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Tywauna Wilson, MBA, MLS(ASCP)^CM, has gained valuable insight through her volunteer roles: service creates visibility, relationships, and opportunities that can open doors you may not have even known existed, and showing up consistently matters more than showing up perfectly. 

Having a platform, community, and opportunities helped shape who Ms. Wilson is as a professional and leader, and reinforced the value of relationships, service, and perspective. “When you volunteer, you work with people from different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. That stretches you,” Ms. Wilson says. “It teaches you how to listen better, communicate more clearly, and stay focused on the mission.” 

The opportunity with ASCP to serve as a global consultant, educating scientists internationally to become stronger laboratory professionals, was life changing for Ms. Wilson, she says, and serving on committees focused on workforce development, creating equitable opportunities for laboratory professionals, and inspiring the next generation of lab leaders has made her proud and shaped her leadership and career in ways far beyond any job title. “I have learned that showing up in service expands your voice, grows your impact, and allows you to contribute beyond your immediate role,” she says. 

Here, Ms. Wilson shares more of her thoughts on mentorship, motivation, and more.  

Have you had mentors or role models who influenced your career choice? 

Mentorship has played an important role in my journey. I know firsthand how powerful it is when someone sees potential in you, challenges you to grow, and helps you think bigger about what is possible. 

Early in my career, a laboratory scientist named Anne Schoonover told me that with a degree in Medical Laboratory Science, I could do and be anything in this industry. One environment was not the ceiling. I was bold enough to believe her, and I have been growing and reaching new heights ever since. 

Mentors and role models such as Anne, Cedrick LaFleur, and Dr. Melissa Upton helped me build confidence, sharpen my leadership, and see that technical expertise alone was not the limit. They helped me understand the importance of visibility, advocacy, and being intentional about growth. Their influence shaped not only how I moved through my own career, but also how I now show up for others. It is one of the reasons mentorship remains such an important part of my work and my service. 

Mentorship is not something that just happens to you. You have to position yourself for it, and you have to be ready to receive it.   

What has surprised you about working in the lab? 

One thing that has surprised me about working in the laboratory is just how many different roles and settings exist within this profession. The field is far broader than most people realize, and that breadth is a gift. 

People often think of the lab as purely technical, but it is so much more than that. You are constantly making judgment calls, communicating under pressure, managing competing priorities, and protecting quality. Success in the laboratory depends not only on technical expertise, but also on leadership, teamwork, sound judgment, and the ability to navigate change. 

I have also been surprised by how invisible our impact is to the people we serve, even though it is so essential. So much of healthcare depends on what we do in the laboratory. Yet many patients and even some clinical colleagues do not fully understand the depth of our contribution. That is not a small gap. That is a visibility problem worth solving, and it is part of what drives my work to elevate laboratory professionals. 

What motivates you in your role, knowing results influence diagnosis and treatment? 

As System Chemistry Technical Director, my responsibility extends across multiple laboratory sites serving diverse communities, from small community hospitals to free-standing emergency departments to academic medical centers. The motivation comes from knowing that the work we do must be consistent and excellent across all of them, not just in the best-resourced environment. 

What keeps me going is the opportunity to implement emerging technology, insource esoteric tests to reduce wait times, and use artificial intelligence to identify trends that a single data point would never reveal. Every one of those efforts connects back to a patient getting better information faster. I also take pride in doing work that people can depend on. Knowing that my contribution supports diagnosis, treatment, and trust in the healthcare system gives the work its purpose, and that has always mattered to me.