Diagnostics are often invisible, but they shape every medical decision. Every treatment or diagnosis starts with a laboratory result. In the Middle East, higher demand, advanced technology, and higher expectations are reshaping how laboratories operate. Accuracy is still essential, but it is no longer enough on its own. Today’s laboratories also need to run efficiently, grow with demand, and be built for the long term.
Within this changing landscape, leadership has become critical. Laboratories now need leaders who understand medicine as deeply as they understand operations and business realities. Dr. Shweta Narang, Executive Director – Medical and Commercial Operations at the National Reference Laboratory, represents this shift.
Her medical training in the United States, spanning anatomic and clinical pathology and a fellowship in oncology and cytopathology, combined with over 15 years of professional experience, has shaped how she leads today. Her journey reflects how diagnostics leadership in the region is evolving, blending strong clinical judgment with practical, forward-thinking decision-making.
Let’s explore how Dr. Shweta is redefining diagnostics leadership, blending clinical expertise with strategic vision for impact!
Roots in Medicine and Early Professional Years
Before taking on leadership roles, Dr. Shweta’s career was firmly rooted in medicine. As a dual-trained pathologist, she focused on understanding disease in detail. Pathology demands patience, precision, and respect for data, because every diagnosis affects real patients and families. Her fellowship in oncology and cytopathology placed her at the heart of complex diagnostic decisions, where accuracy is critical and there is no room for shortcuts.
Her early training and work in the United States shaped her discipline. She learned the importance of structured systems, strict quality standards, and collaboration across specialties; lessons that gave her a strong foundation in running high-quality laboratories.
In 2011, she moved to the UAE, joining a referral laboratory and gaining firsthand insight into the region’s diagnostics landscape. By 2013, she joined Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) in Abu Dhabi, where she combined clinical work with leadership responsibilities, and later moved to M42’s National Reference Laboratory to focus on diagnostics and service development.
A Gradual Shift from the Microscope to Strategy
Her first role in the organization was entirely scientific. She worked as a consultant pathologist and histopathologist, handling daily diagnostic work. This hands-on experience gave her a clear understanding of laboratory operations from the ground up. She learned how samples moved through the system, where mistakes could happen, and how decisions at each step could affect patient outcomes.
Dr. Shweta’s role evolved from diagnostic practice to system-wide leadership, where she identified operational gaps, strengthened quality governance, and scaled laboratory performance across multiple sites. This progression culminated in her appointment as Executive Director for Medical and Commercial Operations, reflecting a deliberate move toward integrated clinical and business leadership at the organizational level.
Reflecting on this dual role, she says, “It is indeed a very unique combination.” Most healthcare organizations separate medical and commercial leadership, but her role brings both together under one leadership structure.
Balancing Quality with Sustainability
Managing both scientific and commercial responsibilities requires constant balance. On one side is the need to maintain the highest standards of diagnostic accuracy and innovation. On the other is the need to ensure financial sustainability in a competitive healthcare market.
Her approach is practical and focused on the long term. From a scientific perspective, she is willing to invest in technologies and systems that may not deliver immediate returns. As she explains, “When I am wearing my scientific hat, I sometimes make decisions that may not seem commercially viable in the short term because they involve significant costs.” These choices are made with the future in mind, preparing the laboratory for the next phase of diagnostics, often called Pathology 4.0.
At the same time, her commercial role requires her to question timing and feasibility. Some projects may be scientifically exciting but not practical in the current business context. Because she understands both sides, she can guide teams to ensure innovation aligns with the laboratory’s goals and sustainability. This ability to speak both languages allows scientific ambition and commercial discipline to work together rather than compete. It is one of the defining strengths of her leadership.
A Day Spent Between Science and Strategy
Her daily routine reflects this dual focus. From a medical perspective, she prioritizes quality and trust. She meets with scientific teams to review laboratory performance, investigate complaints, and analyze any issues that could affect patient care. Proficiency testing outcomes and result accuracy are checked not just as metrics, but as signs of system health.
Client satisfaction is another key focus. Complaints are seen as opportunities to uncover systemic issues rather than isolated errors. Each case is reviewed for its clinical implications, fostering a culture of proactive quality.
She is also involved in decisions about new tests and technologies. One of her most notable achievements was introducing an FDA-approved Alzheimer’s diagnostic test. Recognizing the rising prevalence of dementia in the UAE, she supported adopting the test, making the laboratory the first in the country and only the third globally to offer it. Today, it remains the only laboratory providing this test across the GCC, demonstrating a strong commitment to clinical leadership and patient care.
