Reviving a Dream: Alumna Earns Groundbreaking Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science

I just kept going, and one day I realized, ‘I’m actually going to do this, aren’t I?

Dr. Sarah Bergbower's journey to earning a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science was an extensive process, and the feeling of graduating was unreal. The fact that she was the first person from Illinois to complete a doctoral program offered at just two universities across the country certainly played a role in that feeling. But for Sarah, the most unreal part of it all was that she achieved a dream she thought was abandoned long ago.

Ever since high school, Sarah knew she wanted to earn a doctorate. Her passion for science fueled these ambitions, and she selected Lake Land College’s biology program as the first step to this journey. She excelled at Lake Land and continued her success well past graduation, eventually earning a master’s degree in 2011. She then became a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and began working with St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham. Three years later she returned to college, this time as a faculty member with Olney Central College.

While working in a wonderful job and raising a growing family, Sarah placed her doctoral aspirations on the back burner. However, a dream as powerful as Sarah’s couldn’t be ignored forever, and one morning as she drove to work, she felt that dream slowly resurface. She recalled learning years ago about a new program in development, the Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS). The program serves as the terminal step beyond the MLS certification, and scientists with the degree use laboratory testing to help physicians provide efficient, effective patient diagnostics and management.

Sarah discovered that she met every qualification to enroll, but the nearest university that offered the program was about 900 miles away. Most of her studies could be completed online, but she would still need to make four separate monthlong trips to Galveston, Texas to complete her in-person clinicals. Perhaps the more pressing issue was the cost of out-of-state tuition. She assumed this challenge might prevent her from completing the program. Still, she enrolled after agreeing with her husband to the following terms: she would only continue as long as they had the finances to cover tuition.

Sarah took on the program slowly, completing as few classes per semester as possible while working full-time. The tuition money never ran out, as a well-timed scholarship here and a much needed grant there allowed Sarah to continue. The extensive time spent away from her family proved to be the greater challenge, but still she persisted. One year became two years, then three and eventually five, and Sarah suddenly found herself achieving a dream she’d patiently held for years.

“I just kept going, and one day I realized, ‘I’m actually going to do this, aren’t I?’” Sarah said.

During her time in the program, Sarah completed research in laboratory utilization and created an algorithm to reduce key errors in the healthcare of pregnant women. Since finishing her research, she has presented her findings at national conferences and has submitted her manuscript for publication in a scientific journal. She was also elected to the Nominations Committee and appointed vice chair of the DCLS Oversight Committee within the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), which advocates for excellence in the practice of laboratory medicine.

Sarah completed the program in 2023 and became one of just 50 people across the nation to hold the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science title. As she soaked in the unreal feeling of graduating, she reflected on the journey of a lifetime, like a scientist at the end of a great experiment. The last five years were far from easy and required great sacrifice, but as she stood on stage, Sarah reached just one conclusion: it was worth it all to accomplish a lifelong dream.

“I thought I had given up long ago,” Sarah said. “Not only did I come back and finish a doctorate, but I did it in a completely new area where I’m one of the first in the country to ever do it.”