American Society for Clinical Pathology - WNYC Radiolab Features Pathologist’s Role in Disease Diagnosis

Family X has suffered for generations from a deadly "curse." Most of the men in the family died, some at very young ages, from pancreatic cancer. Seeking to break the pattern, a father comes to gastroenterologist Teri Brentnall, MD and her research partner, pathologist Mary Bronner, MD, FASCP, for answers.

WNYC Radiolab chronicles their decade-long race to find the source of the disease, during which Drs. Brentnal and Bronner find themselves drawing blood samples in the bathroom of a sandwich shop and pulling in other researchers to ferret out answers until they could announce a powerful discovery. The 12-minute long audio program presents the lay public with an insider’s view of the pathologist’s role in diagnosing disease.

Listen to the story here.

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documents

ASCP President Stoler Discusses Gene Patents in Radio Interview
In this radio interview, hear ASCP President Mark H. Stoler, MD, FASCP, discuss the drawbacks for patients of patents on human genes. The story also addresses ASCP’s reason for joining forces with the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit contesting the legality of these patents.

Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Gene Patents Denied
A federal district judge has denied Myriad Genetics’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit opposing patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, whose mutations are associated with an increased hereditary risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

2009 Annual Meeting Awards
Several awards and Masterships were presented at the 2009 ASCP Annual Meeting. more...

U.S. laboratories to be overloaded with swine flu tests
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- As the outbreak of H1N1, also known as swine flu, is spreading, U.S. laboratories could see a big surge in their testing workload this fall, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) warned on Friday. This would lead to delays in tests for other diseases, potentially putting some patients at risk, the society said. A large spike in swine flu screenings could clog a lab system already struggling with a shortage of workers, the ASCP said. more...

CDC Awards ASCP $5.5 Million for Global Laboratory Outreach
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute for Global Outreach has been awarded $5.5 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue the Society’s collaborative work with the agency in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) during 2009-10. more...

ASCP BOR and NCA Form Single Certification Agency
The American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (BOR) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) on July 21, 2009, signed an agreement forming a single certification agency for medical laboratory professionals. The agency will be called the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). The agreement is effective on Friday, October 23, 2009. At that time, the NCA will be dissolved as a corporation. more...

BOC Volunteer Introduces ASCPⁱ to Japan
Hideo Sakamoto, PhD, a member of the ASCP Board of Certification’s international certification consortium, wrote an article in a recent issue of the Japanese Journal of Clinical Laboratory Instruments and Reagents. In the article, “Introduction of the Medical Technologist Licensure System in the United States of America and ASCPⁱ” Sakamoto summarizes the MT licensure system in the USA and discusses ASCPⁱ. The journal's website can be found here.

Teen Diagnoses Self in Science Class
A high school student in Washington state diagnosed her own Crohn's disease while in an advanced placement science class. Since 4th grade, Jessica Terry was living with an indeterminable stomach disorder with symptoms, including severe vomiting and diarrhea, that kept her out of school a number of days. Doctors seemed baffled and couldn’t determine specifically what was wrong with her—until she diagnosed herself while reviewing a sample of her own intestinal tissue by microscope. more...

Workforce Shortage Making National News
The Wall Street Journal reported on the laboratory workforce shortage and its impact on laboratories’ ability to keep up during the swine flu crisis. Meanwhile, US News and World Report highlighted career opportunities in the lab in the story, "A Guide to Confusing (but Promising) Healthcare Jobs."
more...

Medical Laboratory Scientists wanted
ABC affiliate in Topeka, KS, KTKA-TV reports on the lab workforce shortage: A hospital needs more than just doctors and nurses. Hospitals like Coffey County Hospital are having a tough time finding lab professionals.
more...

ASCP Joins ACLU Lawsuit Opposing Gene Patents
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a lawsuit challenging the legality of patents on human genes—specifically, patents covering the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with breast and ovarian cancer.
more...

CNN Recognizes “Heroes in Lab Coats”
Noted author and CNN contributor Bob Greene lauds the quiet professionals working in the world’s laboratories. more...

publications

Share Your News
Laboratory professionals and pathologists share news about yourselves, a colleague, or your employer. Contact Us!

Swine Flu - Information and Helpful Links
The ASCP is offering the general public and ASCP members a list of helpful links about human swine influenza. As new information becomes available, the information and guidance for the Swine Influenza outbreak is being updated frequently and posted on the CDC Swine Influenza (Swine Flu) website. more...

Critical Values
ASCP’s new quarterly newsmagazine for members, Critical Values, contains news and feature stories for the entire laboratory team. more...

education programs

ASCP Works With Baucus on Health Care Reform
A major public policy initiative of the Obama Administration is the overhaul of the nation’s health care system. The catalyst to such change will begin with legislative action in Congress; leading that shift is Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight over both Medicare and Medicaid. more...

ASCP Advocacy Efforts Focus on Developing the Workforce
Each year, advances in laboratory medicine add significantly to the already lengthy menu of tests available to aid clinicians in their practice of medicine. The emerging field of personalized medicine alone promises to add thousands of new complex assays to the mix. Physicians and their patients rely on access to accurate and timely laboratory results to determine the most effective course for treatment. Having an adequate supply of well-trained laboratory professionals to staff our nation’s clinical laboratories is critical if we are to continue to be able to offer high quality health care to our citizens. more...

ASCP ePolicy News
Read the latest advocacy news from ASCP's Washington DC office. more...

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