About Dr. Christopher Zahner
Dr. Christopher Zahner
Clinical Pathologist • Former NASA Engineer • Division Chief of Clinical Pathology at UTMB
Hi, I am Chris Zahner. I am a clinical pathologist, a former NASA engineer, and someone who has spent most of his life trying to make complex systems behave themselves. I started out in engineering at the Johnson Space Center working on the International Space Station. Later I moved into medicine where I now serve as the Division Chief of Clinical Pathology at UTMB. LabReflex grew out of the same instinct that has shaped most of my career, which is the desire to make the work we do in diagnostics clearer, smarter, and more effective for the people who depend on it.
People sometimes think engineering and pathology are two different universes. They are not. Whether you are in Mission Control or the clinical lab, you need precision, a clear way of thinking, and the ability to stay calm while everything around you becomes unexpectedly interesting. I have always enjoyed that environment.
Who I am in one sentence
A pathologist who solves problems, builds systems that make sense, and tries to explain complicated things in a way people can actually use.
A few things about me
- •I worked on the ISS as a flight controller.
- •I help run the clinical labs at UTMB.
- •I build Diagnostic Management Teams to improve patient care.
- •I invent things when I think something should exist but does not.
- •I have three daughters who provide plenty of real world leadership training.
Why LabReflex exists
Diagnostics sit underneath almost every decision in medicine, but most people only see the numbers and not the story behind them. LabReflex is a place to bring that story forward, to give it context, and to help people understand what matters and what does not. It is direct, practical, and grounded in actual work rather than theory.
Outside work
I enjoy building things, reading, exploring new ideas, and doing projects with my kids that probably needed more planning than I gave them. I like clean systems, good design, and any solution that removes chaos instead of adding to it.