Woman of Distinction - Signature Luncheon
Date and Time
Tuesday Nov 9, 2021
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM EST
Tuesday, November 9TH
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
7 Concourse Pkwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
Fees/Admission
Members: $40
Non-Member: $45
Table of 8: $320
Absolutely no walk-ins allowed due to COVID-19 precautions. Registration required. Registration closes on November 8TH at 10:00 AM or when the attendance limit is met. No refunds will be given for no-shows nor cancelations.
Thank you to our sponsor: The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
Contact Information
Lena Liebrecht
Send Email
Description
Join us for our Annual Woman of Distinction Signature Luncheon on November 9th at the Westin with Keynote Speakers CEO & Co-Founder Lauren Bricks & COO Leah Roberts with Ipsum Diagnostics.
About our Keynote Speakers:
Sandy Springs native Lauren Spanjer Bricks is at the forefront of lifesaving COVID-19 testing. Lauren is the co-founder and CEO of Ipsum Diagnostics, an independent, CAP accredited, clinical and anatomical pathology testing laboratory. By the end of 2019, Lauren recognized that the existing molecular Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology used to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, was being conducted on relatively inefficient PCR instruments typically used for research. The only tests that were available required too much time and could process only 96 patient samples at a time. She knew the answer for increasing COVID-19 testing capacity nationally was to develop tests that utilized faster instruments. Her goal, to process four times the number of patient samples (384) at a time, was ambitious. But if she could develop this test and receive an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she could share the proprietary protocols with other laboratories and immediately boost national COVID-19 testing capacity.
Beginning in January 2020, Lauren guided the company in the development of an accurate and high capacity COVID-19 PCR test that satisfied the criteria for issuance of an EUA from the FDA. The EUA was granted on April 1, 2020.
Highlights:
- January 2020 – Lauren had the foresight and vision to apply to the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases division to receive the materials needed for the development of tests that could provide accurate PCR results.
- April 1, 2020 – Ipsum received Emergency Use Authorization for its COV-19 IDx SARS CoV-2 RT PCR Laboratory Developed Test.
- Ipsum was the first lab in Georgia to receive an EUA from the FDA for COVID-19 testing and first lab in the country to develop a high-complexity COVID-19 PCR Test, known now as gold standard in COVID testing.
- It was one of the first 12 labs in the country (out of 200) to receive an EUA from the FDA for COVID-19 PCR testing.
- April 8, 2020 - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced a partnership between Ipsum and the Georgia Department of Public Health to provide critical COVID-19 testing for the state.
- With Lauren leading Ipsum, the state of Georgia went from being ranked 45th in the country to 9th in the country for COVID-19 testing capabilities in a matter of two months.
- In just under a year, Ipsum reported over 1.2 million COVID-19 PCR patient test results that impacted hundreds of thousands of lives around the state of Georgia.
- Ipsum was the first COVID-19 testing facility to provide patients the option to use a Spanish language patient portal with reports in Spanish, and the first lab in the state of Georgia to provide test result reports of any kind in a language other than English.
Lauren brought her passion for improving the quality of patient care to the founding of Ipsum Diagnostics. She recognized that accurate diagnostic testing and timely delivery of reliable results are prerequisites to improving patient treatment. Since the time she first learned about the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, her goal has remained clear — to help as many individuals as possible — because every life is important. Every person who is anxious to know if they or their loved ones are infected with COVID-19 deserves to have access to fast and accurate medical testing results. Lauren’s work makes this possible.
Prior to starting Ipsum, Lauren worked for the Biological Defense Research Directorate at the Navy Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she was awarded the Civilian of the Quarter award for her work on biowarfare assay development. Lauren gained extensive expertise in laboratory regulatory requirements while working in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s medical, research and forensic laboratories. She worked closely with experts at every level, ranging from technicians to lab directors, to ensure the successful implementation of instruments, assays, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) development and inspection preparations.
Immediately prior to founding Ipsum, Lauren worked as a National Field Operations Manager at eLab Solutions, an Atlanta-based software solutions company and Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Lab, where she focused on tailoring lab setups to meet client needs. She was intimately involved in setting up numerous labs across the United States, from technical requirements to staffing, validation, and standard operating procedure development, with one lab-client she served earning the Laboratory of the Year award from COLA.
