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ASCP has long taken a leadership role in the advancement of initiatives that improve patient care and reduce health costs. Toward that end, the annual Laboratory Stewardship Champions program has sought to identify and recognize a powerful leader in the advancement of effective test utilization (ETU).  

ASCP is pleased to announce that Daniel Beriault, MSc, PhD, is being recognized as the 2026 Laboratory Stewardship Champion.  

Dr. Beriault is head of Biochemistry at Unity Health Toronto, associate professor at University of Toronto, and investigator at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. He is also a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemists (FCACB) and is currently the vice chair of the CACB Board of Directors.  

We reached out to Dr. Beriault to learn more about his initiatives, and their impact upon laboratory stewardship. 

Early motivation to support high-quality patient care and better outcomes 

Dr. Beriault largely credits the role of mentors, including malignant hematologist Dr. Lisa Hicks, and endocrinologist Dr. Julie Gilmour, as his starting point in this work. He currently maintains an ongoing collaboration with Choosing Wisely Canada, a national organization which supports the reduction of unnecessary tests, healthcare procedures, and treatments.  

A self-described “neatnik,” Dr. Beriault jokes that his love of keeping his childhood room tidy carried into his work on ETU, and laboratory best practices. “I like to keep things neat and tidy. In my profession, this mindset translates into generation and implementation of the most effective utilization initiatives for doctors and patients. Too many tests represent unnecessary waste, and a lack of efficiency. That is anything but tidy,” he explains.  

Dr. Beriault found ways to redirect financial savings into effective laboratory testing that relies on fewer tests. “The more sweat equity I put in, the more benefits I saw,” he says. His work has translated into improved test utilization recommendations for multiple health conditions, including celiac disease, and diabetes.   

A focus on the reduction of duplicative testing 

For the better part of a decade, Dr. Beriault has taken a powerful lead role in the development and implementation of multiple national laboratory utilization recommendations. His work has included ASCP’s 2022 ETU recommendation for celiac testing, HbA1c repeat testing, antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing, and extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) testing. The catalyst for this work occurred early on in his career.  

Dr. Beriault noticed a paper trail of unnecessary testing, during time spent reorganizing paper requisitions at the hospital level. “In my work, I’m actively advocating for the elimination of unneeded repeat testing. Lots of hospital networks and physicians operate in silos, unable to see or unaware of what tests have already been ordered for a patient. For that reason, it’s not uncommon for clinicians to order duplicative tests within a month, or even a week. Not only is this wasteful for the system as a whole, but it also produces unnecessary stress for patients,” he explains.   

Dr. Beriault’s team uncovered repeat HbA1c testing within short intervals of time, ranging from one week to 60 days, that provide no additional clinical value. HbA1c is just one example on a long list of tests often repeated too soon or unnecessarily. For some of these repeat tests, random errors or out-of-whack results would sometimes surface. These erroneous tests would generate more follow-up testing, false diagnoses, and the exacerbation of patient anxiety levels, which are often high to begin with. All at a financial cost for the patient or the healthcare system as a whole. 

The impact of his work is ongoing and has also generated highly beneficial improvements to current patient care practices. “One of the focuses of my work is the elevation of routine communication between doctors, so tests aren’t repeated weekly or monthly. It’s not necessary, and can be detrimental,” he says.  

Creating a standardized approach to laboratory testing 

Dr. Beriault notes that clinicians can get overloaded with the amount of on-the-spot knowledge needed across topic areas. With this in mind, his team worked on standardized-testing initiatives that ultimately resulted in significant protocol improvements within Unity Health Toronto’s three-hospital network. Unnecessary testing reductions generated by this work include amylase (98 percent), anti-DGP-testing (90 percent), and urea (75 percent).   

“Creating a standardized approach to testing makes doctors’ lives easier, eliminates unnecessary repeat testing, saves time and money, and enhances patient care,” he says.  

Dr. Beriault’s protocol creates systematic access to the right diagnostic tests, in the appropriate sequence. When doctors across disciplines have access to standardized testing procedure protocols, clinical decision making is enhanced, unnecessary and repeat tests are not ordered, and misdiagnoses are reduced. An example of this can be testing for thyroid disease. 

“When conditions of the thyroid are suspected, I noticed that doctors often order simultaneous TSH, free T4, and free T3 tests. If one test comes back discordant in relation to the other two tests, result interpretation, and a path forward can prove difficult. Standardized testing takes the guesswork out, plus reduces the need for additional testing,” Dr. Beriault explains.   

A strong focus on environmental sustainability 

The average laboratory’s carbon footprint is large. Every test requires single-use plastics like tourniquets, blood collection vials, gloves, and pipette tips. Testing also generates high electricity and water usage and has an impact on landfills. “I don’t have a good answer, at least not yet, about how hospitals and laboratories can become 100 percent environmentally sustainable. Eliminating unnecessary testing, however, can reduce this impact over time by a quantifiable percentage,” Dr. Beriault says.  

Dr. Beriault’s leading-edge focus on incorporating environmental sustainability into ETU recommendations closely dovetails with ASCP’s ETU Sterring Committee’s priorities.  

The leadership role he has taken, as well as his innovative mindset, makes him an asset to the field of laboratory medicine. Dr. Beriault will be formally recognized for his work during the ASCP/CAP-ACP 2026 Annual Meeting in Montréal, Québec. His presentation will take place on Friday, November 20.