AAPath 2025 ANNUAL MEETING

AAPath Section Councils and Committees have finalized their exceptional and timely educational programming for your unique professional leadership development. Several new sessions added to the program include:

• Navigating the new realities of recent federal actions impacting the academic pathology department, with perspectives from healthcare attorney Jane Pine Wood, Counsel at McDonald Hopkins
• Learning from other medical specialties, such as radiology and surgery, on their strategies for education, training, certification, recruitment, and faculty and workforce development, with representatives from the American Board of Radiology (Cheri Canon, MD) and the American College of Surgeons (Ajit Sachdeva, MD), as well as the American Board of Medical Specialties (Greg Ogrinc, MD)
• Sessions organized by AAPath’s Academy of Distinguished Pathology Educators, including:
  • the launch of the multi-year Fundamentals of Medical Education Series with a session focused on understanding authentic assessments,
  • strategies for integrating and utilizing a variety of large language model platforms in multiple use cases, and
  • advancing your career in pathology education and increasing your impact on academic pathology.

For complete program details and to register for the 58^th AAPath Annual Meeting on July 27-30, 2025, visit www.academicpathology.org/aapath2025!

Join your colleagues at this once-yearly, highly-anticipated opportunity to network with leaders in academic pathology at the Hilton Denver City Center Hotel in Denver, CO. Arrive in time to reunite at the Welcome Reception on Sunday, July 27^th, afternoon, and then immerse yourself in educational topics over three full days of programming – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! For those unable to attend in-person, a robust online experience broadcast via Zoom for ballroom sessions will be available for remote attendees.

Register today before rates increase after May 31^st and secure your hotel room (starting at $249/night) at the Hilton Denver City Center before the rooms sell-out in our exclusive group block!

In addition to members in the academic leadership roles of Chairs/Vice Chairs (and former Chairs, Senior Fellows), Executive Administrators (APEX), Program Directors/Associate Program Directors (PRODS), GME Program Coordinators/Administrators (GMEAS), or Medical School Educators (UMEDS), or being affiliated with an AAPath Affinity Group, other individual academic faculty and staff members in an existing Departmental Member of AAPath now have the opportunity for General Membership! The General Membership category accepts faculty and staff who are interested in advancing the missions of academic pathology and developing their academic leadership through engagement with the AAPath community. This individual membership is renewable annually on the anniversary of membership, unlike departmental membership that is renewed on a calendar year basis. Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, if you are employed by an AAPath Member Department and are not a member of  a Section, Committee or Group, you can now join AAPath in the new General Membership category! General Membership enrollment will begin on June 1^st, but if you would like to learn more now and receive alerts when enrollment begins, please contact Angela Chopin, Member Services Coordinator, at achopin@academicpathology.org. BONUS: Annual Meeting registrants in the Faculty/Staff category will be automatically enrolled as AAPath General Members for one year from June 1^st!

Separately, a new Associate Membership category for organizations or companies that are committed to the development and prosperity of academic pathology and laboratory medicine will be implemented later this year. More details to come, but if you are a representative of an organization or company that may be interested, contact the AAPath Office at: info@academicpathology.org to add your interest and receive information when the application becomes available.

Thanks to AAPath 2025 exhibitors and sponsors who have demonstrated their early commitment to academic pathology! Exhibitor and sponsor opportunities are explained in the 2025 Exhibitor Prospectus, along with a link to apply for them. To view the current organizations and companies who are exhibiting, or to learn more and apply today, visit the AAPath website at:

www.academicpathology.org/AAPath2025-Exhibits. Don’t miss out on the exposure to more than 400 academic pathology decision makers, influencers, and leaders in an intimate setting for exchanging ideas and information on current and hot topics and technology in practice, education, and research.

If you have any questions or know of a vendor/company/organization who needs to be at the AAPath Annual Meeting, please share the link with them and contact exhibits@academicpathology.org.

Made possible by the generous donors to the Society of ’67, the philanthropic arm of the AAPath, eight medical students, five residents, and one APEX Affiliate member will be attending the Annual Meeting and joining the network of academic pathology leaders in the AAPath community. Their participation provides an opportunity to familiarize themselves with career opportunities in pathology and the critical role of pathology in healthcare delivery, research, and education.

