Stanley J. Robboy, MD, was presented Sept. 7 with the Pathologist of the Year award during an evening event at the CAP ’14 annual meeting in Chicago. At the same event, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Seema Sethi, MD, was honored as Resident of the Year, and Samir Sami Amr, MD, received the Pathology Advancement award. The CAP Foundation Gene and Jean Herbek Humanitarian award went to Barbarajean Magnani, PhD, MD, who was given a second award: the Distinguished Patient Care award.
Seventeen others received CAP or CAP Foundation awards at other times during CAP ’14.
Dr. Robboy was honored for his leadership during his term as the College’s 32nd president. He also was recognized for his contributions to the CAP spanning more than 40 years as a member, vice chair, and chair of numerous project teams, committees, and councils.
“Serving as CAP president was one of the highlights of my profession,” Dr. Robboy said in his published note of acceptance of the award.
He is a professor in and vice chair of the Department of Pathology and a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University, Durham, NC.
Dr. Seema Sethi’s Resident of the Year award was for her dedication to pathology and her accomplishments as an author and researcher. She is a fourth-year resident at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit.
Dr. Amr was given the Pathology Advancement award for his dedication to improving laboratory quality and his efforts to expand the number of CAP-accredited laboratories in the Middle East.
In 2001, the late Hans Peters, MD, international commissioner for the Laboratory Accreditation Program, asked Dr. Amr to be the deputy commissioner for the Middle East. At that time, there were five CAP-accredited main laboratories in Saudi Arabia, among them Dr. Amr’s laboratory at Dhahran Health Center, where he served as chair of pathology. After 14 years in that role, Dr. Amr is gratified that the reputation and the high regard for the CAP are prompting more laboratories to seek CAP accreditation, now 35 in eight countries.
He is president of the International Academy of Pathology and chairman of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The CAP Foundation presented Dr. Magnani with its Gene and Jean Herbek Humanitarian Award for her dedication to and leadership and compassion in providing women in underserved communities with direct-patient services and health screenings through the Foundation’s See, Test & Treat program.
Dr. Magnani was given the Distinguished Patient Care award for her expertise in toxicology and her work in improving pain management and patient care.
She is pathologist-in-chief at Tufts Medical Center and a professor and chair of anatomic and clinical pathology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. She is the former chair of the CAP’s Toxicology Resource Committee and is currently a member of the CAP’s Council on Scientific Affairs.
Other awards presented were as follows:
Distinguished Patient Care award, to Gary L. Horowitz, MD, for his leadership in challenging instrument manufacturers on patient safety issues, which resulted in tangible improvements in diagnostic testing.
Dr. Horowitz is a pathologist in the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and an associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. He is chair of the Chemistry Resource Committee and a member of the Accuracy-Based Committee.
Distinguished Patient Care award, to Thomas M. Wheeler, MD, for his contributions to patient care as a communicator, educator, and leader in pathology of prostate and other genitourinary cancers. Most notably, the CAP honors Dr. Wheeler for leading the development of and serving as the director for the CAP Prostate Advanced Practical Pathology Program.
Dr. Wheeler holds the W. L. Moody Jr. professorship and chair in pathology and is chair of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
Outstanding Service award, to Gail H. Vance, MD, for leading the development of the CAP genomics strategy and for her work on regulatory and legislative issues related to genomic and molecular medicine.
Dr. Vance is the Sutphin professor of cancer genetics and interim chair of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. She is also director of the Division of Diagnostic Genomics and the Indiana Familial Cancer Program.
Distinguished Service award, to Stephen J. Cina, MD, for his contributions to forensic pathology and exceptional efforts to ensure public health and safety.
Dr. Cina is Cook County chief medical examiner in Chicago. He is chair of the CAP Toxicology Committee.
Resident Advocate award, to Jan Glas, CAE, for her contributions to and support of pathology residents as manager of the CAP Residents Forum since 1997. She is CAP manager of resident engagement.
