02/22/2026
See what USA Today has to say about US Diagnostics Center!
Inside US Diagnostics Center: Dr. Todd Lewis on Modernizing DNA Relationship Testing Through Client-Centric Systems
Jason PhillipsContributor
Feb. 19, 2026, 6:28 p.m. ET
US Diagnostics Center (Source: US Diagnostics Center)
US Diagnostics Center (USDC) operates within the relationship DNA testing space, providing services such as paternity and familial relationship analysis through a laboratory testing model designed to balance scientific rigor with client accessibility. Founded by Dr. Todd Lewis, the organization reflects a process-driven approach shaped by both industry experience and operational observation.
Dr. Lewis frames the company’s foundation as rooted in professional exposure to laboratory operations, quality systems, and client communication workflows. Having worked in senior laboratory environments prior to launching USDC, he explains that his perspective was influenced not only by scientific procedures but also by how individuals interacted with testing providers. His earlier work in quality assurance and regulatory environments provided visibility into recurring service friction points, particularly around communication, turnaround expectations, and process transparency. From his viewpoint, technical accuracy alone was not the only factor shaping public trust.
Dr. Todd Lewis (Source: US Diagnostics Center)
“The science behind DNA testing is highly structured and validated,” he says. “But the client experience surrounding that science plays a major role in how people perceive the service.”
US Diagnostics Center provides direct-to-consumer testing as well as business-to-business laboratory support. In direct testing scenarios, individuals typically initiate services online, receive a collection kit, and submit cheek swab samples for laboratory processing. According to Dr. Lewis, identity matching protocols, barcode tracking, and registration steps are used to help align submitted materials with client records before testing begins.
He notes that procedural verification remains central to the laboratory workflow. “Each sample is processed and reviewed through multiple validation steps,” he explains. “We conduct independent testing reviews to help ensure alignment before any report is released.”
Once testing concludes, results are delivered through a digital portal. From Dr. Lewis’s perspective, structured delivery systems may help reduce uncertainty for individuals navigating sensitive personal questions.
Alongside consumer services, USDC also operates as a laboratory partner to organizations that coordinate testing through their own client networks. In these cases, USDC conducts the analytical work while partner organizations manage front-end client engagement. This dual-channel structure allows the laboratory to function both as a direct service provider and as a backend testing infrastructure.
While the relationship testing field contains established procedural standards, Dr. Lewis believes operational visibility can shape how clients experience those standards. He explains the company’s portal technology as one mechanism for reinforcing transparency. “Clients want to understand where they are in the process,” he says. “Providing real-time visibility into each stage helps answer questions before they become concerns.”
From his perspective, digital tracking tools can also help minimize administrative bottlenecks. Automated updates allow individuals to monitor progress without relying solely on customer service channels, while staff remain available for direct support when needed.
The company’s operational framework is also informed by Dr. Lewis’s earlier quality assurance responsibilities, where he evaluated service feedback and procedural breakdowns across testing environments. According to him, those observations shaped how USDC structured its communication pathways and system architecture.
Beyond technology, Dr. Lewis credits the company’s scientific oversight to collaborative laboratory leadership. He notes that working alongside an experienced laboratory director whose career spans multiple decades in forensic and relationship testing environments informed USDC’s institutional knowledge of operational design.
US Diagnostics Center is still in its early organizational phase, having launched its digital platform recently. As Dr. Lewis explains, the company is currently focused on building infrastructure, expanding awareness, and establishing credentialing pathways aligned with regulatory frameworks.
He notes that the laboratory is in the process of pursuing AABB accreditation, which would expand the scope of testing applications the organization could support in the future. “Formal accreditation represents an important step in broadening how our testing can be applied,” he says. “It creates the framework to participate in additional legal and administrative testing contexts.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Lewis outlines potential service expansion into areas such as immigration relationship verification, where DNA testing may be voluntarily submitted to support documentation review processes. He frames these developments as long-term structural goals rather than immediate operational offerings.
From an organizational standpoint, he views the current stage of USDC as foundational, focused on refining systems, validating workflows, and scaling responsibly. “We are building the infrastructure first,” he explains. “Technology, validation, and client communication all have to align before growth makes sense.”
That phased approach reflects how US Diagnostics Center is positioning itself within the broader laboratory services landscape, not through comparative claims, but through an emphasis on process clarity, procedural accountability, and client visibility at each stage of the testing journey. In Dr. Lewis’s view, sustained trust is built through operational consistency rather than promotional positioning.
