Mater’s very first Stat Lab opened on 5 March 2012 and this week celebrates 10 years of operation. 

Located onsite at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside, Mater’s Stat Lab plays a critical role in supporting the private hospital on the north side of Brisbane. 

Staffed by 20 scientists and scientific assistants, the Stat Lab operates 24/7 to provide around-the-clock pathology support to the hospital. 

Senior Scientist Gemma Brownjohn started working at the Mater Stat Lab when it first opened in 2012 and shared what it was like to work in the Stat Lab. 

“No two days are ever the same,” Ms Brownjohn said. 

“We perform more than 500 pathology tests each day across a range of disciplines to support patient care within the hospital.” 

Ms Brownjohn said services included transfusion, haematology, biochemistry, and microbiology tests. 

Supervising Scientist Colleen Voroteliak explained what it was like to rapidly respond in the Stat Lab.  

“Many of the tests that we perform within the Stat Lab are time sensitive. Results are needed urgently by doctors, so they can make important decisions around patient care,” Ms Voroteliak said. 

“When pathology results are critical, we perform urgent tests to provide medical specialists with the information they need to effectively triage and treat patients in a responsive manner.

“Urgent test results can be turned around within 1-hour in our Stat Lab with our rapid response capability.”  

The team performed more than 287 400 pathology tests in the last financial year (1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021) and are predicting another big year with more than 183 630 tests already performed this financial year.  

Ms Brownjohn said the Stat Lab had grown significantly over the years. 

“In 2020, we relocated to a larger site on the hospital grounds to accommodate the service’s growth and more laboratory equipment,” Ms Brownjohn said.  

Ms Brownjohn said it was exciting to be celebrating Mater Stat Lab’s 10-year anniversary. 

Find out more about Mater Pathology here.