August 27, 2020

Women in Leadership: Learning from a VP who started as a medical technologist

At Labcorp, the parent company of Covance, we seek to create an environment that respects and welcomes the unique capabilities and perspectives of every employee. To celebrate the strength and abilities of women in leadership, we met with Edna Parker, Vice President, Labcorp National Office of Quality, to learn how she is giving back to her local communities, influencing industry regulations, and paving the way for other women in science.

Last year, Edna was selected as a Citizen Volunteer of the Year co-winner by North Carolina's Alamance County Board of Commissioners; she was nominated for her public service efforts in improving the health, safety and welfare of county citizens. She is an active member of several boards, and her community service has included working with numerous non-profit organizations throughout the years.

What is your current role at Labcorp?

I am responsible for quality management in our diagnostics business. I also interact with people across our drug development business, known as Covance, to provide guidance for laboratory regulations, requests for proposal, quality audits, client concerns, corporate policies, and business development.

Additionally, I serve as a liaison to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services for laboratory regulations, work with the American Clinical Laboratory Association to promote LabCorp's position in legislation and regulations, and review and offer interpretation to laboratory regulatory requirements. From ensuring laboratories meet accreditation requirements and due diligence reviews to training in root cause analysis and cost of quality, there are no limits to the questions to which I respond.

Tell me about your career journey.

I began my career in hospital laboratories as a medical technologist, senior technologist and chief technologist. I came to work for Labcorp (then Roche Biomedical Laboratories) in 1984 as a laboratory manager. In late 1985, I was promoted to assistant technical director; and beginning in 1990, I served as a regional manager for quality assurance and safety. Next, as associate vice president, I assumed duties as a national QA manager and divisional compliance manager. Then, as vice president, national office of quality, my role expanded to oversight of quality for the routine clinical laboratories. I assumed my current role in January 2019.

What are some challenges for women in the scientific community, and what advice do you have to overcome them?

Women in science may face the challenge of myths. We may not get a chance because of misperceptions. It might be that we are not perceived as being serious about our careers, or that we aren't in the game for the long haul, or that we don't have the intellectual or business savvy to advance in scientific roles. All of that is untrue, of course. I believe that women who strive for excellence can overcome these common myths through perseverance and not allowing the obstacles and negativity to keep us down. Fortunately, LabCorp has some strong women in significant scientific roles who are role models for anyone who may be struggling to become part of the scientific community.

You shared that community service has always held a prominent place in your life. Have you been involved in any work to help women in healthcare?

One of LabCorp’s first employee resource groups was the Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN). I had the opportunity to co-chair the Burlington WEN group, seeing it as a way to help elevate women in my area of influence. WEN gave my colleagues and I the power to bring alive a vision for opening opportunities for networking, personal and professional development and simply supporting and encouraging women at LabCorp. I felt particularly compelled to be involved as a woman of color. The diversity of women at LabCorp adds amazing strength to our company, while putting us all in the position to help each other leverage our collective experiences and guide career paths.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome as you advanced within your career?

At times, it was challenging to be heard. I had to learn how to express myself, to be confident in using my voice. There is a balance between being assertive and being overbearing. To that end, one of my mentors told me I needed to become more of a bulldog. I'll never forget that. Being a bulldog is not me, although I've learned to be more forceful on occasion.

What is your advice to the next generation of female leaders?

Work hard, keep your focus and remember why you chose the profession. Also, find and be a strong mentor.

Learn more about how we’re creating new pathways to leadership for women: https://jobs.labcorp.com/inclusion-and-diversity