AWEsome Numbers was founded by clinical laboratory scientists who refused to accept “good enough” — and built a smarter, evidence-based path to patient safety and laboratory quality management.
AWEsome Numbers was founded on a simple belief: the statistical quality control science that transformed laboratory medicine remains essential — but today’s laboratories require greater operational visibility, stronger risk-based decision making, and clearer alignment with modern global standards.
Since beginning their collaboration in 2008, Zoe Brooks, Raymond Gerz, and the AWEsome Numbers team have been dedicated to helping laboratories build on proven QC methodologies while meeting the evolving risk-management expectations of CAP, CLIA, ISO 15189, and CLSI EP23. Through proprietary algorithms, interactive simulation, advanced analytics, and professional education, AWEsome Numbers translates complex statistical data into actionable operational intelligence — empowering laboratory professionals worldwide to optimize quality control decisions, strengthen patient safety, and implement change with confidence.
The result of this work is RiskGATOR — a cloud-hosted platform powered by the M.O.R.E. (Mathematically-Optimized Risk Evaluation) process that answers five critical questions every clinical lab manager needs answered: how often could this analytical process produce a medically incorrect result, what would it cost, and what can we do about it right now?
“Replace complexity with clarity. That has been my mission for over 50 years in clinical laboratory science. RiskGATOR is the culmination of that work — bringing mathematical precision to decisions that directly affect patient lives.”
Our team’s publications span over three decades of clinical QC science — from foundational theory to modern risk-based practice, recognized at AACC, CLSI, and CAP.
Every feature we build, every algorithm we refine, and every lesson we publish flows from these foundational commitments to laboratory professionals and the patients they serve.
Every decision we make at AWEsome Numbers is measured against one standard: does it reduce the probability that a patient will receive a medically incorrect result? Patient safety is not a feature — it is our entire reason for existing.
We believe that laboratory risk management must be grounded in rigorous mathematics, not assumption. The M.O.R.E. process applies proven statistical science to quantify risk in clear, time-based terms that every member of a lab team can understand and act on.
Clinical laboratory professionals are highly skilled scientists who deserve tools built for their intelligence. We eliminate noise — false-positive flags, redundant reviews, arbitrary rules — so your team can focus on the work that genuinely protects patients.
RiskGATOR was designed from the ground up to align with CLSI EP23A, ISO 15189, CAP, and CLIA. We do not cut corners on compliance — we build the documentation, decision trails, and audit evidence your laboratory needs to pass any inspection with confidence.
Architect of the M.O.R.E. Quality© process. 50+ years spanning histology, clinical chemistry, laboratory management, and QC software design. Former laboratory scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children. Award-winning researcher, educator, and the voice behind Zoe’s Blog.
With over 50 years of clinical laboratory experience, Zoe Brooks is a visionary leader dedicated to transforming how the world approaches medical lab quality.
As the architect of the breakthrough M.O.R.E. Quality© (Mathematically-Optimized Risk Evaluation) process, Zoe has successfully bridged the gap between complex statistical theory and practical, intuitive risk management. Her mission is simple: replace complexity with clarity.
Through her leadership at AWEsome Numbers Inc., she introduced a revolutionary approach that moves beyond traditional Six Sigma and outdated statistical controls — leveraging mathematical algorithms that integrate directly with Laboratory Information Systems (LIS). Her methods help labs quantify risk precisely, optimize efficiency, save time, reduce operational costs, and ensure seamless alignment with ISO 15189 and CLSI EP23-A standards.
Zoe’s career spans the entire spectrum of the laboratory industry — from her early days as a Histology Technologist through decades of clinical chemistry, laboratory management, QC software design, and award-winning scientific publication. Her research, published in leading journals and presented at AACC and CAP, continues to challenge conventional QC thinking and set new standards for evidence-based laboratory practice.
There are many QC tools on the market. Here is why laboratory managers committed to patient safety and evidence-based practice choose AWEsome Numbers.
AWEsome Numbers was not built by software engineers who learned about labs later. It was conceived, designed, and refined by clinical laboratory professionals with over five decades of hands-on QC experience — people who have personally chased false-positive flags, prepared for CAP inspections, and managed instrument failures at 2 a.m.
Science-first, built for the bench.The M.O.R.E. (Mathematically-Optimized Risk Evaluation) process is unique to AWEsome Numbers. No other platform quantifies patient-harm probability in time-based terms — estimating how often an analytical process could produce one medically incorrect result per hour, day, week, month, or year. This is not a rebranded sigma calculator. It is a fundamentally different approach to laboratory risk.
Unique IP. Unmatched insight.RiskGATOR was designed from the ground up to align with CLSI EP23A, ISO 15189, CAP, and CLIA. Every QC decision made through the platform is supported by documented, audit-ready evidence — so when your inspector arrives, you are prepared with the depth of justification that modern accreditation bodies expect.
Audit-ready. Accreditation-confident.Zoe Brooks and the AWEsome Numbers team have been publishing peer-reviewed research and conference posters on clinical QC science since 1994. Below is a selection of key publications.
Zoe’s six-part series on quality control in theory and practice traces the QC gap from its discovery to actionable remedies — including practical guidance for closing the gap between what labs assume about their QC and what the data actually shows. Published across MLO and other industry journals from 2006–2007.
The AWEsome Numbers team has contributed to professional standards development through the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, CLSI working groups, and AACC — helping shape the global standards that clinical laboratories are measured against today, including ISO 15189 and CLSI EP23A.
Award-winning research and practical guidance from clinical QC experts who have been challenging conventional thinking for over 50 years.
Do you still assume all QC flags indicate clinical failure? In fact, change can be for the better or the worse. Learn how to distinguish analytically meaningful shifts from benign improvements — and stop delaying patient results unnecessarily.
The introduction of Sigma metrics to the medical laboratory was a pivotal shift — but sigma alone doesn’t tell you how often a process will harm a patient. This math lesson explains why risk metrics deliver far more actionable intelligence for modern labs.
We’re delighted to announce that our free AWEsome Numbers Risk Management MasterClass has been rescheduled to give us the opportunity to make the experience even more valuable. Registration details and updated schedule coming soon.
Finally! The value of the laboratory can be recognized and quantified. Imagine if you could quantify — and reduce — the number of Medically Incorrect Results (MIRs) reported each day. Lesson #6 shows you exactly how RiskGATOR makes that possible.
How would error in this test harm a patient? What would it cost the healthcare system in unnecessary repeat lab tests? Lesson #5 walks through the five questions every risk-based laboratory must be able to answer — and how RiskGATOR answers them automatically.
New to risk-based QC? Start here. Lessons #1 through #4 build the conceptual foundation for understanding why traditional QC is insufficient, what Medically Incorrect Results really cost, and how the M.O.R.E. process transforms your approach to laboratory quality management.
Whether you’re a clinical lab manager ready to explore RiskGATOR, a researcher interested in our publications, or a healthcare organization looking to strengthen your QC program — we’d love to hear from you.