On Aug. 30th, 2024, Clinical Technician II Rusty Lowery retired after a 35-year career at Duke spanning five departments.
“Rusty has had a long and successful career at Duke, spanning 35 years and various departments,” said Duke Health Clinical Laboratories Associate Director Diana Cardona, MD, MBA. “We were fortunate to have him join us in 2007, where he has served as a constant team player, willing to do whatever it took to serve our patients and our faculty. His experience and calm demeanor will thoroughly be missed!”
Lowery joined Duke in 1989 as a data terminal operator in the Department of Pediatrics, where he remained for three years. From 1991 to 1997, he worked in the Duke Human Resources employment office, in which they transferred application data and worked with new hires. He excelled in his role and was promoted to an employment specialist position.
He then transitioned to the Department of Computer Science for a year. He spent 1998 to 2007 in the Office of Information Technology as a staff assistant ordering supplies, completing timesheets, and reconciling expenses.
Lowery then joined the Department of Pathology’s Hematopathology Division as a staff assistant, where he quickly learned the process of accessioning cases and receiving and handling specimens for examination. He continued there until 2016 when the department created Consultative Services as a separate group. Lowery joined the group, which evolved into the Pathology Record Control (PRC) department, where he has served ever since as a Clinical Technician II. He’s been a go-to person for pathologists signing out cases, helping to determine to which service a case is assigned.
“I’ve seen many changes at Duke since my start, including buildings going down and buildings going up,” said Lowery. “My favorite role was when I was an employee specialist working in the Employment Office. My second was working in Pathology accessioning cases. I especially like entering data.”
“Rusty has been a core member of our outside slide accessioning group for many years,” said Vice Chair and Director of Surgical Pathology Rex Bentley, MD. “His knowledge and experience in handling these often-complex cases have made him an invaluable resource, and he always went the extra mile to make sure the right thing happened for our patients. He is one of the nicest, kindest people I know. We will miss him!”
"Rusty has been an amazing asset to our accessioning group over the years. His wealth of knowledge and professionalism have made him a great resource for our team,” said Duke University Health Systems Laboratory Supervisor Christine “Chris” Ard, BS, HT (ASCP). “We will miss his humor and friendship! As much as I hate to see him go, I'm excited for the new adventures he'll have in retirement! After 35 years, it's well-deserved! Thank you for everything, Rusty!”
I have enjoyed working in Pathology, where we have some of the top faculty and staff,” said Lowery. “I’ve made many friends and enjoy being around people who work together to get the job done. I’m looking forward to retiring and have no real plans...just enjoy my time. I love to cook, so I’m thinking about taking some cooking classes down the road.”