On the commercial side, she focuses on sustainability and efficiency. She oversees sales and marketing strategies, reviews costs, and identifies areas for operational improvement. Loss-making tests are evaluated, reagent wastage is reduced, and workflows are optimized to ensure that scientific excellence is supported by financial discipline.
Technology as a Support, Not a Substitute
As diagnostics relies more on data, technology has become very important. Some people worry that automation and artificial intelligence might replace human expertise, but she does not share this concern.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for diagnostics. Laboratories had to handle huge numbers of samples while keeping accuracy and speed high. It showed how important data management, trend analysis, and spotting biases can be. These are areas where technology can help humans work more effectively.
Under her leadership, the laboratory has invested in automation, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. These tools help manage large amounts of data and find patterns that would be hard for humans to see alone. She explains, “However, I see AI as a copilot, not the pilot.” Human judgment stays at the center, with technology supporting decisions rather than replacing people.
Maintaining Trust While Scaling
As National Reference Laboratory grows across the region, keeping quality and trust consistent becomes more challenging. For her, the key is people, not just systems.
Dr. Shweta believes that “Quality ultimately comes down to people.” This guides how the laboratory hires, trains, and builds its culture. Staff are chosen not only for their technical skills but also for how well they fit the organization’s values. Ongoing training helps them develop leadership, problem-solving, and multitasking skills so they can contribute beyond routine work.
Automation is used carefully to handle repetitive tasks like manual accessioning and tracking. This reduces errors and lowers costs while letting human expertise focus where it matters most. The laboratory’s size also allows for competitive procurement, helping manage expenses without lowering quality.
Strong quality systems, multiple accreditations, and hands-on medical leadership help maintain patient trust. Doctors work inside the laboratories, staying connected to daily operations and challenges.
Leadership Built on Responsibility and Service
Dr. Shweta believes that leadership is not about hierarchy or titles but about serving others. As she says, “Leadership is not a title—it is a mindset.”
Accountability is at the core of her philosophy. When things go wrong, leaders must take responsibility first. Reflection takes the place of blame, and learning becomes the priority. Empathy and patience are important, but so is the ability to make difficult decisions, even when they are uncomfortable.
She believes that avoiding tough choices to stay popular ultimately hurts teams and organizations. True leadership requires resilience, self-awareness, and a focus on long-term goals rather than short-term comfort.
Opening Doors for Women in Diagnostics Leadership
While women are well represented in laboratories and among physicians, leadership roles, especially on the commercial side, are still mostly held by men. She sees this as a matter of opportunity rather than ability.
Reflecting on her own experience, she says, “I do not believe I am more capable than others.” Her move into commercial leadership happened because she was given the chance to step into that space. Many women, she notes, are never exposed to commercial decision-making during their training.
Medical education often focuses only on clinical skills, leaving doctors unprepared for business leadership. She believes that with the right exposure, women can succeed as both scientific and commercial leaders, bringing balance and insight to strategic decisions.
She shares that “confidence and opportunity matter as much as capability. Commercial roles come with pressure and uncertainty, but women have the resilience and adaptability to thrive in these environments.”
Defining Achievements and Looking Ahead
Under Dr. Shweta’s leadership, impact has been delivered across scientific, operational, and commercial dimensions.
Beyond cultural change in leadership representation, the organization has significantly strengthened its core capabilities—reducing outsourced testing from 8% to 2% through in-house expansion, launching clinical trials, education and residency programs, and advancing research output.
Operationally, AI has been embedded into histopathology and pre-analytical systems strengthened to improve accuracy, efficiency, and reliability. Commercial performance has been reinforced through streamlined invoicing, reduced reagent costs, in-house logistics, improved turnaround times, and sustained customer growth—collectively strengthening long-term readiness for the future of diagnostics.
Advice for the Next Generation
“Diagnostics is not a patient-facing field, and you must be comfortable working behind the scenes,” says Dr. Shweta. Though often unseen, diagnostics shape every diagnosis and treatment, making a real impact on patient care. Pathologists use analysis and data-driven thinking to guide decisions, making the work rewarding for those who enjoy precision and problem-solving. Her journey shows how preparation and opportunity can come together to drive meaningful changes in healthcare.