The Society of ’67 supports programs that foster the development of academic pathology and future leaders in academic practice, education, and research. The Society's name honors the founding of the AAPath (formerly APC), which occurred in 1967. Your gift to the Society helps achieve this vision. The Society provides a vehicle for individuals, families, and corporate partners to invest in the future and legacy of academic pathology to advance and improve health care. Make a difference by donating today!

Advocacy

From the desk of AAPath’s Deputy Director, Lydia P. Howell, MD

AAPath is continuing to monitor the many changes in the federal government and working with our partners to support you in these uncertain times. Here is what’s happening:

• Our new Town Hall series focusing on government changes launched on April 9^th and additional dates will be announced soon. Over 60 registrants participated in the first Zoom event which featured updates on research funding terminations and NIH reorganization from AAMC’s Andrew Herrin, Senior Legislative Analyst, and Anurupa Dev, Director of Science Policy and Strategy, as well as strategies from Chairs and Executives at a variety of departments on how they are weathering these changes. Future topics will include   concerns on the withdrawal of visas for international students, trainees and faculty, potential reduction in Medicaid funding, and other issues that touch every mission of an academic department.
• Issues that we are monitoring:
  • NIH grant terminations: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) filed an amicus brief on April 18^th in support of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts et al. vs. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The AAMC and their consortium of other national educational organizations support the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction against the abrupt termination of NIH grants by the federal government. They provide “a detailed account of how termination of NIH grants will cause long-term and irreversible harm to the biomedical research system established by Congress.” AAMC Files Amicus Brief in NIH Grants Termination Lawsuit | AAMC
  • NIH reorganization: An article in MedPage Today on April 17^th describes a proposal with deep cuts to the NIH budget. Elimination and/or consolidation of many institutes are also part of this proposal. Many organizations, including AAPath are concerned and are closely following this proposal, which will require Congressional approval. NIH Centers Slashed, Consolidated in Leaked HHS Budget Document | MedPage Today
• What you can do:
  • AAMC and other organizations, including the American Association for Clinical Research (AACR) continue to recommend grassroots efforts by you and your universities to share the value of what you do. Consider working with your institution’s government affairs staff andinvite your elected representatives into your laboratories to meet your faculty and hear how their discoveries are improving lives, transforming health, and creating economic impact in your community.
  • Subscribe to AAMC’s free weekly Washington Highlights to receive Capitol Hill and regulatory updates directly to your inbox: www.aamc.org/advocacy-policy/washington-highlights.
  • Send us your news stories from your school about your department’s work and your Lab Week activities – we will collate these as a resource for our members and staff to help each other in our advocacy efforts. Please submit at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/LabWeek2025 no later than April 30, 2025.
• LDT countdown: Don’t forget, the FDA’s regulation of LDTs is not over yet – the FDA has 60 days to appeal the judge’s decision, reached on March 31^st, that LDT regulation is not within the FDA’s authority. Though the FDA is not expected to file an appeal, they could choose to do so as a placeholder as they consider other strategies. Mark your calendars for May 30^th, the deadline for the FDA to file an appeal.
• And a bit of hope – appeals to the NIH regarding grant termination can work! A $36 million Alzheimer’s grant was recently restored to Principal Investigator and neurologist Charles DeCarli, MD, at UC Davis. Details of his appeal are reported in a UC Davis Cal Matters news report: Trump administration restores dementia research it gutted as part of its DEI purge. Dr. DeCarli worked with university counsel for three weeks on an 18-page appeal, which highlighted the major scientific priorities reflected in the grant, including a law passed by Congress more than a decade ago. Notably, DEI formed the basis of the termination, and the appeal importantly clarified the scientific value of including the racial and ethnic demographics of the people of California in the study’s design.

Thanks for your faith and hope in AAPath and our efforts to keep you up to date and to advocate on your behalf.

Resources

The 2024 Academic Pathology Faculty and Administrators Compensation Benchmarking Survey is NOW OPEN! The study platform is designed to confidentially collect data from participating departments and transform into a member-interrogated reporting system when the data collection period is closed. For participating departments that complete the required questions (to be eligible to access data), the anonymized and aggregated results are sortable by a variety of self-selected metrics. Now entering our third year of data collection, AAPath believes these studies address a critical need for members to have useful comparative regional and national data to assist in recruitment, retention, and discussions with institutional leadership.

