Presenting Abstracts at the ASCP Annual Meeting Opens Doors for Researchers

There can be no underestimating the beneficial impact of having an abstract chosen for display at an ASCP Annual Meeting. Examples abound of the value to individual presenters, for research programs and institutions, for the practice of pathology and for patient care.

Whether a poster is about improving workflow efficiency in the lab, new genomics approaches, virtual microscopy applications for pathology education, or better laboratory clinical utilization in a community hospital, there is a place for it at an ASCP Annual Meeting. Many past presenters at ASCP Annual Meetings have gone on to receive increased funding, recognition and even national media attention.

Presenting new scientific discoveries is a significant achievement. “As a researcher, to be able to share your data with colleagues is so important,” Grace Leu-Burke, MSCLS, MT(ASCP), winner of the Best Oral Post Award at ASCP 2018 Baltimore, said. “If we make a discovery and it could teach someone else, we need the opportunity to present that data. Also, it’s just so exciting when, after presenting the research, someone comes up to you and encourages you to submit your work for possible publication in an ASCP journal.”

She conducted an outcome-based study titled, "Hypoalbuminemia as an Emergency Department Triage Indicator for Hospital Admission." The research was part of her master’s thesis at Michigan State University.  

Explaining her research, she says, “As I looked at the importance of adequate albumin levels to maintain physiological support, yet during inflammatory process albumin production halts until the body recovers. Is it possible, then, to link low levels with poor physiological status and subsequent inability for patient recovery without clinical intervention such as hospitalization.”

Her research, approved by Salina Regional Health Center and Michigan State University Institutional Review Boards, involving 6,046 albumin levels, statistically linked low albumin levels in ED patients to hospital admission, independent of age, sex, and clinical diagnosis. “Although no single parameter should indicate hospital admission, I believe using my albumin algorithm could provide insight in admission determination in patients with vague symptoms along with multiple comorbidities,” she says. “In other words, you just don’t know what to do with this patient and the albumin level could help you decide whether to admit or ED discharge.”

Another example is Hermineh Aramin, MD, who received the ASCP 2018 Best Education Practice Poster. She notes that presenting a poster also provides an opportunity to engage with other researchers who may be interested in the same subject.

Dr. Aramin is primarily interested in dermatopathology and gastrointestinal pathology. Her project, titled “Utilization of Immunohistochemical stains for Helicobacter pylori in mild chronic gastritis,” was a retrospective study. It was performed on gastric biopsy specimens to investigate possible missed cases of HP infection in patients with the diagnosis of mild chronic gastritis and no sign of active (neutrophilic) inflammation. The results of this study suggest that routine use of immunohistochemical stains for Helicobacter pylori is not necessary for patients with mild inactive chronic gastritis.

“Receiving this recognition increased my ability to continue my project,” she says. “Presenting in front of an audience can help with career advancement, as these presentations indicate creativity, critical thinking skills, leadership abilities, poise, and professionalism.”

Now is the time for others to take their place at the forefront of the discipline of pathology and laboratory medicine. The call for abstracts for ASCP 2019 Phoenix is open now through March 20, 2019. To learn more about submitting an abstract, click here.