In the lab, all of the patients are our patients. If a testing procedure is worth doing, it’s worth doing in a timely way, and it’s worth continually thinking about better ways to do it.
About Dennis J. Dietzen, PhD
Dennis Dietzen, PhD, is a specialist in pathology and laboratory medicine with specialized training in clinical chemistry, clinical toxicology, mass spectrometry and the diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism. He serves as Division Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Phoenix Children’s.
Dr. Dietzen earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Marian University and his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Indiana University School of Medicine, both in Indianapolis. He completed a fellowship in clinical chemistry and post-doctoral research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
A diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Dietzen is also past president of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, now called the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, where he has been highly involved throughout his career and currently chairs the Policy and External Affairs Core committee. He is a member of the Society for Inborn Metabolic Disorders, the Society for Pediatric Research and the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists. Dr. Dietzen has served as a professor at several universities, holds numerous hospital affiliations, consults on national advisory boards and has editorial responsibilities for a wealth of medical journals.
Dr. Dietzen is a prolific clinical researcher and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers, written multiple chapters for medical texts and is a regular invited presenter at national conferences. In addition, he has provided congressional briefings on pediatric reference intervals and laboratory-developed tests.
When not at work, Dr. Dietzen enjoys spending time with his family. He is an avid sports fan, golfer and enjoys classical music.
Medical School / Education
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Fellowship
(Clinical Chemistry) Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Clinical Chemistry; American Board of Clinical Chemistry
Miriam Reiner Award, American Association for Clinical Chemistry
Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists
Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pediatric Clinical Chemistry, American Association for Clinical Chemistry
Professional Affiliations
Diplomate, American Board of Clinical Chemistry
Chair, Policy and External Affairs Core committee, Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine
Member, Society for Pediatric Research
Member, Society for Inborn Metabolic Disorders
Member, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists
Dietzen DJ, Blair CB, Roper SM. Raising the dead volume: analysis of microsamples diluted and corrected with near infrared tracer. J Appl Lab Med 2023;8:931-939.
Lyle AN, Pokuah F, Dietzen DJ, Wong ECC, Pyle-Eilola AL, Fuqua JS, Woodworth A, Jones PM, Akinbami LJ, Garibaldi L, Vesper HW. Current state of pediatric reference intervals: a call to correctly describe the biochemistry of child development. JAMA Pediatr 2022;176:699-714.
Tesfazghi MT, Bardelmeier R, Saunders AN, Riley SM, Roper SM, Dietzen DJ. Development and implementation of one-step, broad-spectrum, high-sensitivity, drug screening by tandem mass spectrometry in a pediatric population. J Appl Lab Med 2022;7:409-420.
Dietzen DJ, Bennett MJ, Lo SF, Grey VL, Jones PM. Dried Blood Spot Reference Intervals for Steroids and Amino Acids in a Neonatal Cohort of the National Children’s Study. Clin Chem. 2016. PMID:27784706.
Dietzen DJ, Weindel AL, Carayannopoulos MO, Landt M, Normansell ET, Reimschisel TE, Smith CH. Rapid comprehensive amino acid analysis by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: comparison to cation exchange with post-column ninhydrin detection. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2008;22(22):3481-8. doi:10.1002/rcm.3754 PMID:18853396.
