Skip to main content
MLT Faculty
Jennifer England - MS, MLS (ASCP)CM – Program Director
M.S., University of Florida
B.S., Illinois State University
Jennifer England earned a bachelor's degree at Illinois State University in clinical laboratory science and a master's degree from the University of Florida in forensic science. Jennifer has taught college level courses over the past thirteen years including Immunology and Laboratory Education and Management for Illinois State University's Medical Laboratory Science Program. She has also taught Introduction to Forensics at Parkland College as well as Health, Human Pathophysiology, and Microbiology at Frontier Community College. She has been a licensed Medical Laboratory Scientist for the past 18 years with employment experience at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and at St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur, IL in the Molecular Hepatitis/HIV and Microbiology departments. Mrs. England is a member of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Scientists (ASCLS).
Jennifer's history of working with students in a lab setting as well as her work history at higher education institutions has afforded her great opportunities to gain knowledge and experience in educational methodology. She has done extensive research on best practices that facilitate learning for all learning types. Jennifer believes being a college educator is a life-long process of teaching, reevaluating, and improving with each new semester. Every student is difference, and every class has its own set of challenges and successes. Jennifer said, "What I have learned over the years is that you must know your students. When you know your students, you are able to provide the best learning experience for them that produces positive outcomes."
Julie Dehart, MLS (ASCP) - Health Science Specialist
Julie has 38 years’ experience in the Medical Laboratory field having worked in hospital labs located across Southern Illinois. As well as having worked as a generalist, Julie has also worked as Lead Medical Technologist and as Microbiology Facilitator. Julie’s experience includes development and implementation of lab Policies and Procedures, validation of instrumentation, and quality control testing. As a CAP approved inspector, Julie has lead facility reviews in Microbiology, Molecular Microbiology, and Pathology lab departments across Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana. Within the hospital setting, Julie has served on focus teams addressing Antibiotic Stewardship, Infection Control and Pharmacy Therapeutics, and Sepsis Prevention.
Julie has served as a guest lecturer at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and various Health Occupations Programs for area high school students. A graduate of Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, Julie also earned an Associate of Science Degree from Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana. Julie stated, “Providing the most accurate laboratory results for the patients I serve, has been the main goal in my tenure as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Education is a key element in that goal. The need for Laboratory Science professionals is great. I hope to cultivate future professionals and spread awareness about this essential career field”.
Cindy Green, MLS - Adjunct Faculty
Cindy Green brings over 40 years of lab experience to Frontier Community College, having worked for Carle Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, IL before retiring from full-time lab work. Cindy was Lead Chemistry Technologist at Carle for 27 years and will be serving as Clinical Chemistry Instructor for the FCC program.
Prior to taking the Lead Chemistry Technologist role, Cindy worked as a phlebotomist, lab assistant, and a medical laboratory technologist for Carle. Since full-time retirement, Cindy has worked part-time in the lab at Wabash General Hospital in Mt. Carmel, IL. In addition to a wealth of clinical experience, Cindy has degrees from Frontier Community College in Health Informatics, an Associate of Science from Wabash Valley College, graduated from the Certified Laboratory Program at Richland Memorial Hospital - ASCP, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies from Eastern Illinois University.
Laura Rachelle Smith, MLS (ASCP), MPA - Adjunct Faculty
Laura is currently a molecular scientist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She received a bachelor's degree in clinical laboratory science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2016. While working full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic, she earned a master's degree in public administration from Arkansas State University. Laura has been a medical laboratory scientist for nine years and started her career as a generalist working night shift at a local hospital. In 2018, she was given the opportunity to become education coordinator of transfusion services for Methodist University Hospital. While in transfusion medicine, she taught fundamental blood banking to rotating students. Using a hands-on approach, she instructed students on the importance of positive patient identification, proper personal protective equipment, the fundamentals of patient blood typing, and screening for alloantibodies. Laura said, "for the past five years, I have been training students for the medical laboratory workforce using an action-oriented approach. Students get to see how real human samples are processed and can work with these specimens as well. This gives them firsthand experience with a process they have only ever seen in a textbook or a student laboratory."
In her spare time, Laura liked reading, thrifting, gardening, and spending time with her husband and three dogs. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) as well as the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI).
