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MLT Faculty
Cherish O. Cirunay, MBA-HM, MLS (ASCP)CM – Program Director
Cherish Cirunay brings over 20 years of progressive laboratory and healthcare leadership experience to her role as Program Director of the MLT Program. She is the Director of Lab Services at Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, where she leads successful accreditation readiness, implemented lean process improvements, and fostered a culture of professional growth and staff retention. Previous employment includes more than 10 years at Wabash General Hospital and as a Lab Manager at Washington County Hospital in Nashville, IL.
Cherish holds a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Velez College- Cebu, Philippines. She is board certified as an MLS (ASCP), (AMT) and CLS, and actively contributes to professional organizations and advisory boards.
As Program Director, she is committed to preparing the next generation of laboratory professionals through high-quality instruction, real-world application, and mentorship. She believes in developing technical skills and the leadership and professionalism needed to thrive in today’s healthcare environment with the hope to overcome nationwide shortages of lab personnel, especially in rural healthcare.
Cherish is active in her community as a volunteer and enjoys time with her family.
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).
