Administrative Leadership
Melissa Allen, Program Administrator
Melissa Allen is the Program Administrator for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the department's clinical services at Strong Memorial Hospital and all affiliated locations, overseeing administrative support of research activities and education, and managing the contracting process with internal and external partners. Melissa previously served as director of operations from 2017 to early 2021.
As a licensed medical technologist, Melissa’s career with the University began in 1999 as a bench technologist in the cytogenetics laboratory. Over the years Melissa has held various technical and administrative positions in the laboratory, including supervisor for the point of care testing laboratory and manager for pre analytical operations. Melissa received her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the State University of New York at Cortland and her master’s in business administration-medical management from the Simon School of Business.
Melissa_Allen@urmc.rochester.edu
Nathan Loria, Director of Operations
Nathan Loria is the Director of Operations for Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In this role, he oversees all clinical operations for UR Medicine Labs. He began his career at Strong Memorial Hospital in 1994 and has served in a number of technical and administrative roles within the organization.
From 2017 to 2019 he served as program administrator for the department of Neurology, returning to Pathology in 2019 where he served as assistant director of operations until stepping into his current role in 2021. A licensed Medical Technologist, Nathan received his bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s degree in health care organization management and leadership from the University of Rochester School of Nursing.
Nathan_Loria@urmc.rochester.edu
William Andrews, Director of Information Technology
Bill Andrews is the director of information technology for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In this role, Bill has oversight responsibilities for systems management, decision support, desktop support and applications development and support.
Bill received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at SUNY Brockport, followed by his master's degree in business administration at Salem State College. In 2010, he received a master's degree in medical management at the Simon Graduate School of Business. Bill has experience as an administrator in a variety of settings, having held several positions in the Boston area. He was the director of finance at Winchester Hospital from 1997-2001, before joining Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 2001 as LIS project director.
William_Andrews@urmc.rochester.edu
Frances Gersonia, Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Fran Gersonia is the director of quality assurance and regulatory affairs for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In her role, Fran’s responsibilities include quality assurance, regulatory affairs and compliance for Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital and Ridgeland Road.
Fran received a bachelor's degree in medical technology at Rochester Institute of Technology and is a licensed medical technologist. She has valuable experience as a medical technologist and supervisor, having held positions at the University of Rochester Medical Center and ACM Medical Laboratory. Most recently, Fran held two administrative positions at ACM Medical Laboratory; as quality assurance officer from 2003 to 2005 and director of clinical trials quality assurance from 2005 until joining the department in 2008.
Frances_Gersonia@urmc.rochester.edu
Vicki VanDeWalle, Director of Performance Improvement and Projects
Vicki VanDeWalle is the director of performance improvement and projects for Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. She a LEAN/Six Sigma Blackbelt and oversees the department’s major projects including integrating services with affiliates hospitals and lab redesign and relocations. She is responsible for promoting natural synergy in workflow, layout, and design for Pathology’s lab areas and staff. In this capacity, Vicki functions as a trainer of LEAN experts within the department and represents the department in many of UR Medicine's multidisciplinary projects.
Prior to joining the University in 2004, Vicki worked 14 years at ACM Laboratories overseeing a variety of pre-analytical operations. She then served as the pre-analytic operations manager at URMC for nine years, ultimately assuming responsibility for Specimen Management, Phlebotomy, Couriers, and Client Services. Her success modernizing those diverse operations led to her current appointment, allowing Vicki to use her skills more broadly and with wider impact.
Vicki_Vandewalle@urmc.rochester.edu
Vicki Roberts, Director of Education
Vicki Roberts is the Director of Education for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In this role, she oversees the expansion and maintenance of educational programs that create long term opportunities and career pathways in laboratory medicine. Vicki is the program director for the Advanced Certificate Program in Clinical/Medical Technology. She also oversees new and existing partnerships with external academic institutions for allied health programs – providing clinical training opportunities required for their degrees.
Vicki received her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Penn State University and her master’s degree in teaching and curriculum from the Warner School of Education. In 2007, she became the departmental education coordinator where her primary role was coordinating educational and clinical experiences to assist employees on their path to licensure. With time, that position evolved to include the management of clinical training for a number of academic and health care programs. Under the direction of the Chair and Vice Chair for Education, her role was expanded in 2015 to education manager, providing support to our Graduate Medical Education and PhD program coordinators and has since evolved to include the Fellowship Coordinators. In 2020 Vicki led the department in creating a Phlebotomy Training Program.
Vicki_Roberts@urmc.rochester.edu
Jill Casey, Director of Finance for SMH and URMFG
Jill Casey is the Director of Finance for Strong Memorial Hospital and URMFG. In this role, she is responsible for the finances for the clinical laboratories and supportive operational groups in the department and also for faculty expense management. Jill previously served as Senior Financial Analyst from 2020 to 2023.
Jill’s career with the University started in 1997 as a Biomedical Research Technician in the Department of Biology. Over the years, Jill has held roles at the University in research and, later, in financial analytics. She also has held roles in industry as a sales representative. Jill received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Rochester and her master’s of Business Administration from the Simon School of Business with concentrations in Finance, Accounting, Strategy, and Marketing.
Jeff Rice, Director of Finance for Central Laboratory, SMD and Clinical Trials
With more than 15 years of accounting, financial analysis, budgeting and information technology expertise, Jeff brings a comprehensive understanding of standards, metrics and information systems. In addition to managing numerous budgets, Jeff works closely with leadership to provide insight and recommendations to meet current and future departmental and organizational needs.
Most recently, Jeff served as the Central Lab Finance Manager for URMC, working closely with the Clinical Enterprise team, Central SMH Finance, and financial executives of URMC and its affiliate institutions to ensure accurate accounting and transparency during the implementation of the central lab model. Jeff earned a bachelor's degree from Alfred University, with a major in Accounting and a minor in Management Information Systems, and an MBA from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester with a focus in Competitive & Organizational Strategy.