Talk:Rodney S. Markin

Dr. Rodney Smith "Rod" Markin, Ph.D., M.D., (born 1956) David T. Purtilo Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is a leading authority on Laboratory Automation, Clinical Laboratory Information Systems, Hepatic Pathology, Transplant Pathology and is Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs in the UNMC College of Medicine and president and CEO of University of Nebraska Medical Center Physicians (UNMCP) , a leading academic medical practice which includes more than 500 physicians.

Early life
Markin was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln; he received a bachelor of science degree in 1977 from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he majored in Chemistry; he received a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 1980, majoring in Biochemistry; he earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in 1983; he completed his residency in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UNMC in 1986.

Career highlights
His early academic work centered on evaluation of histopathologic features of donor organs associated with graft failure and methods of cyclosporine level determination in serum, plasma and whole blood. He also investigated Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR) in opiate analogs and other homologous series. In April of 1989 he began a research project in Clinical Laboratory Automation Prototypes and developed a method for software based automation schemes center around patient information. In October 1989, Sunquest Information Systems, IBM, Kodak Clinical Diagnostics and Coulter Corporation along with UNMC provided $4.5MM over a period of 5 years to create an automation platform for the clinical laboratory. Multiple patents for both the methodologies and the hardware technologies to enable the process were published (see Patents below). In March of 1995 he assembled a group of interested parties including instrument vendors and laboratorians to create the first prospective CLSI (NCCLS). The first five clinical laboratory Automation Standards defined the interconnections between instruments, devices, transportation systems and software to enable laboratory automation systems to operate in a diverse environment. His first technology portfolio was licensed to a start-up company, LAB-InterLink. The LAB-InterLink assets were sold to Abbott Diagnostics in 2006.In October 2005, the U.S. Defense Department provided a grant to Markin and his team to design a new method for microbiology automation. Known as the Microbiology Automation Research Project, or "MARP," the project is designed to develop a broad automation platform that can be used by the Army in the clinical laboratory, including bacteriology, mycology and virology. Additionally, the project has potential uses for other applications, including bioterrorism testing, and holds significant promise for the civilian sector.

Awards
First Sasaki Award for Laboratory Automation, 1998, Kochi, Japan Becton Dickinson Award for Medical Systems Engineering, 1997

Associations
FCAP-Fellow of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) FASCP-Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Pathology FNACB-Fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry

Personal and family
Markin is married; he and his wife Annette Markin have two grown sons.