CAPcast from the College of American Pathologists

Light-sheet microscopy is a significant advance for pathologists, because it allows them to not only examine tissue in minutes rather than days, but also to view it in three dimensions instead of two. This will ultimately lead to improved clinical care, according to Dr. Nicholas Reder, a pathologist at the University of Washington Seattle, who specializes in developing this technology. In this CAP...

CAP Press has released a new resource guide, The Color Atlas of Mycology: An Illustrated Field Guide Based on Proficiency Testing, which is intended to maintain and extend skills in this age of increasing fungal infections whether from HIV, burns, or profound immunosuppression from organ transplant or drug treatment. In this CAPcast interview, one of the co-authors, Dr. Gordon Love, will discuss h...

The transition from pathology residency and/or fellowship training to junior attending status is often a source of great anxiety on the part of both new-in-practice pathologists and those who hire them. In this CAPcast, former CAP President Dr. Gene Herbek discusses some of the challenges faced by new-in-practice pathologists, as well as their pathologist employers, and offers some tips on how bot...

Physician burnout is on the rise. According to a 2015 Medscape survey, 45% of female pathologists and 33% of male pathologists show rates of burnout. Pathology, like other medical specialties, requires psychological wherewithal and perseverance and burnout, therefore, can compromise a pathologist’s ability to carry out his or her work effectively, according to Dr. Timothy Bono, a psychologist from...

Female physicians report higher burnout rates compared to their male colleagues—48% versus 38%—according to a Medscape survey on physician burnout and depression released earlier this year. While female physicians may be reluctant to draw attention to gender-related differences, they do face different challenges than male physicians, explained Dr. Gina Drobena in a recent article in CAP Today on t...

The real value of the laboratory accreditation process is the opportunity it provides for the highest level of professional validation, by peers, for the work that a director and their staff contribute to patient care, according to Dr. Gregory Gagnon. But challenging inspections are not uncommon, and there are approaches to confronting difficulties during inspections, as he will explain in this CA...

In 2017, the CAP collaborated with the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to publish a clinical practice guideline for the workup of acute leukemia. In this CAPcast, Dr. Daniel Arber, a hematopathologist with the University of Chicago Department of Pathology, discusses the reason for the new guideline and how pathologists can work with their fellow clinicians to implement the new guideline to im...

Not only is Dr. Kevin Pho a board-certified internal medicine physician, he is also a pioneer in the presence of physicians on social media, a topic he details in a book that he co-authored entitled, “Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.” Dr. Pho is the CAP18 spotlight speaker, and in this CAPcast interview, he di...

When a breast cancer patient wanted to actually see her cancer cells—what she called the dragon she was slaying, she turned to Dr. Lija Joseph, a pathologist at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts. Since March of last year, Dr. Joseph has opened her laboratory to over 30 patients, allowing them to view their tissue under a microscope. In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Joseph shares her e...

Learning how to communicate effectively is a critical skill for pathologists, particularly those who are new in practice. Patients and clinicians rely on the pathologist’s ability to communicate— be it a pathology report, an email, at a tumor conference, a medical staff meeting or through the various types of social media. Indeed, a solid communication strategy will elevate your professional stand...

CAP18, the CAP’s annual meeting, offers a diverse portfolio of programs that are central to daily practice. The meeting, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago (www.capannualmeeting.org), enables participants to increase their breadth and depth of knowledge on “bread and butter topics” as well as gain insight into advances in pathology. In this interview, Dr. Eli Morey, chair of the CAP’s Reside...

Unprofessional behaviors may occur at any level in any organization and can compromise workplace morale as well as patient care. In fact, unprofessional or unethical behaviors are among the most common reasons for disciplinary action taken by licensing boards and professional organizations. In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Suzanne Powell discusses some common examples of unprofessional behavior, som...

What does a leading pathologist get out of the CAP annual meeting? In this CAPcast, Dr. Jennifer Hunt, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, discusses why she is attending CAP18, and what keeps her coming back to this annual meeting year after year. CAP18 will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. To register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualme...

