Quest Diagnostics, a provider of diagnostic information services, has announced that Franklin R. Cockerill, III, M.D., has joined the company as vice president and chief laboratory officer, effective Oct. 1.

Cockerill will oversee quality, regulatory, technology, standardization and medical operations across Quest's network of laboratories and will play a major role in advancing Quest's medical affairs, academic and government strategies and collaborations. Cockerill succeeds Stephen C. Suffin, M.D., who previously announced plans to retire at the end of 2014. Suffin will remain in a consulting role through 2015 to assist the transition.

Steve H. Rusckowski, president and CEO, Quest Diagnostics, said, "At Mayo Medical Laboratories and Mayo Clinic, he led strategies that spurred remarkable accomplishments in diagnostic innovation, service and quality, generating meaningful benefits for patients as well as business growth."

Cockerill most recently was president and CEO of Mayo Medical Laboratories, a global reference laboratory operating within Mayo Clinic and the third largest provider of esoteric laboratory services in the U.S. In this role since 2006, Cockerill was responsible for driving substantial revenue growth for Mayo Medical Laboratories while also enhancing clinical testing standardization, efficiencies and quality across dozens of laboratories. In addition, he broadened the organization's R&D program and clinical test menu, and implemented bioinformatics and population-health services to enable health systems to identify gaps in care, quality and appropriate utilization.

Cockerill also was chair of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology for Mayo Clinic, one of the largest academic departments in the U.S. In this role, he managed more than 3,200 medical professionals to promote quality laboratory testing for Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System. Since 2003, Cockerill also was the Ann and Leo Markin Professor of Microbiology and Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.