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Strengthening the pathologist workforce is a central patient focused priority for ASCP, and these resources are designed to support educators, practicing pathologists, students, and professionals considering a career in the specialty. Through the ASCP Institute for Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP), the Society advances the visibility, clinical impact, and professional growth of pathologists by driving workforce research, informing policy, and championing advocacy efforts that sustain the future of the field.
ASCP empowers the pathology workforce through evidence-based research and strategic partnerships, driving policy change to ensure a resilient, well-supported, and future-ready healthcare system.
The landscape of U.S. pathology is shaped by a seasoned, steadily growing workforce—professionals who are largely mid career or older, trained both domestically and abroad, and distributed unevenly across the country. As a specialty that represents just a small fraction of all U.S. physicians, pathology reveals its identity through its demographic contrasts, geographic patterns, and evolving compensation trends, painting a vivid picture of who pathologists are and how they fit into the broader medical community.
Pathology faces a growing supply–demand gap driven by an aging workforce, rising clinical needs, and a training pipeline that cannot keep pace, all while job postings continue to surge nationwide. At the same time, pathologists experience high rates of burnout and persistent public misconceptions about their role, underscoring the specialty’s urgent need for greater visibility, support, and workforce planning.
Pathology is rapidly evolving through digital transformation, with advances in whole slide imaging, AI driven diagnostics, and emerging technologies that expand accuracy, efficiency, and global collaboration. As these tools reshape workflows, pathologists remain essential stewards of diagnostic excellence, navigating technical, regulatory, and ethical challenges while working to improve worldwide access to high quality diagnostic care.
ASCP works both independently and in close partnership with dozens of other organizations to support regulations that maximize laboratory medicine's role in improving patient health. Here are just a few examples of recent ASCP-led advocacy efforts focused on supporting and elevating the pathology workforce.
ASCP works collaboratively with a wide network of organizations to strengthen the laboratory workforce and expand awareness of careers in laboratory medicine. Through these partnerships, ASCP advances educational initiatives, workforce development, and public engagement efforts that support and elevate pathologists and lab professionals across clinical and public health settings.
In 2023, ASCP established the Medical and Public Health Laboratory Workforce Coalition, uniting 28 organizations to raise awareness of laboratory testing professions and inspire individuals to pursue careers in laboratory medicine. Discover more resources and ways to get involved.
ASCP partnered with George Mason University and the National Center on Forensics to develop forensic pathology sessions and webinars, designing the content and recruiting subject matter experts.
The following sessions are available to watch for free.
The Pathologist Council and Resident Council together serve as key voices for ASCP’s Pathologist and Pathology Resident members, ensuring strong communication between the Society and these professional groups. Collectively, the councils guide strategies for recruitment and retention, advocate on issues affecting the pathology community, and identify opportunities to enhance member resources, products, and services.
These external dashboards offer physician workforce trends and data, providing context and meaningful comparisons between the pathology workforce and the broader physician workforce.
