ILPP International Pathology Day Summaries 2014
American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
ASCP’s International Pathology Day (IPD) celebration of International Pathology Day involved
promoting the day via Facebook, Twitter and our ONELab community site, as well collaborating
with the other Labs Are Vital partners to host the Labs4Life Photo Contest in celebration of IPD.
On the ASCP Facebook page, ASCP promoted IPD and the contest with 11 posts reaching over
45,000 people. ASCP also promoted IPD and the Labs4Life Photo Contest with 12 Twitter posts
from @ASCP_Chicago. On International Pathology Day, ASCP changed its Facebook profile
photo to the IPD logo and encouraged followers to do the same. ASCP included articles about
the contest in two of its member newsletters. These articles were also posted on ASCP’s
ONELab community site.
Through the Labs Are Vital photo contest, ASCP and the other Labs Are Vital partners asked
pathologists and laboratory professionals around the world to take a picture with a Labs4Life
sign at a local or national landmark. Over 40 photos were submitted, and the photos received
nearly 7,000 votes in the first round and around 4,000 votes in the final round. Three winning
photos were chosen, one from each region in the contest: Eurasia, Europe and Africa, and the
Americas.
Canadian Association of Pathologists
In Canada, there were no formal events. Most of our resources were directed towards the Wave 2
launch of Choosing Wisely Canada on October 29th. Our recommendations can be found here http://www.choosingwiselycanada.org/recommendations/canadian-association-of-pathologists-2/
Most of our activity on November 5th was on social media, and I have attached a compilation of screen
shots from Twitter and Facebook.
College of American Pathologists (CAP)
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) celebrated the first International Pathology Day on
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 through outreach to CAP members and the public via digital
communications on cap.org and CAP’s social media channels.
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A “call-out” was prominently featured on the home page of cap.org and hyperlinked to
a letter from CAP president, Gene Herbek, MD, FCAP.
The letter included additional hyperlinks to:
o A CAP video that describes the important role that pathologists and pathology
and laboratory medicine play in making people healthier: “Meet Healthcare’s
Secret Weapon – Pathologists.”
o An infographic on the Role of the Pathologist.
o The UK Royal College’s ilovepathology site.
Dr. Herbek’s message was shared via CAP’s social channels including Facebook, Twitter,
and CAPconnect, the CAP’s member-only online social media community.
o On Facebook, this content achieved a reach of over 3,877 with 38 Facebook
users sharing the content.
o On CAPconnect, the blog post reached 912 CAP members.
o Additional examples are pasted below.
Hong Kong College of Pathologists
The Hong Kong College Pathologists organised the “International Pathology Day” Exhibition –
The Science Behind Medicine from 5 November 2014 to 11 November 2014 at the Hong Kong
Museum of Medical Sciences. The building of the museum used to be a pathology institute,
and it has served Hong Kong for more than a century and has played an active role in the
research of plague.
The Opening Ceremony of the exhibition on 5 November 2014 was well attended by practicing
and retired pathologists, President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Presidents of sister
Colleges, event sponsors, volunteer exhibition tour guides, high school students and general
public. Our College President and officiating guest Under Secretary for Food and Health of the
Hong Kong Government welcomed and addressed the guests, and guided tours began
immediately afterwards. Visitors curiously looked through microscopes, displaying before them
various normal and diseased tissues, blood cells, and microorganisms. Students handled the
multichannel pipettes, agar plates and electrophoresis gel with interest. Some chemistry
teachers and students were attracted by a simulated liquid chromatography and mass
spectroscopy program, and CSI fans were captured by the forensic pathology slide show. The
event has been covered by various local media.
Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
The Hon. Anna Bligh joined the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) to help
celebrate the inaugural International Pathology Day . Discussing her personal experience with
non-Hodgkin lymphoma and sharing her views on the importance of pathology this morning,
The Hon. Anna Bligh said: “I am standing here celebrating this with you because of pathology. I
am standing here because of the work that you [pathologists], and others like you do, around
the world. The work you do and the research that you engage in.”
Debra Graves, CEO of the RCPA said: “Every person relies on the work of a pathologist at some
point in their life, however, more often than not, patients don’t know how closely involved a
pathologist is in their healthcare and in the diagnosis of their condition. If you have ever had a
biopsy, a swab or a blood test, you’ve seen a pathologist.”
Today, the RCPA and the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP), celebrated
‘International Pathology Day’ alongside a wide range of countries including New Zealand, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, and South Africa.
International Pathology Day is an awareness day which is dedicated to highlighting pathology’s
central role in the healthcare system.
The RCPA announced two new position statements: ‘Mapping the Frontier: Pathology is Central
to Medical Practice in the Genomic Era’ and ‘Inappropriate Pathology Requesting’.
All information http://www.rcpa.edu.au/Library/News-and-Media-Releases/Media-Releases
Royal College of Pathologists UK- Pathology is Global Symposium
Organised as part of the International Pathology Day celebrations on 5 th November 2014, the Royal
College of Pathologists (RCPath) held a global health symposium, which brought together
pathologists, scientists and international development professionals from around the world to
explore the contribution and role played by pathology and laboratory medicine services in
addressing global health challenges and improving health outcomes.
Chaired by Dr Suzy Lishman, President-Elect of the College,
key speakers at the ‘Pathology is
Global’ Symposium included Professor Lai-Meng Looi, President of the World Association of
Societies of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM); Dr Zahir Moloo, Regional Clinical
Director of Pathology at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya; Professor Soo-Yong Tan,
Director of SingHealth Tissue Repository in Singapore and Dr Abdul Ghafur, Co-ordinator of the
Chennai Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance in India. College President, Dr Archie Prentice
delivered the welcome address and symposium presentations covered a range of diverse topics that
included: how international volunteering is making a difference; the role of the pathologist in bio
banking and translational research, improving the diagnosis and reporting of breast cancer in Lagos,
Nigeria; building laboratory workforce and service capacity in Eastern Europe (using Tajikistan as a
case study); tackling antimicrobial resistance in India and recognising the international role of UK
Diaspora pathologists and scientists.
The symposium provided attendees with an opportunity to learn about the invaluable work and
impact that pathologists, scientists and laboratory medicine professionals are making all over the
world, as well as hear about the many international opportunities available through volunteering,
research and the development of collaborative global health partnerships.
The College of Pathologists of Malaysia
The College of Pathologists of Malaysia organised the 2014 Malaysia Clinical Cytometry
Symposium on 5th November 2014 to celebrate the First International Pathology Day. The day
started off with a welcome address from the President, Emeritus Professor Soon-Keng Cheong,
who shared with the audience that clinical flow cytometry was first introduced to
Malaysia about 30 years ago. The first air-cooled, small foot-print, FACSCan flow cytometer is
now a museum piece in his room in UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. The Symposium was
attended by about 60 members of the College who came from different states of Malaysia.
Later, a group photograph was taken and a cake-cutting ceremony was performed to
commemorate the occasion."