Advancing laboratory diagnostics: Beckman Coulter’s strategic vision for EEMEA healthcare

In this exclusive interview, Middle East Health speaks to Nurgl Vatansever, EEMEA Vice President, Beckman Coulter, about the company’s latest diagnostic innovations and strategic direction. With systems testing over one million samples globally each hour, Beckman Coulter continues to advance laboratory medicine through high-throughput analysers like the DxI 9000 and automation solutions. Vatansever discusses how these technologies address critical healthcare challenges, from workforce constraints to growing diagnostic demand, whilst sharing insights on emerging biomarkers and the company’s collaborative approach to strengthening healthcare systems across EEMEA regions.

Middle East Health: Beckman Coulter has a world-renown legacy in the diag­nostics industry. How would you charac­terize the company’s current position in the global diagnostic industry, and what unique value does it bring to healthcare systems across EEMEA regions?

Nurg Vatansever: Every hour around the globe, more than one million samples are tested on Beckman Coulter Diagnostic systems, impacting 1.2 billion patients and more than three million clini­cians every year. Through our innovative diagnostic solutions, we are focused on en­suring clinical laboratories across EEMEA provide accurate diagnostic information to clinicians and patients that enables high quality care.

What sets us apart is how we help health­care systems tackle real challenges like limited resources, workforce constraints, and growing demand. Our scalable portfo­lio— in immunoassay, chemistry, haema­tology, microbiology, and urinalysis – helps labs do more with less.

By automating key lab processes, we re­duce manual workload and improve rapid and reliable sample analysis results. That means clinicians get the answers they need faster, and patients can begin treatment sooner. It’s all about enabling better out­comes with greater efficiency.

MEH: The launch of the DxI9000 Immu­noassay Analyzer represents a significant advancement in diagnostic technology. Could you elaborate on how its technical capabilities – particularly its throughput capacity and reduced sample volume re­quirements – are transforming clinical laboratory workflows and patient care?

Nurg Vatansever: The launch of the DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer truly marks a new chapter in diagnostic innovation. Its high-throughput capacity and high sensitivity immunoassay testing capabilities for the core labs are standout features – allowing labs to process a significantly greater vol­ume of samples with speed and precision. The ability to streamline workflows and re­duce turnaround times is a game-changer for laboratories managing high workloads under resource constraints.

Middle East Health: Healthcare systems face mount­ing pressure to deliver more precise diag­nostics with fewer resources. How does the DxC 500i Clinical Analyzer address these challenges, and what improvements in clinical decision-making have you ob­served from its implementation?

Nurg Vatansever: The DxC 500i Clinical Analyzer is designed to bring automation to the low-throughput space, particularly for integrat­ed health networks with multiple smaller laboratories. The DxC 500i combines ad­vanced technology with an intuitive user interface, ensuring that laboratories of all sizes can meet the growing demands of modern healthcare. With throughput of up to 800 clinical chemistry tests per hour and 100 immunoassay tests per hour, this analyzer delivers precise and reliable results critical for timely clinical decision-making. It addresses the challenge of delivering precise diagnostics with fewer resources by streamlining workflows and reducing the need for manual intervention. This ensures more consistent, reliable results, ultimately helping labs operate more efficiently with­out compromising on diagnostic quality.

Middle East Health: What emerging biomarkers or di­agnostic parameters is your R&D pipe­line exploring that could transform early disease detection in the next 3-5 years?

Nurg Vatansever: We are very excited about our pipeline of diagnostics assays to address a wide range of diseases. For example, the DxI 9000 Analyzer has shown the capabil­ity to develop increasingly sensitive and clinically relevant assays. Leveraging this capability, we are developing a blood-based Alzheimer’s disease test. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Device Designa­tion to Beckman Coulter’s pending Access p-Tau217/-Amyloid 1-42 plasma ratio. This blood test is designed to aid healthcare providers identify patients with amyloid pa­thology associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Middle East Health: What collaborative initiatives has Beckman Coulter developed with health­care professionals to strengthen diagnos­tic precision and scalability?

Nurg Vatansever: At Beckman Coulter Diagnos­tics, we place great value on partnerships with all levels of stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, channel partners, and institutions. We collaborate closely with these partners to identify unmet needs, create tailored solutions, engage through thought leadership programs, and drive continuous innovation. This ap­proach helps us anticipate the future of diagnostics, optimize professional educa­tion, and integrate advanced technologies to enhance patient care.

Middle East Health: Educational partnerships often ac­celerate adoption of advanced diagnostic platforms. What specific educational proj­ects has your team implemented to ensure healthcare professionals can maximize the clinical utility of your technologies?

Nurg Vatansever: Education is a cornerstone of our strategy to support the adoption of advanced diagnostics. One of our key ini­tiatives is the Beckman Coulter Dubai Vi­sion Centre – a dedicated learning facility offering certified service and application training, tailored customer programs, and scientific lectures. We provide interactive tutorials, hands-on workshops, and com­prehensive training materials, all custom­ized to meet the specific needs of laborato­ries across the EEMEA region.

Through these educational partnerships, we ensure healthcare professionals are fully equipped to maximize the clinical utility of our technologies.

Middle East Health: Your career trajectory has led you to this pivotal leadership role. What forma­tive experiences shaped your understand­ing of the diagnostic sector’s challenges, and how do these insights inform your strategic direction for the EEMEA region?

Nurg Vatansever: Starting my career as the first fe­male engineer at Hitachi Medical Systems in Turkiye, I’ve had the opportunity to work across diverse geographies – includ­ing Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These experiences have provided me with a broad perspective on the healthcare sector’s unique challenges and opportunities. They shaped my under­standing of critical issues such as unequal access to diagnostics, infrastructure and workforce limitations.

They also reinforced the importance of scalable, locally relevant solutions and the power of strong partnerships. At Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, these insights guide my strategic direction for the EEMEA region partnering with our customers to expand access to high-quality diagnos­tics, investing in education and service excellence, and collaborating closely with stakeholders to strengthen healthcare sys­tems and enhance patient care.

Middle East Health: Can you tell us a bit about your leadership style? What’s your method for building a productive workplace culture and effective employee engagement?

Nurg Vatansever: My leadership style is focused on collaboration, empowerment, and data-driven decisions, with a strong emphasis on compassionate leadership. I aim to cre­ate an environment where team members feel valued, trusted, and motivated to take ownership of their work. Open communi­cation, empathy, and continuous improve­ment are key to fostering success together.

For building a productive workplace culture and effective employee engage­ment, I focus on accountability, respect, and celebrating both individual and team achievements. I prioritize staying engaged with my team, ensuring that everyone feels supported and empowered to grow in their roles. By fostering psychological safety and maintaining an open-door mentality, I encourage team members to express ideas freely without fear of judgment. This, com­bined with clear expectations and ongoing feedback, builds a foundation of trust that strengthens the team’s ability to innovate and perform at its best.

About Nurgül Vatansever
Nurgül Vatansever is the EEMEA Vice President at Beckman Coul­ter. In addition to driving commercial priorities, she is dedicated to fostering a high-performance culture by providing strategic leader­ship, coaching, and talent development across the region.

With extensive experience in the healthcare industry, Nurgül has managed diverse markets across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Rus­sia, CIS countries, and Central Eastern Europe. She has held senior leadership roles of increasing responsibility in sales, services, market­ing, and general management at Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, GE Healthcare, and Hitachi Medical Systems.

Over her 25-year career in the medical devices and healthcare in­dustry, she has been recognized for her commitment to ethical leader­ship, cultivating a winning culture, and prioritizing talent by attract­ing, developing, and retaining high-performing, diverse teams.