Meet the Team: Karen Saldaña
From her home in Charleston, SC, COO Karen Saldaña is a driving, dynamic and creative force for U.S. HealthTek. In her relatively brief tenure with the company so far, she has leveraged her PMP certification, bioinformatics expertise, and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt skills to drive significant growth and innovation. “She has stepped up from day one and been critical to not only our growth of clients, but in what we can do for them,” says CEO/President Cristy Reiter. “And she’s just getting started.”
Fishing with her daughter Josie.
Career Guiding Principles
“I am a Long Island girl, daughter of a fisherman – kind of like a Billy Joel song,” Saldaña says with a laugh. She did indeed grow up with a father who was a licensed captain, and summers were spent out on the boat baiting hooks and fileting fish. “It’s ironic, but I don’t eat fish.” (File under “knowing how the sausage is made.”)
Her high school AP Biology class ignited a passion for science, leading her to earn a BS in Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland, followed by a Master of Science degree in Bioinformatics at George Mason University. “The original plan was to be a developer, but the opportunity to earn a Six Sigma Black Belt changed that trajectory. That’s when the project management bug bit me and I got involved with lab management. It was great because I still got to interact with lab professionals and gain a broader understanding of laboratory operations. The principles I learned then continue to influence my work and personal life today.”
Saldaña’s career flourished at Quest Diagnostics, where she dedicated 20 years. “I tackled a range of projects across multiple departments within the lab,” she says. “Transitioning to the corporate level was a pivotal moment – it provided me with a broader perspective and deeper insight into the differences between hospitals, physicians, and the laboratory, which I found particularly fascinating.”
COVID Test Success
Her career hit a historic peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. On February 29th, 2020, she was tasked with managing the launch of a COVID test. “It was a whirlwind!” Saldaña recalls. With the CDC’s approval for commercial labs to develop the test, she and her team launched the COVID Molecular PCR test within a week – an unprecedented achievement. “I met with my team on Monday, and we launched the test on Friday, something that normally takes six to nine months from R&D to go-live.” Next came the COVID antibody test followed by Point-of-Care testing. “There were different platforms to be validated and it was all needed to ramp up capacity to 300,000 tests a day for molecular and 350,000 tests a day for antibody.” Saldaña and team (as well as others in this industry) stood up to the herculean task. “It was the busiest time of my career. I was working 12- to 16-hours for three months straight and it was 100 days before I had a day off.” She was promoted to Senior Program Manager overseeing the entire COVID portfolio for Quest. This role was demanding for a single mom of young children ages four, six, and eight during a time when schools were closed, and homeschooling was in full effect.
In 2021, she took on the role of Director of Program Management at BioReference Laboratories. “Adjusting to a new environment took some time, but I was fortunate to be part of a great team,” she says. There she took on responsibilities such as managing Point-of-Care testing for Major League Baseball, setting up testing sites at stadiums. She also took the “high seas” so to speak with Royal Caribbean during its first post-COVID sailings from Miami in June 2021, overseeing the testing of passengers and crew.
Karen with her kids Jose, Analise, and Carlito.
On to U.S. HealthTek
Saldaña’s connection with U.S. HealthTek’s founder Bryan Firestone and Reiter goes back to her early days at Quest. A mutual friend thought Saldaña would be a good fit with the organization, and in 2011, she started doing part-time consulting work for the company. In 2022, there was a need for a COO, and that’s when she was approached with “an opportunity I could not refuse.” In February of 2023, she joined the team full-time. “It was a great chance to work with people I admire and respect, and I saw the immense potential for growth.” Her first project involved spearheading two certification initiatives: HIPAA and SOC2. It was a complex undertaking with many moving parts. (Saldaña wrote about that success here).
“I love the family-like atmosphere at U.S. HealthTek,” she says. “Unlike large corporations, there’s no bureaucratic red tape that can stifle action and critical decision-making. We have a supportive environment focused on making our clients happy, with the freedom of making impactful decisions.”
Since taking on the COO role, the changes and improvements she’s brought have been well-received. “There is excitement in keeping the momentum going and institutionalizing continuous improvement. The outlook for the year is promising, and I’m looking forward to the achievements ahead.”
Carlito with foster kittens.
Saldaña finds time to volunteer at a local animal shelter, where she is actively involved in a program that fosters animals. She and her children Josie, 13; Analisa, 11; and Carlito, 9, have successfully fostered eight cats, finding homes for all of them. Combining her passions for baking and animal welfare, she founded a nonprofit called Cookies for Kitties. “We hosted a ‘sip and see’ event where neighbors could play with the kittens, enjoy some cookies, and donate to the Charleston Animal Society,” she explains. The success of her homemade cookies allowed her to cover the adoption fees for the kittens her family fostered. “In just the past two months, we’ve raised nearly $1,000 and given back to our community, so it is so incredibly rewarding.”
“No matter what the need, the situation, or client, Karen has the experience and determination to succeed,” Reiter says. “Both personally and professionally, she has much to offer!”