Susan Orton, PhD, D(ABMLI), MS, MT(ASCP), is the Laboratory Director at Galaxy Diagnostics.  She is also the Assistant Director for Quality and Regulatory Compliance at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. With over 20 years of experience in diagnostic medical laboratory testing and 17+ years as a CLIA-qualified High Complexity Laboratory Director, consultant, and laboratory assessor, she specializes in laboratory operations, test development, and quality management, with an emphasis in clinical laboratory immunology and infectious disease testing.

Susan Orton earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from North Carolina State University and a Master’s in Cellular and Molecular Biology from East Carolina University. She is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) and qualified to direct high-complexity medical diagnostic laboratories. Her clinical and director expertise spans immunology, molecular diagnostics, clinical chemistry, and advanced technologies such as flow cytometry and mass spectrometry. She has extensive experience in laboratory test validation and launch, quality management systems, and regulatory compliance, including CLIA, CAP, ISO 15189, and Federal Select Agent Program regulations. A dedicated educator, she has developed curriculum and taught clinical laboratory science and immunology at graduate and undergraduate levels.