thalassemia. She also conducted a study to evaluate whether collecting whole blood samples in lithium heparin and held in an upright position would provide the same effect on inhibiting glycolysis as centrifugation. The results from this study, “Sedimentation by Gravity Stabilizes Plasma Glucose for Up to 60 Minutes,” were published in Annals of Clinical Laboratory Science. At UWF since 2001, she led the department’s re-accreditation review by the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences in 2013, which resulted in the program receiving the highest re-accreditation of seven years. She received a medical technologist degree from Jersey Shore Medical Center School of Medical Technology, bachelor’s degree in biology from East Stroudsburg University, and doctorate in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon University.