Brian Wright Retires After 40 Years of Service
By Lynn McCain | January 23
In 1985, the field of toxicology, the study of various drugs, metals, and poisons in the body, was reporting research on how to measure cannabinoids in the blood, calculate blood alcohol levels, and the dangers of using propylene glycol as part of intravenous injections. It was also the year that the Department of Pathology welcomed a new member to their toxicology laboratory, medical laboratory professional Brian Wright. Wright had just graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and Microbiology. His interest in pathology was sparked by performing scientific testing on biological specimens during his undergraduate training.
“I worked in the Drug Analysis and Toxicology Laboratory,” said Wright. The two main areas of testing were urine toxicology screening and confirmations, and therapeutic drug monitoring.” Urine toxicology screening is when testing is conducted to determine if a drug metabolite is present in the urine, while confirmations are run to confirm positive drug tests. Therapeutic drug monitoring measures the amount of a drug in a patient’s blood to ensure the patient is receiving the correct dose. This is used for a variety of medications, such as some antibiotics, heart medications, and anti-seizure medications, to name a few.
Over the past forty years, Wright has seen many advancements in toxicology. “Some of my most memorable moments were being involved in laboratory-developed testing, sometimes starting from scratch, and not breaking any instruments in the process,” laughed Wright. He also recalled his time during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic was certainly a huge obstacle for everyone in healthcare to overcome. It was so strange coming to work through empty streets. There was a lot of sacrifice and coming together to get through.”
Dr. Carmen Gherasim, associate professor and director of clinical chemistry and toxicology, added, “Brian is very humble about his accomplishments, but he is one of the few medical technologists trained at the University of Michigan before the MLS program was discontinued. He is extremely insightful and has been responsible for developing a number of mass-spectrometry-based tests, including quantitative Fentanyl measurements early on when the fentanyl crisis started to affect the US and Midwest. For his work, he was recognized by the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (now Association of Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine) with an award in 2016. Brian also led the development of high-resolution mass-spectrometry testing for untargeted drug analysis that allows identification of drugs and metabolites, including unprescribed drugs and controlled substances as well as designer drugs.”
“It has been my good fortune to have worked with Brian Wright since 1987,” added Eric Vasbinder, who was the manager of the clinical core laboratory, which includes the toxicology and biochemical genetics labs. “In that time, Brian has always been one of the nicest and easy-going team members you could ask for and he has always been dependable and focused on providing great patient care. Over the years, he has seen the toxicology section undergo quite a number of changes, ranging from multiple physical moves of the lab to large methodology upgrades. All of which were helped by his calm, unflappable demeanor and utilized his expertise and experience. While he will be greatly missed in the lab as he leaves us for his well-deserved retirement, his presence will reverberate for years to come as techs continue to perform testing he helped develop.”
“The most joy I experienced in my career was working with a great group of people in delivering quality health care to our patients,” said Wright. “A piece of advice to someone considering a career in laboratory medicine is to do a quality job for each sample you test, because there is a person behind each specimen you come across.”
As Wright enters retirement, he is looking forward to playing more golf, adding to his vinyl records collection, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. He enjoys sports to the extent that rather than counting sheep when trying to fall asleep, he will “recount World Series winners and losers, or US Open golf champions and the course venue, or Masters golf champions – all from 1960 to the present. It is strange, but for me, it works and I’ll start to nod off.”
We wish you all the best, Brian, and may you have many more years of championships to recount as you enjoy your retirement.
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