Trish Beatty of the Women’s Hospital Pathology Department retired April 29 with more than 35 years of service at North Mississippi Medical Center.

A resident of Woodland, Trish graduated from Houston High School in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology/physical science from Mississippi University for Women in 1979 and completed NMMC’s medical technology program in 1980.

Trish worked in the microbiology section of the Pathology Department for several years, then left to work at the hospital in Houston. She returned to NMMC in 1987 and worked in every section of the Pathology Department during her tenure, including two stints as phlebotomy supervisor.

In 2015, Trish transferred to the Pathology Department at Women’s Hospital, where the staff is much smaller and “you do a little bit of everything,” she says.

Trish witnessed many changes in Pathology throughout her career. “The equipment changed dramatically,” she says. “Early on, an instrument took up a whole room and was very complicated. Everything is faster and more user-friendly and efficient now—but we run a lot more specimens than we used to.”

Now that she is retired, Trish says she misses her coworkers but is enjoying more time with her family, which includes her husband, Hart; son Josh Earnest of Houston; daughter Jordan Morgan of Sturgis; stepson Sam Beatty of Houston; and seven grandchildren. “I’m having a ball—hitting all the graduations, awards days and ballgames that I had to miss before,” she says. “I’m going to have fun with my grandchildren.”

Trish attends First Baptist Church in Houston and loves to read. She and Hart plan to “meander out west” and look forward to future travels together.