Dr. Olga Voronel has been appointed medical director of the Saranac Lake laboratory at Adirondack Medical Center.
Dr. Voronel joined Adirondack Health in July 2018 and has served as the lab’s assistant medical director for three and a half years. She has also served as medical director of our Lake Placid laboratory since the move to the new building.
Dr. Voronel completed as residency in combined anatomic and clinical pathology at Albany Medical Center and fellowships in hematopathology (Detroit Medical Center) and surgical pathology (University of Vermont).
Lab director Teri Baldwin said Dr. Voronel possesses impressive laboratory knowledge and pathology skills, and is a dynamic leader.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Voronel and Dr. Eckel during this transition,” she said. “Dr. Eckel is an incredibly skilled pathologist who has had such a positive impact on patient care at Adirondack Health since 1994. I am extremely grateful for the guidance and support he has provided me over the past year and a half.”
“I’ve had the great privilege to work alongside Dr. John Eckel and our amazing team of phlebotomists and technical and administrative staff to support our clinician colleagues in these uncertain times,” Dr. Voronel said.
She said in the pre-COVID world, laboratorians were sometimes likened to referees, and were only noticed when they made a mistake.
“Of course, now that seemingly everyone in the world is familiar with PCR tests, the lab has been propelled into the spotlight and I couldn’t be more proud of the way our dedicated staff have risen to the challenge,” she said.
In the face of supply chain disruptions, severe staffing shortages and an ever-shifting regulatory landscape, Dr. Voronel said the lab team has not only managed to maintain its existing services but, with the support of the community and administration, expand them to include an in-house COVID testing infrastructure that is the envy of organizations much larger than Adirondack Health’s.
“I’m truly honored and humbled to be handed the reins after Dr. Eckel’s quarter century of leadership, not to mention grateful to be able to draw upon his wisdom and experience during this transition,” Dr. Voronel said.
