Donna Piacitelli
Donna Piacitelli is a highly experienced clinical laboratory professional with a career spanning over 45 years in microbiology. She began her journey after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Emmanuel College in 1981 and quickly entered the field as a medical technologist at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Over eight years, she advanced to lead medical technologist, gaining hands-on experience in bacteriology, parasitology, and virology, which laid the foundation for her expertise in clinical microbiology.
Donna’s career evolved through supervisory roles at Norwood Hospital and other community hospitals, as well as a brief technical sales position at Becton Dickinson. In Maine, she joined NorDx Laboratory in Scarborough through a serendipitous encounter, and over nearly two decades, she progressed from technologist to lead and ultimately to Supervisor of Microbiology. Today, she oversees one of the largest microbiology departments in the state, managing approximately 27.5 FTEs and supporting the entire MaineHealth system, which includes eight hospitals. She has led the department through multiple technological upgrades and continues to implement cutting-edge instrumentation to keep the lab at the forefront of clinical diagnostics.
Throughout her career, Donna has prioritized diligence, mentorship, and teamwork. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge with junior staff and advancing the profession of clinical microbiology. She holds ASCP certification, is an active member of the Northeast Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (NACMID), and has served as chair of its vendor committee. Donna’s leadership and commitment to excellence have made her a respected figure in the field and a trusted guide for her colleagues and the next generation of laboratory professionals.
• American Society of Clinical Pathology Certification
• Emmanuel College (Boston)- B.A.
• Emmanuel College (Boston)- Bachelor's
• Harvard Extension School
• American Society of Clinical Pathology
• NACMID (Northeast Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being diligent at what I do. Obviously, if you get promoted from one position to another to another in an organization, you must be doing the right thing in order to get there. I've been appreciated throughout my career, and I guess that's what I would say - being appreciated certainly helps anybody to be successful and continue doing what they're doing.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women that many people don’t even realize clinical laboratory careers exist. Seek out mentorship, visit labs, and explore opportunities beyond bedside care to discover the range of roles available in this field.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the first and foremost challenge is that young women don't even know this field exists. Nobody ever told me about this career path - I looked at my high school yearbook and saw that what I wanted to do in my life was be a nurse or a lab technician, and that was back in 1977. It's something you can do to help people if you don't feel you could be a nurse and be with patient contact, but it gives you an ability to help people. When you tell somebody you work in a hospital, they say, oh, you draw blood, or work in the lab, you draw blood, and that's absolutely not the case at all. Medical technology, especially in microbiology, involves very manual testing, so it takes a while to learn. That's why I've always agreed to have students come into our laboratory and have people tour it - people that might be interested in the field come and see what we do, because nobody knows, really. It makes you feel good when you can help someone.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Obviously, I value my position at the company. In that position, I'm able to help a lot of younger people that work for me now - a lot of people that were with me when I first started have long retired, so I think it's important to be able to bring them up the ranks and teach them what I know, pass on my knowledge. In my personal life, when I do retire, I plan on getting another racehorse. I've been involved most of my life in harness racing that my late husband participated in. I enjoy watching the races and going to the races, and I actually have raised a couple of racehorses myself. It's so exciting to watch your own horse go to the races.