Lifetime Achievement award, to Charles S. Eby, MD, for his support of the College over the years, including representing the CAP internationally at the National External Quality Assessment Service Coordination Group in Blood Coagulation and service and leadership as Coagulation Resource Committee chair.
Dr. Eby is a professor in the Departments of Pathology and Immunology and Medicine and associate chief, Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, and medical director at Barnes-Jewish Hospital Clinical Laboratories, St. Louis.
Lifetime Achievement award, to Tracy I. George, MD, for her support of the College, including service and leadership as chair of the Hematology/Clinical Microscopy Resource Committee and as a member of the Council on Scientific Affairs, Quality Practices Committee, and Spokespersons Network.
Dr. George is chief of the Division of Hematopathology and director of the hematopathology fellowship program, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and Tricore Reference Laboratories, Albuquerque. She is also a pathologist at UNM Hospitals, UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, and Presbyterian.
Lifetime Achievement award, to Jerome L. Gottschall, MD, for his leadership and service with distinction over the years as a member, vice chair, and currently chair of the Transfusion Medicine Resource Committee.
Dr. Gottschall is a senior medical director at BloodCenter of Wisconsin. He is a professor of pathology at Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he is medical director of the transfusion service at Froedtert Hospital.
Lifetime Achievement award, to Michael J. Mitchell, MD, for his contributions to the CAP, specifically lending his expertise as a microbiologist as chair, vice chair, and member of the CAP Microbiology Resource Committee.
Dr. Mitchell is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. He also serves as scientific director of microbiology for Quest Diagnostics, New England Region.
Lifetime Achievement award, to William P. Newman III, MD, for his longtime support of the CAP as a regional commissioner for the Laboratory Accreditation Program. He was also recognized for his distinguished service as a professor of pathology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine, during which he played an integral role in the pathology education of medical students, residents, and fellows.
CAP Foundation Leadership Development award, to Melissa M. Blessing, DO, honoring her goal to serve as a lifelong public advocate for the specialty. In her first two years of residency, she served on the CAP Political Action Committee as a junior member, attended the Residents Forum as one of her program’s delegates, participated in CAP inspections, and contributed to various CAP publications. Dr. Blessing is a third-year resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
CAP Foundation Leadership Development award, to Eric Q. Konnick, MD, MS, for his engagement in health care policy at the state and national levels. Dr. Konnick will apply the award to attend the 2015 CAP Policy Meeting in Washington, DC. He is a molecular genetic pathology fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle.
CAP Foundation Leadership Development award, to Patricia M. Raciti, MD, for her commitment to deepening her understanding of the forces shaping the specialty. The award gave her the opportunity to attend CAP ’14 and will make it possible for her to attend the 2015 CAP Policy Meeting in Washington, DC. She is a resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
Laboratory Improvement Programs award, to Patrick L. Fitzgibbons, MD, for his contributions to patient care and safety—specifically for his chairing the development of the CAP guideline “Principles of Analytic Validation of Immunohistochemical Assays.”
Dr. Fitzgibbons was honored also for his service as chair of the Cancer Biomarker Reporting Committee and as member of the Council on Scientific Affairs. He is a pathologist at St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, Calif.
Laboratory Accreditation Program Service award, to Frank R. Rudy, MD, for his dedication to the CAP’s accreditation program. He is the former chair of the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation, which he now serves as advisor. He is the former vice chair of the Council on Accreditation.
Dr. Rudy is the former chair of the Department of Laboratories at PinnacleHealth System and former president of Pathology Associates of Central Pennsylvania, both in Harrisburg, Pa.
Excellence in Teaching award, to Kim A. Collins, MD, for her innovative and engaging teaching techniques as faculty for the CAP annual meeting, the Engaged Leadership Academy, and the Multidisciplinary Breast Pathology Advanced Practical Pathology Program.
Dr. Collins is medical director of LifePoint, South Carolina’s organ and tissue donation procurement service.
Excellence in Education award, to Eric F. Glassy, MD, for his expertise and contributions to CAP Learning, CAP Press publications, and education across the College.
He is a member and past chair of the Publications Committee and a past member of the Council on Education and the Education Committee.