As the co-owner and leader of Ipsum Diagnostics, Lauren’s knowledge of complex and rigorous laboratory regulations and her extensive background in emerging technologies and PCR test development distinguishes the company within the molecular diagnostic field. It is unusual to find an owner and CEO of a laboratory who has vast experience in both life and clinical sciences. Most laboratory owners are experienced in business but are unfamiliar with the complexity of laboratory science.
Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology and an MBA from the University of Maryland. She has lived in Atlanta most of her life.
Leah Roberts helped to develop a high-capacity COVID-19 test that provided rapid and accurate results, helping launch a period of unprecedented growth for Ipsum Diagnostics. Thanks to her efforts, Ipsum’s test method became one of the first in the nation to receive the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval and an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Leah, a molecular biologist, joined Ipsum in December 2019, just as COVID-19 was emerging. Ipsum’s senior executives quickly expanded her role to manager during the height of the U.S. outbreak, to maximize her contribution. Recently, Leah was appointed by Ipsum’s leadership to assume the role of Chief Operations Officer. She simultaneously manages daily high priority operations while working closely with the leadership team on strategic initiatives. Leah’s responsibilities include oversight of Ipsum Diagnostics’ Research and Development efforts and filings of critical state and federal regulatory applications, ensuring the highest quality testing and securing Ipsum’s reputation for timely reliable reporting and accurate performance. Following FDA approval of its COVID-19 test, Ipsum experienced rapid growth. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp named Ipsum a key COVID-19 testing lab for the state, and the state of Georgia went from being ranked 45th in the country to 9th in the country for its COVID-19 testing capabilities. Leah and Ipsum Co-Founder, CEO Lauren Bricks worked with the Georgia Department of Public Health to customize a patient and provider portal to meet the needs of both patients and providers. Ipsum was the first lab to integrate with the state’s Microsoft Dynamic program to create workflow solutions that would improve efficiency at collection sites. Ipsum continued to fulfill the Georgia Department of Public Health’s testing requirements throughout the state (almost 7,000 tests per day and over 420,000 total). Moreover, Ipsum conducts more COVID-19 tests than any lab in Georgia utilizing the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology the gold standard in COVID-19 testing.
During this unprecedented time, Leah and the Ipsum team were innovative, agile and adaptable. Now, over a year into the pandemic, they are continuing to evolve. Leah oversees the collection of significant amounts of data as a result of the large number of tests conducted. This data will be compiled and studied and will prove valuable in the development of future innovations. A primary component of Leah’s achievements during the pandemic has been leading Ipsum’s program addressing underserved populations. She and Ipsum’s molecular team worked with other independent labs to help expand testing in rural areas. Their goal was to recognize labs around the country that could be testing but did not have the resources or experience to develop a high-complexity laboratory test. A significant example is West Virginia, a state that previously had no COVID-19 testing. Leah and her team provided Ipsum Diagnostics’ proprietary method, trained their molecular biologist on-site at Ipsum, provided the resources for the supplies they needed to begin validation, and shared Ipsum’s customized software to make their lab as efficient as possible. Leah is also leading Ipsum’s effort to increase the Georgia prison system’s testing capacity by processing swabs for testing individuals in state prisons. Last year, Ipsum stepped in to help when COVID-19 outbreaks were plaguing state prisons that did not have the ability to widely isolate inmates and staff. Furthermore, Leah is fulfilling a vital need for diverse female role models in the field of science. She is a woman of color at the helm of a company developing lifesaving technology during what could be considered the greatest healthcare crisis the human race has faced in recent history. Leah holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Wesleyan College and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Walden University. She is green belt certified in Six-Sigma and is American Society for Clinical Pathology certified as a molecular biologist.
Prior to starting Ipsum, Lauren worked for the Biological Defense Research Directorate at the Navy Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she was awarded the Civilian of the Quarter award for her work on biowarfare assay development. Lauren gained extensive expertise in laboratory regulatory requirements while working in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s medical, research and forensic laboratories. She worked closely with experts at every level, ranging from technicians to lab directors, to ensure the successful implementation of instruments, assays, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) development and inspection preparations.
