Kathleen Becan-McBride received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Houston; completed her medical laboratory science education at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas; and earned national board certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. While working at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital Clinical Laboratory, she received a full scholarship to the University of Houston/Baylor College of Medicine collaborative Masters in Allied Health Education and Administration Program. Dr. Becan-McBride completed her Doctorate in Higher Education and Administration while teaching in the Medical Laboratory Science program and Physician Assistant program at University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston and Medical Laboratory Technician program at Houston Community College. She then became a faculty member and Chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Department at UTHealth. In more recent years at UTHealth, she was Director of Community and Educational Outreach, Director of Workforce and Resource Development, and Professor in the Medical School Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Dr. Becan-McBride has published 24 books and more than 57 articles. She has served on numerous national and international health care advisory boards, several editorial boards for health care journals, national and international committees and commissions, and educational advisory boards for medical laboratory science educational programs and community outreach programs. She was the elected Chair of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification Board of Governors from 2008 to 2010 and received the ASCP Mastership Award in 2012; ASCP Board of Certification Distinguished Service Award in 2012; and ASCP Mentorship Award in 2016. Dr. Becan-McBride continues her Texas higher education consultant activities in writing, presenting and editing, mainly in the expanding area of blood collection.