Connect

This is the latest installment in our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year strategic plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.”  No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

When Walter Oliveira, MASCP, MLS(ASCP)^CMSI, joined UVA Health in 1984, he may not have imagined he’d eventually manage five distinct and busy clinical laboratories: Cytogenetics, Immunology, Flow Cytometry, Genomics, and Toxicology/Biochemical Genetics. 

Now, Walter is in the national spotlight. He's earned the 2025 American Society for Clinical Pathology President’s Award — recognizing an ASCP member who goes above and beyond in volunteer activities and provides significant contributions to ASCP programs and/or activities. 

“It’s an incredible honor,” Walter (above, left) describes after being presented the award at the ASCP Annual Meeting in Atlanta by 2024-25 ASCP President Gregory Sossaman (above, right). “One of my core beliefs is volunteering. So in 1992, I got involved with ASCP — the oldest and largest professional society that includes all members of the lab team from phlebotomists, scientists, Graduate Medical Education (GME) residents and fellows, to pathologists.”

In 2005, Walter was elected to the ASCP Board of Certification and served 10 years, including as Chair. He still serves on committees to create the certification/licensing exams. In 2016, he was elected to the ASCP Board of Directors and just completed his term. 

‘Pieces of the Puzzle’ 

Walter was born and raised near Philadelphia until he turned 10 — then he moved to a family farm in Southwest Virginia.  

What led him to a lab career? “I have an inquisitive nature and enjoy the art and science of assembling the diagnostic pieces of the puzzle to create a picture to heal patients,” he explains. “The laboratory team is comprised of incredible people who care about patients and use their knowledge to help diagnose, treat, monitor, and provide prognosis — it’s all about the patient.” 

Walter finished his clinical training at UVA in 1984 and worked for three years in the Hematology Lab, then joined the Immunology Lab — just as history was in the making in global lab sciences: “This was the early days of HIV with lots of focus on the immune system,” he remembers. “I was able to witness many advances.” 

In 1996, Walter was appointed manager of the Immunology and Flow Cytometry labs. More labs were added over time: Toxicology, Biochemical Genetics, and Cytogenetics. Walter was asked to start a Next Generation Sequence (NGS) lab for cancer and constitutional testing. 

Making a Difference — Behind the Scenes 

“The laboratory is a hidden field; people do not know what we do. But I remind my team every day that we heal patients,” he says. “We may not see or touch them, but we have the privilege of making a difference in the lives of others — and that is rewarding.” 

“Relating to our ASPIRE values, I also talk about stewardship of time and resources so we can provide a quality result in a timely manner to our patients and clinicians. That means follow standard work, document, investigate, and ‘If you see something — say something.’” 

Walter also serves as a volunteer inspector for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) — the national agency that oversees pathology accreditation. This has given him valuable exposure to nationwide lab practices, bringing back useful information for UVA Health Laboratories’ quality assurance and process improvement. “We gain efficiencies in our operations and make processes more streamlined with clarity,” he explains. “This values our team — I want them to have a life-work balance that is meaningful.” 

Walter extends an invitation: “Come to the lab, see what we do, and meet our incredible team! Healthcare needs each discipline to heal our patients, so the more we understand each other’s roles, the better the experience is for the patient. Everything we do starts with the patient — so a properly collected, labelled, and processed specimen is critical.” 

‘Line of Sight’ 

“To say he is busy is an understatement — he is a master multitasker and highly effective at prioritizing his workload,” says Barbara L. Murphy, MLS(ASCP) SI SCYM^cm, Laboratory Lead Technologist, UVA Health Medical Laboratories, who’s worked directly with Walter for 30 years. “He’s a man of integrity — professionally and personally — navigating the complexities of a large health system without bias or hidden agenda. He always has a line of sight to the patient and prioritizes what is best for the patient first, then his team members and UVA Health.”   

SPARE TIME 

• Style Setter: Walter is known for sporting a bow tie every day at work: "It's a personal reminder to be a servant leader for my patients and my team."
  
• Digging in: “I enjoy being outside and spending time growing vegetables and flowers in our garden, and fruit in our orchard.” 

• On a roll: “While my wife Stephanie and I have always ridden bicycles, we’re now focusing more on Rails to Trails and enjoy day and weekend trips to ride different trails in the Commonwealth and beyond.” 

• Page-turner: “I’m a huge reader and love my public library!” 

• Next generation: “With two grandkids in Norfolk, Virginia — I have lots to keep me busy!”