Highlighting the value of lab research for healthcare innovation

pharmafile.com | November 2, 2026 | Feature | |  Cardiology, Devices, Neurology, Oncology, diagnostic tests, healthcare innovation, laboratory science, neurodegenerative disease, oncology 

Diagnostic innovation and patient safety have dominated this year’s healthcare-focussed awards to mark European Laboratory Day.

Staged by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine on 5 November the event also honours four young scientists selected from 50 applications and nominations across 26 countries for the fifth edition of the EFLM’s Leaders in the Lab campaign.

The four professionals, from Ireland, Türkiye, Italy and the Republic of Moldova, were selected from 50 applications and nominations across 26 countries for the fifth edition of the EFLM’s Leaders in the Lab campaign.

The initiative aims to highlight the contribution of laboratory medicine professionals to healthcare, in particular the impact of the winners from Ireland, Türkiye, Italy and the Republic of Moldova within their respective healthcare communities.

The winners include Stephanie Yates, who is Ireland’s first medical laboratory scientist to secure a national healthcare innovation fellowship. Her work focuses on applying laboratory expertise into healthcare innovation and service design.

Commenting on her work, Yates said explained how she saw its value to the health ecosystem: “Diagnostics sits at the intersection of science, technology and patient care.That’s why I believe the laboratory medicine perspective has so much to contribute to healthcare innovation.” 

Another winner, Hikmet Can Çubukçu from Türkiye, is a qualified doctor who combined laboratory medicine with software engineering to develop free digital tools that make complex quality-control approaches more accessible to laboratories, supporting efforts to protect patient safety.

Italian Federico Angelo Cazzaniga’s work is centred on earlier detection of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, adopting sampling methods that are simpler and less invasive.

Lastly, Moldova’s Galina Coltuclu helped establish a specialised blood cancer diagnostic service that has enabled domestic testing for samples that previously needed to be carried out abroad. The result, she said, was wider access to health benefits

“Our patients need access to these tests,” said Coltuclu. “Not every family had the opportunity to send samples abroad, but accurate diagnosis is essential for choosing the right treatment.”

Chair of EFLM Young Scientists Committee Monica Dugaesescu commented that the four winners had demonstrated the different ways laboratory medicine professionals are leading within healthcare. 

“Their stories show that leadership can mean making a discovery, solving a problem, improving access to diagnostics or ensuring the laboratory medicine perspective is heard. European Laboratory Day is an opportunity to bring that contribution into view and celebrate the people behind laboratory medicine across Europe.”

European Laboratory Day is held annually on 5 November to raise awareness of the role laboratory medicine plays in diagnosis, treatment decisions and patient safety. The EFLM is encourages laboratories, national societies and professionals across Europe to take part in its campaigns by sharing examples of their own work.

Pic: Yates, Çubukçu, Cazzaniga and Coltuclu