Dr. Robert Brent Dixon was recently named DHEC’s new director of the Bureau of Laboratories (BOL).

“I am honored to continue serving the state of South Carolina here at DHEC,” Dr. Dixon said of his recent promotion. “This agency is filled with tremendously talented individuals whose singular goal is to make each of our communities healthier, and I enjoy working in the collaborative atmosphere.”

Dr. Dixon earned a doctorate in analytical chemistry from North Carolina State University. He studied mass spectrometry techniques for the identification and quantitation of small molecules, biomarkers, and proteins from biological specimens.  He conducted post-doctoral research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

Dr. Dixon also has a Master of Science degree in Health Sciences from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he studied clinical management and leadership.  Dr. Dixon is a fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and is board certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis and the National Registry of Certified Chemists.  His interests include emerging biomarkers, clinical mass spectrometry and improving the quality of care through laboratory medicine.

Dr. Dixon is a member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry and the Association of Public Health Laboratories. He is also a College of American Pathologists   (CAP) laboratory inspector.

Since joining DHEC in 2016 as the deputy director of the BOL, he has worked with the laboratory team on validation of new testing platforms, reviewing the quality assurance plan and collaborating with the Newborn Screening Program.  In his former position, Dr. Dixon was technical director at PCLS in Rock Hill, a CLIA clinical laboratory accredited by the CAP.