ARUP Laboratories

ARUP Laboratories, formally known as Associated Regional and University Pathologists, Inc., is a nonprofit laboratory organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It operates in association with the University of Utah Department of Pathology and serves as a national reference laboratory, providing specialized clinical laboratory testing and related research services to healthcare organizations. Its institutional model is built around an independent, not-for-profit laboratory owned by an academic pathology department rather than a conventional investor-owned diagnostics company. The organization was established from a vision attributed to Lloyd Martin and was founded by physicians John Matsen and Carl Kjeldsberg. The founders sought to create a laboratory capable of combining academic pathology, clinical service, research, and large-scale testing. ARUP's operations are located in the University of Utah Research Park in Salt Lake City. The laboratory's relationship with the university gives it an academic and research-oriented identity while its national reference-laboratory activities extend its reach beyond Utah. ARUP provides a broad range of laboratory services, including specialized testing that may not be available in smaller hospital or community laboratories. Its work includes diagnostic analysis, reference testing, and support for clinical decision-making. The organization also participates in public-health and research initiatives. A notable example was its collaboration with the Utah Department of Health on an expanded newborn-screening pilot launched in 2003. The pilot added 30 metabolic markers to the screening panel used for newborns in Utah, and the program became part of the state's mandatory newborn-screening standard the following year. Operationally, ARUP has emphasized automation and high-throughput laboratory infrastructure. Reference material describes a network of 65 laboratories with automated specimen sorting, thawing, and mixing systems. Its facilities include a two-story automated specimen freezer with capacity for approximately 2.3 million specimens and a reported retrieval time of about 2.5 minutes. This infrastructure supports the handling, storage, and retrieval of large volumes of clinical specimens while maintaining the specialized testing capabilities associated with an academic reference laboratory. ARUP's leadership has included John Matsen, Carl Kjeldsberg, Sherrie Perkins, and Andy Theurer. The leadership succession reflects a mixture of physician-scientist and operational management experience. Theurer became chief executive in 2021 and is identified in the available reference material as the current CEO. ARUP is described as having approximately 4,000 employees and 65 laboratories, although the available source does not provide a date for those figures. As a nonprofit laboratory affiliated with the University of Utah, ARUP's public identity centers on clinical quality, specialized diagnostics, academic medicine, research, and public-health service rather than consumer-facing products.

ARUP Laboratories, whose formal name is Associated Regional and University Pathologists, Inc., developed as a nonprofit laboratory affiliated with the University of Utah Department of Pathology. Its institutional origins are linked to Lloyd Martin's vision of an independent, not-for-profit laboratory owned by an academic pathology department. John Matsen and Carl Kjeldsberg are identified as the organization's founders. The laboratory was created to connect academic pathology with large-scale clinical laboratory service. Rather than functioning solely as a hospital laboratory or as a consumer diagnostics brand, ARUP developed as a reference laboratory able to perform specialized testing for healthcare providers beyond the immediate University of Utah environment. Its base in Salt Lake City and its connection to the university have remained central to its identity, supporting a combination of diagnostic service, research, education, and public-health work. John Matsen served as chief executive from 1984 to 1992, followed by Carl Kjeldsberg from 1992 to 2009. The available reference material does not identify the chief executives for every intervening year, but it records Sherrie Perkins as CEO from 2017 to 2021 and Andy Theurer as CEO from 2021 onward. This leadership history illustrates ARUP's long-term continuity as an academic and nonprofit laboratory organization. ARUP expanded its physical and technical capabilities through a highly automated laboratory network. Reference material describes 65 laboratories equipped with systems for specimen sorting, automated thawing and mixing, and other high-throughput processes. The organization also operates a two-story automated specimen freezer reportedly capable of holding 2.3 million specimens and retrieving a specimen in approximately 2.5 minutes. These systems are designed to support the scale, speed, and traceability required by national reference testing. A significant public-health development occurred in 2003, when ARUP worked with the Utah Department of Health on a pilot to broaden newborn screening. The initiative added 30 metabolic markers to the state's screening program. In 2004, the expanded approach became the standard for mandatory newborn screening across Utah. The project demonstrated ARUP's role beyond routine clinical testing and showed how its laboratory infrastructure and specialized expertise could support statewide public-health policy. ARUP's present identity is that of a large nonprofit reference laboratory serving national healthcare markets while retaining an academic base. The organization is described as having approximately 4,000 employees and 65 laboratories, though the source does not date those figures. Its activities encompass specialized diagnostic testing, pathology-related services, research laboratory work, public-health support, and the handling and storage of clinical specimens. The available material does not document consumer product branding, public stock-market activity, or a separate commercial parent company. ARUP is therefore best understood as an institutional laboratory brand whose reputation rests on academic medicine, specialized diagnostics, automation, and nonprofit service.

• 2021

  Andy Theurer becomes chief executive

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  Andy Theurer succeeds Sherrie Perkins as chief executive.

• 2017

  Sherrie Perkins becomes chief executive

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  Sherrie Perkins, MD, PhD, is identified as chief executive from 2017 to 2021.

• 2004

  Expanded newborn screening becomes Utah standard

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  The expanded newborn-screening program developed through the pilot becomes part of Utah's mandatory screening standard.

• 2003

  Expanded newborn-screening pilot begins

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  ARUP partners with the Utah Department of Health on a pilot adding 30 metabolic markers to Utah newborn screening.

• 1992

  Carl Kjeldsberg becomes chief executive

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  Carl Kjeldsberg, MD, succeeds John Matsen and serves as chief executive through 2009.

• 1984

  John Matsen begins tenure as chief executive

  [1]ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org

  John Matsen, MD, is identified as ARUP Laboratories' chief executive from 1984 through 1992.

An academic, nonprofit national reference laboratory combining specialized diagnostics, pathology expertise, research, automation, and public-health support.

• Diagnostic laboratory services

  Clinical laboratory testing

  ARUP provides clinical laboratory testing for healthcare organizations, with an emphasis on specialized and reference testing. Its services support diagnostic evaluation and clinical decision-making and are delivered through a large academic laboratory infrastructure rather than as consumer retail products.

• Public-health screening · 2003

  Newborn screening

  ARUP has participated in newborn-screening programs, including the Utah initiative that expanded screening by 30 metabolic markers. The program illustrates the organization's role in population health and its ability to provide specialized testing for state public-health systems.

• Laboratory infrastructure

  Automated specimen processing and storage

  ARUP operates highly automated laboratory systems for specimen sorting, thawing, mixing, and storage. Its described two-story automated freezer can hold approximately 2.3 million specimens and retrieve them in about 2.5 minutes, supporting large-scale reference-laboratory operations.

• 2004

  Support statewide adoption of expanded screeningStrategy

  Background

  Results from the expanded newborn-screening pilot supported its incorporation into Utah's public-health requirements.

  Action taken

  The expanded screening approach became the standard for mandatory newborn screening in Utah.

  Aftermath

  The change established a broader statewide screening framework incorporating the additional metabolic markers.

  Source

• 2003

  Partner with Utah on expanded newborn screeningStrategy

  Background

  Utah sought to broaden newborn screening, and ARUP's specialized laboratory capabilities made it a partner for testing additional metabolic markers.

  Action taken

  ARUP and the Utah Department of Health created a pilot program adding 30 metabolic markers to the state's newborn-screening panel.

  Aftermath

  The expanded program became part of Utah's mandatory newborn-screening standard in 2004.

  Source

1. 1ARUP Laboratoriesen.wikipedia.org