"Heroes & Helpers" recognizes a person or team, among Tulane’s students, faculty, staff and alumni, engaged in extraordinary efforts on behalf of others in the battle against the major health crisis of our time.
May 1, 2020: Robert F. Garry Jr., Xiao-Ming Yin and Di Tian
As a group, Drs. Robert F. Garry Jr., Xiao-Ming Yin and Di Tian, are recognized as Heroes and Helpers for their swift, innovative and decisive actions setting up COVID-19 testing at Tulane University School of Medicine. By April 1, they repurposed a research laboratory to process Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, where results can be processed within a day. PCR tests are identical to those used by the Centers for Disease Control. Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Garry facilitated the test in collaboration with Professor Yin and Associate Professor Tian of the Department of Pathology, which has validated and is administering the test in a lab certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). A CLIA-certified lab ensures quality lab testing. The testing being done at the medical school saves time from having to ship samples to the state lab in Baton Rouge, where because of demand, results can take days, rather than hours, to obtain. The faster testing allows for better patient care and more effective clinical treatment and intervention.
