ASCP Highlights the Role of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in NIH Strategic Plan Comments

• ASCP submitted comments on the draft NIH strategic plan, urging the agency to better recognize the impact that pathology and laboratory medicine has on its work.  

ASCP recently submitted comments on the National Institutes of Health’s FY27–FY31 Strategic Plan, emphasizing the essential role pathology and laboratory medicine plays in advancing the nation’s health research goals. ASCP noted that pathologists and laboratory professionals generate the biological data that fuels discovery, supports early detection, and enables precision therapies—directly contributing to NIH’s priorities to deepen foundational knowledge, promote health across the lifespan, and accelerate effective treatments and cures.  

ASCP also urged NIH to commit to strengthening the research workforce and urged the agency to explicitly include the medical and public health laboratory community in future training and funding initiatives. As diagnostics become more data‑driven and technologically complex, targeted investment in this workforce is critical to sustaining innovation, public health surveillance, and emergency response capacity.  

Finally, ASCP supports NIH’s focus on scientific stewardship and public trust. High‑quality laboratory operations, transparent research practices, and robust data integrity are central to producing reliable, patient‑centered science. By integrating laboratory expertise across its strategic priorities, NIH can ensure that pathology and laboratory medicine remain core drivers of a resilient and impactful biomedical research enterprise.