Building a Community of Lab Leaders
A place for motivated lab professionals to meet and learn from each other
Lauren Everett is the managing editor for Lab Manager. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from SUNY New Paltz and has more than a decade of experience in news...
ViewFull Profile.Learn about ourEditorial Policies.
If you’re reading this, you may already be familiar with Lab Manager’s content. If not, browse our site or print issues and you’ll see our purpose is to provide current and aspiring laboratory leaders with the skills, tools, and strategies needed to excel in this role. We understand that too often, excellent bench scientists are promoted into a management role without support in leadership and management training, leaving you to learn as you go.
Lab Manager is the key resource to learn about topics such as decision-making and business planning, lab operations, asset management, soft skills development, lab quality, and lab safety, among others. Much of the messaging shared within our published articles offers a glimpse into the types of things you can learn more in-depth at our annual Leadership Summit.
The Lab Manager Leadership Summit is our flagship in-person event. Now in its fifth year, the Leadership Summit is (in my opinion) the most effective way to elevate your lab, your staff, and yourself within just a few days. I genuinely don’t just say this simply as managing editor of the brand that hosts the event. I say this as an attendee who has made long-lasting professional relationships each year of the event; as someone who is excited to re-connect with my Lab Manager colleagues and repeat attendees who I otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to see in-person elsewhere throughout the year; someone who leaves the Summit with pages full of notes from speaker presentations and a list of contacts to reach out to for collaborations throughout the year.
Each year, I’m in awe of the personal stories and experiences shared at this event, the camaraderie between attendees of different age generations, and the willingness of both speakers and fellow attendees to help and offer solutions to each other’s challenges. One of the best things I’ve seen is individuals who come to the Leadership Summit as an attendee one year and return the next year as a featured speaker.
The 2024 Leadership Summit is taking place April 29-May 1 in Denver, CO. We have recruited an incredible lineup of speakers, with expertise ranging from lab quality and efficiency, lab automation, effective communication, DEI, modern leadership, and career development.
There are a variety of ways that attendees can participate and connect. We offer a fun, behind-the-scenes lab tour for attendees to break the ice, hands-on workshops with Lab Manager instructors, interactive panel discussions, and evening networking socials. We’ve also expanded the agenda this year to include clinical lab management- and safety-specific tracks.
This event is the outcome of many months of planning and is a true labor of love to deliver a valuable experience dedicated specifically to current and aspiring lab leaders.
If you have any questions about the Leadership Summit, please reach out to me directly: leverett@labmanager.com or visit summit.labmanager.com/leadership
Hope to see you there!