Phlebotomy Handbook: Blood Specimen Collection from Basic to Advanced

Diana Garza received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, followed by an additional year to complete her Medical Technology requirements at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her interest in laboratory sciences and in teaching led her to earn a Masters in Science Education at the Peabody School of Vanderbilt University. She worked at Vanderbilt Medical Center in the Microbiology Department while a graduate student. A move back to her home state of Texas led her to a collaborative graduate program with Baylor College of Medicine at the University of Houston, and resulted in her Doctorate of Education in Allied Health Education and Administration, all the while she worked in the Microbiology Laboratory at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC).  Her laboratory and teaching experience continued at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and for many years at MDACC, where she later became the Administrative Director of the Division of Laboratory Medicine. While in Houston, Drs Garza and Becan-McBride were involved in numerous courses for technologists, nurses, and physicians to teach phlebotomy techniques. As young faculty members, they began to develop curriculum materials for their own use and in 1984, collaborated in publishing one of the first comprehensive textbooks focused solely on phlebotomy pracitices. Their successful coauthoring partnership has endured for over 2 decades. In 1990, Dr Garza joined the faculty of Texas Woman’s University-Houston Center, where she taught internet-based quality improvement courses and became editor of several journals and continuing education publications. She has taught extensively, been a reviewer/inspector in many regulatory processes, participated in accreditation procedures, and authored, edited, and published numerous manuscripts in the field of phlebotomy, health care, and quality management. She currently sits on numerous health care advisory boards, nationwide committees, consults with companies and organizations, and continues her writing and editorial pursuits, mostly in the field of phlebotomy.