Access instructions to the platform were sent to authorized AAPath Chair Members and APEX members on March 25^th. If you did not receive this email, please contact the AAPath Office at info@academicpathology.org. Visit the landing page for further information including access, if privileged, at: www.academicpathology.org/benchmarking. Privileged access to preliminary results of the 2024 Academic Pathology Faculty and Administrators Compensation Benchmarking Survey will be available shortly after May 31^st, so members are encouraged to submit as much data as possible by May 31^st.

The AAPath Clinical Service Leaders Committee (CSLC), in cooperation with the AAPath Practice & Management (P&M) Committee, developed a Promotion and Tenure Survey to assess the current landscape among member departments. Approved by AAPath Council, the survey is being conducted by CSLC members Aparna Mahajan, MD (University of Wisconsin) and Susanne Jeffus, MD (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) and was launched on April 14^th with a deadline of May 14^th. Chairs should be on the lookout for reminders to complete and forward the survey to their departmental faculty. If faculty are interested in contributing perspectives, please request the survey link from your Chair!

As a reminder, AAPath Committees and Sections have established affinity groups to address important needs relevant to academic pathology departments. In addition to the Clinical Service Leaders, Chairs may appoint faculty and staff leaders to join the Communications Professionals Group, the Post-Sophomore Fellowship Directors Group, the PhD Program Leaders Group, the Vice Chairs of Education Group, and the Vice Chairs of Research Group. For more information, visit https://www.academicpathology.org/committees or contact us at info@academicpathology.org.

The most recent affinity group for Chief Residents was recently developed by the PRODS and GMEAS Sections. To add your Chief Residents to the group, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AAPath_ChiefResident_Sign-Up.

The Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) Resources & Faculty Development materials are the official products of the National EPA Working Group, co-sponsored by the AAPath and the College of American Pathologists. EPAs are a competency-based assessment method anchored in trust. In pathology, EPAs are designed as a workplace-based assessment tool to capture entrustment decisions happening between faculty and trainees every day. The EPA Working Group recommends using them as frequent, low-stakes assessments to help trainees learn and assess their progress on day-to-day pathology tasks over time.

EPA Resources include: 

• background information on EPAs,
• instructions for implementing EPAs at your training program,
• EPA assessment tools (formative and summative)

EPA Faculty Development materials are an important step for programs already using EPAs or implementing them at your training program. This training can meet the ACGME requirements for Faculty Development. 

Faculty (and residents) can complete training on demand, with a certificate emailed after completion. Alternatively, training can be done as a group with discussion.

To learn more about EPAs and the resources created to utilize them visit: www.academicpathology.org/epa-training-resources. If you have questions or would like a member of the EPA Working Group’s speaker bureau to visit your institution and speak about the benefits of implementing competency-based medical education and EPAs, contact the EPA team at: epahelp@academicpathology.org.

AAPath’s Fellowship Directors Committeecreated an informational flyer to help trainees navigate pathology fellowship recruitment. This informational flyer provides a comprehensive overview of where all pathology fellowship subspecialties are in their recruitment plans for the Academic Years 2026-7 and 2027-8. We hope this information helps applicants better understand and prepare for the various fellowship recruitment processes. Share the Fellowship Application Resources webpage with your residents: www.academicpathology.org/fellowship-application-resources.

On April 3^rd, AAPath was proud to represent Pathology in the AAMC Virtual Specialty Forum (VSF) for medical students early in their specialty exploration. During the first hour, AAPath member Kamran Mirza, MD, PhD (University of Michigan) joined a surgeon and an interventional radiologist on the keynote panel called, “Finding Your Specialty Fit with Specialty Advisors,” facilitated by an AAMC representative. Each described their unique career journeys into their respective specialties, as well as provided their perspectives on integrating, rather than balancing, work responsibilities with overall life priorities.

Medical students then ventured to the virtual Exhibit Hall to visit 30 medical specialties over the course of the next two hours. The Pathology virtual booth was filled with helpful information and volunteers who “staffed” the booth. Students could download the resources (originating from the AAPath Student Opportunities webpage) and engaged via a chat platform with pathologists (faculty and residents) to hear about the wide range of career opportunities in pathology and learn how to develop into a well-qualified pathology residency applicant. All booths and their content are available in the Virtual Specialty Forum platform for viewing until May 3^rd by registering and accessing the platform at: https://aamcspecialtyforum2025.vfairs.com/. Special appreciation not only to Dr. Mirza for representing pathology on the specialty panel, but also to the AAPath members and Society of ’67 Kinney Scholar residents who volunteered their time during the event and chatted with dozens of medical students to make Pathology shine!

