The Dark Intelligence Group Team
Robert L. Michel
President & Editor in Chief
Deborah Lucas Michel, RN
Vice President
Deborah Lucas Michel RN is the Vice President for the Dark Intelligence Group based in Spicewood, Texas since 2000. She is responsible for Audio Conferences, Human Resources, Contract Monitoring, and financial oversight. She has a nursing degree and a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration from USC. Nurse Debbie is a psychiatric nurse with expertise in Quality Management, Program Development, and Case Management. When not working, she does volunteer work for community based services, trains Engel, enjoys sailing, and dancing. She can be reached at djlucas@darkreport.com or directly at 512-264-7103.
Robert Croce
Executive Publisher/General Manager
Email: bcroce@darkreport.com
Phone: (512) 264-7103
After almost 18 years as an executive in B2B publishing, Bob joined The Dark Intelligence Group in September 2018 to run daily operations and assist founder Robert Michel with a plan for future growth. Bob’s stops as a publishing company leader include health care information and training companies HCPro and Carlat Publishing, and Wellesley Information Services in the IT space. While at HCPro as Group Publisher, Bob was a part of a management team that helped that company through 10 years of super growth, leading to two private equity recapitalizations. A Boston area native, and graduate of Northeastern University, Bob splits his work time between our Spicewood, TX, main office, and his home office in the Boston area, where he lives with wife Maureen and their two “cheagle” puppies named Sully and Murphy.
Ron Rohrer
Phone: (317) 446-0225
Ron has more than 25 years of sales leadership experience excelling in the microbiology/infectious disease market. He has successfully pioneered multiple novel technology launches.
Ron is a forerunner in cultivating and capturing new standards for diagnostic medicine. He introduced and grew the following: First generation molecular with Gen-Probe, First generation MRSA and CDIFF PCR testing with GeneOhm Sciences, Multiplex PCR launch with Biofire Dx, Mass Spectrometry at Bruker, and Host Immune Response technology.
Ron is a graduate of the University of Dayton. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Lisa. Together they have raised three children and celebrate eight grandchildren. Ron enjoys coaching sports, Indy cars, biking, boating and camping.
Michael McBride
Managing Editor
Email: michael@mcbrideimedia.com
Phone: (616) 502-0850
Michael McBride is Managing Editor of Dark Daily and The Dark Report. He has been writing/editing magazine and website content on clinical laboratory medicine, pathology, healthcare information technology, and related topics for three decades. He also has edited 12 fiction novels for various authors. Michael is former Editor-in-Chief of Health Management Technology magazine, Technology Editor for Medical Economics magazine, and Editorial Director for Pandamoon Publishing.
Amanda Curtis
Manager of Marketing & Operations
Phone: (512) 264-7103
Amanda has over 20 years experience working in executive supporting/accounting roles. She has been an executive office manager, retirement plan administrator, and bookkeeper. Amanda lives near The Dark Report headquarters in Spicewood, TX with her husband and twin sons. She also has a grown daughter who lives in Dallas. Amanda is also a certified personal trainer, part-time wedding coordinator and venue manager.
South Korean Researchers Develop Clinical Laboratory Test That Diagnoses Sepsis Faster than Traditional Tests
Diagnostic test incorporates artificial intelligence and could shorten the time clinical laboratories need to determine patients’ risk for antimicrobial resistance Sepsis continues to be a major killer in hospitals worldwide. Defeating it requires early diagnosis,...
Mayo Clinic Researchers Uses Exome Sequencing to Identify Individuals at Risk of Hereditary Cancer
Half of the people tested were unaware of their genetic risk for contracting the disease Existing clinical laboratory genetic screening guidelines may be inadequate when it comes to finding people at risk of hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndromes and Lynch...
World Economic Forum Publishes Updated List of 12 Breakthroughs in Fight against Cancer That Includes Innovative Clinical Laboratory Test (Part 2)
These advances in the battle against cancer could lead to new clinical laboratory screening tests and other diagnostics for early detection of the disease As Dark Daily reported in part one of this story, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified 12 new...
World Economic Forum Publishes Updated List of 12 Breakthroughs in Fight against Cancer That Includes Innovative Clinical Laboratory Test (Part 1)
List also includes precision oncology, liquid biopsies, and early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will be interested to learn that in a recently updated article the World Economic Forum (WEF) identified a dozen important...
University of Edinburgh Scientists Associate Increased Cancer Rates to Descendants from Multiple Scottish Islands
Findings could lead to new clinical laboratory cancer screening tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 among specific population regions Descendants of a remote Scottish island are much more likely to carry a cancer-causing BRCA2 gene than the rest of the UK. That’s according to a...
Pathology Laboratory Cuts Lead to Worker Walkout in Australia
Underfunding of clinical laboratories has led to similar worker walkouts in multiple Australasian nations Once again, cuts in government spending on pathology services has forced healthcare workers to walk off the job in Australia. This is in line with other pathology...
Mayo Clinic Scientists Develop AI Tool That Can Determine If Gut Microbiome is Healthy
Although it is a non-specific procedure that does not identify specific health conditions, it could lead to new biomarkers that clinical laboratories could use for predictive healthcare Researchers from the Mayo Clinic recently used artificial intelligence (AI) to...
KFF Reports a 7% Rise in Annual Family Cost for Employer Health Insurance Plans
Though the cost of clinical laboratory testing is not highlighted in KFF’s annual survey, it is a component in how much employers pay for healthcare plans for their employees Employers now pay higher health insurance premiums than ever for family coverage. However,...
100-Biomarker Lab Test for Alzheimer’s Disease Developed by Team at University of Pittsburgh
New clinical laboratory test could replace conventional spinal tap for diagnosing neurodegenerative disease In a proof-of-concept study, University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) scientists validated a clinical laboratory test that measures more than 100 different genetic...
University of Colorado Boulder Scientists Demonstrate Acoustic-based Diagnostic System
Small handheld device uses sound waves to detect certain clinical laboratory biomarkers in blood samples University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a novel technology that uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood samples. In addition to being...