Soft tissue pathology is uncommon in most settings. Many benign things look malignant and vice versa, sometimes presenting significant challenges for the general pathologist. But having a basic understanding of soft tissue pathology will aid in proper diagnosis and understanding when a consult is warranted, explains Dr. Nicole Riddle in this CAPcast interview. Dr. Riddle will be teaching a course...

Twitter use by physicians, especially pathologists, continues to rapidly grow. Twitter provides an easy-to-use communications platform for rapid education, news, and networking that helps busy pathologists stay engaged and informed without taking up much time. Many pathologists see the benefits of joining Twitter but are unsure about how to get started, according to Dr. Jerad Gardner, who is leadi...

Pathologists have not traditionally discussed cases directly with patients, nor have pathologists traditionally sat with patients and examined the patients' cases. But in today’s molecular era there is a growing need for pathologists to directly discuss with patients their diseases. In this CAPcast, Dr. Timothy Allen will discuss the real-time anatomic pathology diagnostic management team conferen...

New laboratory directors are rarely prepared for regulatory and accreditation issues that face them. Even very seasoned pathologists and laboratory directors struggle to keep up with new regulatory requirements that pose high risk. In this CAPcast, Dr. Christina M. Wojewoda, a pathologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, discusses these issues and shares her perspective o...

Social media is an important education tool for pathologists. Communicating through social media channels like Twitter and Facebook can help pathologists educate patients about diagnostic medicine. But pathologists can also learn from each other via social media, according to pathologist Dr. Kamran Mirza. Dr. Mirza is an assistant professor in the departments of pathology & laboratory medicine and...

In the laboratory setting, feedback (or the lack thereof) extends beyond self-improvement and ultimately impacts patient care. In this CAPcast, Duke Health pathologist Dr. Sara Jiang discusses how to give and receive feedback effectively. Dr. Jiang and her Duke Pathology colleague Dr. Sarah Bean will once again teach their popular course, “Can You Hear Me Now?: Giving and Receiving Feedback Effect...

Both networking and publishing are important for academic pathologists to succeed, according to Dr. Roseann Wu, a staff pathologist and assistant professor of clinical pathology & laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. In this CAPcast, Dr. Wu discusses why networking and publishing are so vital and how membership in the...

Effective laboratory management not only benefits the staff, but improves patient safety and patient care. However, many laboratory directors grapple with serious issues related to budget constraints as well as responding effectively to demanding clinician colleagues, according to Dr. Paul Bachner, a professor and immediate past chairman of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Departme...

Discussing the subject of an autopsy can be a very difficult process for both the bereaved family member being asked and for the health care professional making the request. In this CAPcast, Dr. Harold Sanchez, a member of the CAP's Autopsy Committee, and Dr. Tom Smith, an oncologist and the Director of Palliative Care at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, discuss the consent process for the per...

In this CAPcast, Dr. Diana Cardona discusses what pathologists need to know about the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, also known as MACRA. Dr. Cardona, the Medical Director of the Surgical Pathology and Immunopathology Laboratories at Duke University Medical Center, is teaching a course on this topic with Dr. Stephen Black-Schaffer at CAP18 in Chicago, which will be held Oct....

Many pathologists struggle with diagnostic questions surrounding cervical adenocarcinoma. In this CAPcast, Drs. Christina Kong and Teri Longacre, both pathologists with Stanford Healthcare in California, discuss the diagnostic challenges related to cervical adenocarcinoma, criteria for distinguishing reactive changes, as well as explaining the Silva classification system and how it applies to inva...

This year’s CAP annual meeting features 25 new courses, creating a diverse portfolio of programs central to every pathologist’s daily practice. In this CAPcast, Duke University pathologist Dr. Sarah Bean discusses how attending CAP18, held in Chicago, Oct. 20-24, can benefit pathologists. Dr. Bean is the Chair of the CAP Curriculum Committee. For more information on CAP18, visit http://www.capannu...