Advisory Board of Leading Clinical Lab and Pathology Management Experts Will Help with Agenda Process for the 31st Executive War College, April 28-29 in New Orleans
In anticipation of the Executive War College 2026:
October 6, 2025 — As Clinical Lab and Pathology Management challenges become increasingly more complex, the producers of the world’s largest conference for senior lab managers is expanding its expertise bandwidth.
As has been the case for the previous 30 years, national clinical lab management thought leader Robert L. Michel will oversee content and agenda development for the 31st Executive War College on Diagnostics, Clinical Laboratory and Pathology Management, April 28-29, 2026, at the Hyatt New Orleans. However, for 2026, Mr. Michel is also enlisting input from a prestigious group of clinical lab and pathology management executives. This group of experts, under Michel’s leadership, will comprise the first ever Executive War College Advisory Board (EWCAB).
The role of the EWCAB will be to advise while Michel and the War College’s internal program development team make all decisions regarding session topics and the selection of speakers. With that, the Executive War College has established a Call for Speakers process.The Executive War College Advisory Board for 2026, under the direction of Michel, will include the following clinical lab and pathology management senior leaders:
- Lisa-Jean Clifford is the President of Gestalt Diagnostics, a leader in digital pathology solutions. With over two decades of experience in healthcare technology—including executive roles at McKesson, IDX (GE Healthcare), and Psyche Systems—Clifford is recognized for her innovative leadership and commitment to improving patient care through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and interoperability.
- Jennifer Fralick is the Vice President of Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Laboratories at Stanford Health Care. She oversees Stanford Medicine’s laboratory operations across the San Francisco Bay Area, having led initiatives such as the COVID-19 response, digital pathology implementation, and expansion of lab services to support advanced testing.
- Corey Roberts, MD, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Healthcare USA and a board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist. Roberts has led premier pathology practices, published extensively, and served on multiple scientific advisory boards, contributing significantly to medical education and research.
- Steve Serota is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories (WDL), where he oversees an organization performing over seven million tests annually. With a Master of Science in Health System Administration from Rush University, he brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in surgical services, specialty pharmacy, and laboratory operations from institutions like Northwestern Medicine and Rush University Medical Center.
“Robert Michel has for years produced a War College agenda with content that is actionable and tremendously valuable in helping clinical labs improve quality, get valuable insights into operational management challenges, tackle regulatory compliance requirements, and dramatically improve revenues and save costs,” said Robert A. Croce, General Manager of the Executive War College, which is now a division of LabX Media Group.
“Now, we are thrilled that Robert is expanding that noteworthy mission further with guidance from additional expertise,” Croce added. “As has been the case for more than three decades, the goal will be to expand on the tradition of providing clinical lab leaders with cutting edge, actionable information that they can immediately put into practice.”
Michel, with assistance from Conference Producer Ashleigh Harris, will continue in his role as content developer for the program, while the EWCAB will advise on key and emerging content areas, including AI and digital transformation, looming regulatory compliance challenges, and the latest trends in financial and business strategy. Also assisting in producing the program will be The Dark Report’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Wallask, and Anne Tate and Deb-Hewett Smith from the clinical lab management consultancy Talking Labs.
As has been the case over the 30 previous Executive War Colleges, this is also THE place to do business for those companies that serve the industry with their assays, leading edge equipment and other technologies. Please visit the event’s Partner Page to learn about sponsor opportunities.
Visit www.executivewarcollege.
ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE WAR COLLEGE
The Executive War College is your place to learn, connect, and collaborate. See, hear, and meet leaders of the nation’s most innovative labs as they share how they add value to improving patient outcomes while encouraging health insurers to pay them for this value.
ABOUT LABX MEDIA GROUP
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SOURCE: Executive War College
