Her Story
About Shanet
Shanet Oliver is a clinical laboratory scientist with nearly 25 years of experience in healthcare, currently serving in a senior, mentorship-focused role at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She began her career as a bench technician after earning her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology from Tennessee State University, later going on to complete her MBA at Western Governors University. Over the course of her career, she has held progressively senior positions with organizations including HCA Healthcare, Urology Associates, Oncocyte Corporation, and SCRI Oncology Partners, earning both her supervisor's license and Project Management Professional certification along the way.
Throughout her career, Shanet has built and launched laboratory operations from the ground up, including one of the first point-of-care labs for an HCA freestanding emergency department, and she is believed to be the first African American lab director for a genetics company specializing in kidney and liver transplant testing. Her leadership has extended beyond lab operations into regulatory compliance and quality assurance, where she has helped clinics resolve accreditation issues, prepared departments for College of American Pathologists surveys, and led teams through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services compliance challenges, in one case saving close to a million dollars in potential fines. In recent years, she has intentionally shifted her focus toward mentoring younger colleagues and supporting the next generation of laboratory professionals, while continuing to stay hands-on in day-to-day operations.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Shanet is a mother of three who finds balance through fitness, travel, time with friends, and creative writing, including poetry and a memoir she has been working on. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Now considering a career transition into a physician assistant program — a path she once set aside due to family responsibilities — Shanet continues to be guided by a strong sense of responsibility to her children and to the healthcare field, driven by a desire to lead with kindness and leave a lasting, positive impact on the people and communities she serves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shanet
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a deep sense of responsibility — particularly the responsibility to set a good example for my children and to give back to society. I've been fortunate to cross paths with wonderful people throughout my career, and I try to carry that forward by leading with kindness and treating people well. More than anything, I want to leave a positive footprint. I never want my children to see me as someone who was too afraid to try.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received came from a mentor named Teresa, who encouraged me to step into a supervisory role early in my career. She gave me a year to earn the supervisor's license the position required and even paid for my training. That belief and investment in me is what launched me into leadership.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd encourage young women entering this field to take chances and not hold themselves back out of fear. Balance your responsibilities, but don't lose sight of what genuinely matters to you. Keep learning, keep growing, and value mentorship — both being open to guidance from others and offering it in return.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are responsibility, kindness, lifelong learning, gratitude, and leaving a positive footprint in everything I do — both at work and in my personal life.
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