REDITUS, PAL HEALTH, EXPAND SERVICES

PEKIN – As Reditus Laboratories expands into hematopathology and cytogenetics, it has added to its staff.

Dr. John Antoine, M.D., has joined Reditus as hematopathologist and general pathologist. Karen Simpson has joined Reditus as cytogenetics general supervisor. In addition, Shane Wallen has joined Reditus and PAL Health Technologies as director of health and wellness.

Reditus and PAL are separate companies with the same CEO, Dr. Aaron Rossi. Dr. Antoine will direct the hematopathology services at Reditus, providing up-to-date bone marrow and hematopathology testing and all needed ancillary testing such as immunostains, flow cytometry, FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and other molecular testing using state-of-the-art equipment.

Reditus Labs currently provides general pathology and cytology services, such as skin, soft tissue, nail, prostate and bone pathology and urine cytology to diagnose diseases. Reditus also provides molecular testing, such as UroVysion to detect bladder cancer. Reditus is expanding to hematopathology, which encompasses testing of bone marrow, blood and lymphoid tissue to diagnose lymphomas, leukemia, plasma cell diseases, anemias, myelodysplasia, and other hematology diseases.

“I am excited to help build a hematopathology service in an area where it is greatly needed,” Dr. Antoine said.

Dr. Antoine, hematopathologist and general pathologist.

Dr. Antoine is dual board certified in hematopathology and in anatomic/clinical pathology. Before joining Reditus, Dr. Antoine was the chief of hematopathology and coagulation at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois, and an assistant professor of pathology at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, for 14 years. He also practiced as an associate pathologist at Indiana University Health Goshen Hospital and Center for Cancer Care in Goshen, Indiana, from 2004 to 2008. Dr. Antoine completed his hematology fellowship at Wayne State University in Michigan and his residency at University of Illinois Metro Group Hospitals in Chicago. He graduated from Tishreen University Medical School in 1991.

Simpson oversees Reditus use of the bladder cancer screening test, UroVysion, which is a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay developed for the detection of genetic mutations associated with bladder cancer in urine specimens.

Karen Simpson, cytogenetics general supervisor

“We process the patient urine specimens and apply FISH probes and analyze them with the microscope, looking for any chromosomal abnormalities associated with bladder cancer,” Simpson said. Reditus is using UroVysion to help to monitor patients with a history of bladder cancer and to detect new cases.

As Reditus is expanding into hematopathology, this would mean using FISH to test for chromosomal abnormalities seen in lymphomas, leukemia, plasma cell diseases, anemias, myelodysplasia and other hematology diseases.

“Reditus is giving me the opportunity to grow the testing that Reditus wants to be able to offer present and future clients,” Simpson said.

Simpson has been a medical technologist for 30 years – eight in microbiology and 22 in cytogenetics. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Blackburn College in Carlinville and completed the program at the OSF Saint Francis School of Clinical Laboratory Science. After passing the ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathology) certification exam, she became a clinical laboratory scientist. For the next eight years, she worked in microbiology at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. After passing the ASCP specialty certification exam for cytogenetics, she became a clinical lab scientist with a specialist in cytogenetics. She worked for 22 years in the cytogenetic laboratory at Saint Francis, working her way up to lead technologist in the cytogenetics department.

Wallen plans to build a culture at Reditus and PAL that encompasses all facets of workplace health and wellness. That includes communicating with employees about their health and wellness questions and goals, understanding common health issues among employees and finding solutions, providing healthy snacks in break rooms, developing tiered basic training programs for employees and coordinating employee health challenges and rewards.

Shane Wallen, director of health and wellness

Wallen believes that any successful workplace wellness program benefits employees, the company and, by extension, its customers. The reason is simple: healthy and happy employees are more productive and creative and that benefits everyone.

Wallen comes to the position with high-profile experience. He was the head major league strength and conditioning coach with the Chicago Cubs from 2019 until recently. He was strength and conditioning coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2015 through 2017 and was strength and conditioning coach with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, with a nutrition minor. Wallen is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

“Employee wellness programs are important for a lot of different reasons,” Wallen said. Wellness programs build a competitive and healthy workplace culture and environment, help employees to institute healthy habits while at work, increase mood and morale, decrease absenteeism and increase employee productivity, engagement, retention and job satisfaction.”

“Employee wellness programs are increasing in popularity and I believe we have the opportunity to set the standard for employee health and wellness moving forward,” Wallen said.

Reditus Laboratories, 200 Enterprise Drive, Pekin, is a full-service laboratory. PAL Health Technologies, 1805 Riverway Drive, Pekin, is a full-service manufacturer of prescription, hand-crafted foot orthoses, diabetic inserts and ankle-foot orthoses.

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Reditus Laboratories is a full-service laboratory company with a heavy focus on molecular diagnostics. Based in Pekin, Illinois, R
editus provides top-tier, accurate anatomical and clinical pathology services, including cytology, histology and molecular testing. Reditus is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and is certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) program.

Additional information is at www.redituslabs.com, as well as on Facebook at Reditus Laboratory and Twitter @ReditusLabs.

PAL Health Technologies is a full-service manufacturer of prescription, hand-crafted foot orthoses, diabetic inserts and ankle-foot orthoses. Based in Pekin, Illinois, PAL Health Technologies has been a national leader in the field of functional foot orthoses since 1976. PAL uses the latest technology, including the Xtremity 3D by PAL scanning software, to make sure each orthotic is custom-fabricated to each patient, and is continually innovating and introducing new products. Additional information is at xtremity3d.com and on Facebook at PAL Health Technologies.

Contact: 

Paul Swiech, VP of communications

 

       200 Enterprise Drive | Pekin, IL 61554

       P: 866.736.0002 ext. 941

      C: 309.531.8133

 

        redituslabs.com