Stepping into the Cook Children's Laboratory is like discovering a Wonka Chocolate Factory in the basement of the Medical Center, but swap out the Wonka bars and bubble gum for test tubes and Petri dishes. This team sees patients through a different lens - literally. The Lab team runs more than 1,000 specimen tests a day, but that number is closer to 2,000 during a busy season. Specimen tests can include urine, blood, feces, tissue, body fluids and more. “The number one thing that I want people to know is that we are all part of the same team,” said Laura Collier, Laboratory Quality coordinator. “Even though we are not right there in the patient room making decisions right there alongside you, we really are. We see these patients and we know them and we care about them." Up to 70% of medical decisions are based on lab results, so they also care about the quality of their work. Physicians and providers decide on important treatment plans, like chemotherapy, from the results our lab team finds. "We help by getting all sorts of lab results to help piece together the puzzle of what is going on with a patient," explains Carli Land, lead medical laboratory scientist. “Sometimes symptoms alone and looking at a patient alone isn't enough. So we help see what is going on inside the body and that helps our doctors and other care team members.” Get an inside look of the lab team and join us in celebrating these hidden health care heroes! | 
