Medical Students Immersed in Pathology During at 2025 ASCP Annual Meeting

ASCP launched the Medical Student Engagement Session at the 2025 ASCP Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. The session was designed to increase medical students’ exposure to pathologists, the role pathologists play on the healthcare team, and pathology career options for medical students.

The session, “Pathologists and Patients: A Career Exploration for Medical Students,” incorporated interactive, case-based activities that highlighted the essential role of pathologists in diagnostic decision-making, offering medical students a deeper understanding of pathology's contributions to patient care. 

Pathologists guided the audience of medical students through real-world clinical scenarios using compelling, human-centered stories from ASCP Patient Champions. These stories immersed students in the diagnostic journey and highlighted the interdisciplinary collaboration that is the foundation of pathology.

“The session displayed how the entire healthcare team works together on behalf of the patient. We stressed the importance that the medical team ensures patients understand test results and treatments, and to encourage patients to ask questions and bring an advocate with them to help process information and next steps,” shares ASCP Patient Champion, Patricia Ellinger, MSEd, MASCP, MLS^CMSBB^CM, who was paired with a pathologist, Vihar Patel, MD, FASCP, for one of the case studies.  

Unlike other specialties, because many institutions do not require a pathology clinical rotation, typical medical students often have little to no exposure to pathology careers. This lack of exposure contributes to workforce development challenges.

After the success of the inaugural medical student engagement session, ASCP’s Workforce Initiatives team plans to make this an annual must-attend for medical students and possibly high school students, thus ensuring students have opportunities to participate in this unique career exploration experience every year.

Learn more about ASCP Workforce Initiatives.