Press Release Details

Quest Diagnostics Appoints Mervyn A. Sahud, M.D., to Lead Coagulation Laboratory Program

10/16/2003

TETERBORO, N.J., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that it has appointed Mervyn A. Sahud, M.D., F.A.C.P, as Medical Director for Coagulation.

Dr. Sahud is responsible for leading Quest Diagnostics' national coagulation laboratory program and enhancing the coagulation testing services provided to healthcare specialists seeking guidance on test interpretation and information about Quest Diagnostics' highly complex coagulation studies. In addition, Dr. Sahud will direct and accelerate current efforts to develop coagulation tests for dangerous bleeding and blood clotting disorders.

Dr. Sahud is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). In addition, Dr. Sahud is a member of the von Willebrand Disease and Lupus Anticoagulant Subcommittees of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostastis. Previously, Dr. Sahud served as the Medical Director of the Coagulation Center in Oakland, California. In addition, Dr. Sahud was until recently, Chairman of the Red Cross Blood Bank Technical Advisory Committee, Northern California Section.

"During his more than 30 years of experience as a respected clinical coagulation thought leader and laboratorian, Dr. Sahud has helped physicians understand complicated and ever-changing coagulation testing practices and technology," said Delbert A. Fisher, M.D., Vice President, Science and Innovation at Quest Diagnostics.

Quest Diagnostics offers a comprehensive and highly competitive menu of coagulation tests, with more than 150 tests and 20 test panels that enable clinicians to distinguish among a myriad of blood coagulation disorders, including hemophilia and antiphospholipid syndrome. In addition, the coagulation laboratory program provides dedicated coagulation experts available for clinical guidance across the Quest Diagnostics laboratory network.

Dr. Sahud serves on the editorial board of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis. He is the lead author of numerous peer-reviewed papers, which have been published in the British Journal of Hematology, Blood Cells and Molecular Disease.

Dr. Sahud received his medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School, in North Chicago, Illinois, and is board-certified in internal medicine and hematology. He completed a United States Public Health Service traineeship in hematology at the University of California, San Francisco and was the recipient of a Special Fellowship Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, providing insights that enable healthcare professionals to make decisions that improve health. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services in the United States through its national network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of esoteric testing, including gene-based medical testing, and also empowers healthcare organizations and clinicians with state-of-the-art connectivity solutions that improve patient care. Additional company information is available at: www.questdiagnostics.com.

The statements in this press release which are not historical facts or information may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to be materially different. Certain of these risks and uncertainties may include, but are not limited to, unanticipated expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, conditions of the economy and other factors described in the Quest Diagnostics Incorporated 2002 Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
-0- 10/16/2003
/CONTACT: Jennifer Somers, Manager, External Communications of Quest
Diagnostics Incorporated, +1-201-393-5700,
jennifer.x.somers@questdiagnostics.com/
/Web site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com /
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