THANK YOU, VIRTUAL EXHIBIT BOOTH VOLUNTEERS!

• Philip Boyer, MD, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, East Carolina University
• Robert Christian, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University, and Society of ’67 Alumni Scholar
• Thomas Cummings, MD, Professor, Duke University
• Cynthia Hayne, MD, PhD, Program Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Meredith Herman, DO, Resident, University of Michigan, AAMC Organization of Resident Representatives (ORR)
• Nicole Jackson, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, and Society of ’67 Alumni Scholar
• Kristin Olson, MD, Associate Dean, Vice Chair, and Professor at University of California, Davis
• Jenny Zhang, MD, Fellow, University of Virginia, and Society of ’67 Alumni Scholar

UPCOMING EVENTS AND DEADLINES

In case you missed them, see the recordings of this past month’s AAPath Virtual Events for members at: www.academicpathology.org/past-virtual-events, including the PRODS Spring Virtual Meeting, the Virtual Town Hall on the New Realities of Research Funding, and the 1^st Annual AAPath QIPS Scholarship Forum (membership login required to access recordings). See the following for upcoming events and deadlines:

Thursday, May 1
2:00-4:00pm ET

PRODS
Virtual Bootcamp

Primarily for NEW Pathology Residency Program Directors and Associate Program Directors, but all PRODS are welcome to attend for refreshers!

Thursday, May 8
1:00-2:30pm ET

GMEAS
Virtual Bootcamp Essentials

For all GMEAS Members, new and experienced, to prepare for your next cycle of trainees and a sneak preview of the AAPath 2025 conference in July!

Friday, May 9
12:00-1:30pm ET

The Other AI: The Ins & Outs of Creating Your Acting/Sub Internship

Hear from three institutions (UC Davis, Rutgers, and Univ of Minnesota) on how they’ve implemented pathology sub-internships. Learn more about how to justify and establish Acting/Sub Internships or other options if you cannot establish one from the University of California, Davis; Rutgers University; and the University of Minnesota!

Thursday, May 15
1:00-2:00pm ET

AAPath Hot Topics Webinar Series: Dialing into Digital Pathology: Digital Pathology and AI: Bringing the Pathologist to the Center of Patient Care

The first in a new series from the Practice & Management Committee targeting Chairs, faculty, and administrators on learning from departments that are in various stages of implementing digital pathology systems. Hear about the UTMB pathology department’s  experience that illustrates how, rather than “replacing” pathologists, digital pathology and AI are enhancing the role of pathologists and earning credibility and respect within our institution and beyond.

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Publications

Academic Pathology is AAPath’s fully open-access, PubMed-indexed, peer-reviewed journal and part of the world-class collection of journals and pathology resources published by Elsevier, with visibility to a global audience of academic leaders through Science Direct and Clinical Key. Academic Pathology’s 2023 impact factor increased to 1.2 (from 1.0 in 2022) and ranked 64 of 88 journals in the Pathology category – one more reason to submit your manuscript to AAPath’s official journal!

Click here to view the latest issue of Academic Pathology and
subscribe to receive alerts when the latest issues are published!

Listserv Networks

Guidelines: Members are expected to abide by the AAPath listserv policies. For more information on AAPath's listservs, visit the AAPath website at: www.academicpathology.org/m-lists

Best Practice: When sending messages to the listserv, please be sure to include a short signature line with at least your name, role, institution, and email address so that other members can reach you directly if needed.

Archives: To view the archive of listserv messages, log in to your member profile and access the E-lists under My Features.

Job Postings

Do you have a job opening at your institution? Members can share openings with their section listserv network for free as a member benefit. Job openings can also be posted directly to the AAPath Career Center (Job Board), which has broad national visibility. Post or Search for Jobs at: https://careers.apcprods.org/

Find all previous issues of AAPath's Monthly e-News at: www.academicpathology.org/e-news

Contact Info:

Association for Academic Pathology

100 West 10^th Street, Suite 603, Wilmington, DE 19801

info@academicpathology.org