Vijayalakshmi (Viji) Nandakumar, PhD, MS, DABCC
Dr. Nandakumar is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Associate Director of Exsera BioLabs, and Medical Director of the Rheumatology subsection within the Rheumatology Division. She earned a PhD in Genetic, Molecular, and Cellular Biology and completed postdoctoral research in Immunology at the University of Southern California. In 2014, she joined Mayo Clinic, focusing on immune responses in immunocompromised patients, and later became a research associate in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division.
In 2020, Dr. Nandakumar completed a clinical chemistry fellowship at Mayo Clinic, specializing in Diagnostic Immunology, and became board-certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. She then joined the University of Utah School of Medicine and ARUP Laboratories as an Assistant Professor and Medical Director of Autoimmune and Complement Testing Laboratories within the Immunology Division.
Her research focuses on complement and autoimmune diseases, with an emphasis on improving diagnostics, test accuracy, novel biomarkers, assay standardization, and laboratory stewardship. Dr. Nandakumar has authored over 35 publications and holds leadership roles in professional organizations, including serving as Executive Officer for the Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology Division at ADLM (2021–2024) and currently as supporting officer for the Infection and Immunology Division at the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine. She has also served on the education and continuing education committees at the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists (AMLI) and is currently the Secretary-elect of AMLI.
Dr. Nandakumar is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Laboratory and Precision Medicine and has served as an ad hoc reviewer for several clinical and laboratory journals. As an invited speaker at several national scientific and plenary sessions, she shares her expertise in autoimmune and complement disease diagnostics. Passionate about mentoring students, residents, and fellows, Dr. Nandakumar is committed to advancing autoimmune diagnostic testing to improve patient outcomes.