Immediately prior to founding Ipsum, Lauren worked as a National Field Operations Manager at eLab Solutions, an Atlanta-based software solutions company and Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Lab, where she focused on tailoring lab setups to meet client needs. She was intimately involved in setting up numerous labs across the United States, from technical requirements to staffing, validation, and standard operating procedure development, with one lab-client she served earning the Laboratory of the Year award from COLA.
As the co-owner and leader of Ipsum Diagnostics, Lauren’s knowledge of complex and rigorous laboratory regulations and her extensive background in emerging technologies and PCR test development distinguishes the company within the molecular diagnostic field. It is unusual to find an owner and CEO of a laboratory who has vast experience in both life and clinical sciences. Most laboratory owners are experienced in business but are unfamiliar with the complexity of laboratory science.
Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology and an MBA from the University of Maryland. She has lived in Atlanta most of her life.
Leah Roberts helped to develop a high-capacity COVID-19 test that provided rapid and accurate results, helping launch a period of unprecedented growth for Ipsum Diagnostics. Thanks to her efforts, Ipsum’s test method became one of the first in the nation to receive the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval and an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Leah, a molecular biologist, joined Ipsum in December 2019, just as COVID-19 was emerging. Ipsum’s senior executives quickly expanded her role to manager during the height of the U.S. outbreak, to maximize her contribution. Recently, Leah was appointed by Ipsum’s leadership to assume the role of Chief Operations Officer. She simultaneously manages daily high priority operations while working closely with the leadership team on strategic initiatives. Leah’s responsibilities include oversight of Ipsum Diagnostics’ Research and Development efforts and filings of critical state and federal regulatory applications, ensuring the highest quality testing and securing Ipsum’s reputation for timely reliable reporting and accurate performance. Following FDA approval of its COVID-19 test, Ipsum experienced rapid growth. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp named Ipsum a key COVID-19 testing lab for the state, and the state of Georgia went from being ranked 45th in the country to 9th in the country for its COVID-19 testing capabilities. Leah and Ipsum Co-Founder, CEO Lauren Bricks worked with the Georgia Department of Public Health to customize a patient and provider portal to meet the needs of both patients and providers. Ipsum was the first lab to integrate with the state’s Microsoft Dynamic program to create workflow solutions that would improve efficiency at collection sites. Ipsum continued to fulfill the Georgia Department of Public Health’s testing requirements throughout the state (almost 7,000 tests per day and over 420,000 total). Moreover, Ipsum conducts more COVID-19 tests than any lab in Georgia utilizing the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology the gold standard in COVID-19 testing.
During this unprecedented time, Leah and the Ipsum team were innovative, agile and adaptable. Now, over a year into the pandemic, they are continuing to evolve. Leah oversees the collection of significant amounts of data as a result of the large number of tests conducted. This data will be compiled and studied and will prove valuable in the development of future innovations. A primary component of Leah’s achievements during the pandemic has been leading Ipsum’s program addressing underserved populations. She and Ipsum’s molecular team worked with other independent labs to help expand testing in rural areas. Their goal was to recognize labs around the country that could be testing but did not have the resources or experience to develop a high-complexity laboratory test. A significant example is West Virginia, a state that previously had no COVID-19 testing. Leah and her team provided Ipsum Diagnostics’ proprietary method, trained their molecular biologist on-site at Ipsum, provided the resources for the supplies they needed to begin validation, and shared Ipsum’s customized software to make their lab as efficient as possible. Leah is also leading Ipsum’s effort to increase the Georgia prison system’s testing capacity by processing swabs for testing individuals in state prisons. Last year, Ipsum stepped in to help when COVID-19 outbreaks were plaguing state prisons that did not have the ability to widely isolate inmates and staff. Furthermore, Leah is fulfilling a vital need for diverse female role models in the field of science. She is a woman of color at the helm of a company developing lifesaving technology during what could be considered the greatest healthcare crisis the human race has faced in recent history. Leah holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Wesleyan College and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Walden University. She is green belt certified in Six-Sigma and is American Society for Clinical Pathology certified as a molecular biologist.
