R. Bruce Williams, MD
September 2019—The CAP will sponsor next May the Pathologists Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. This is not just another meeting where you’ll learn to deal with changes happening around you that feel as if they are out of your control. No. This is a radical reinvention of a meeting where members will come together to achieve something specific—and move pathology forward. The Pathologists Leadership Summit is an integrated meeting that will be held annually in Washington, DC, to increase our presence and influence in Washington on critical issues affecting pathologists and our patients.
We will convene at the Grand Hyatt in DC, May 2–5, 2020, to strengthen our ability to communicate, persuade, and manage, drawing on content from the House of Delegates, the Engaged Leadership Academy, the Practice Management Workshop, and the Policy Meeting. The concept is to enhance skills so we can become better leaders and advocates for our specialty while strengthening ties to colleagues from multiple areas of the CAP. Full immersion is the way to go—all members are encouraged to attend the HOD meeting and stay for the Pathologists Leadership Summit.
This is an ambitious meeting, long in the making. We’re talking about moving from reacting to what happens to driving positive change by giving our members the tools to make things happen. Part of that is education—we’re aiming to take an in-depth look at artificial intelligence in laboratories. Another part is brainstorming—how to best support grassroots efforts and our state pathology societies. We’ll also dig deep on practice leadership and evolution—how to foster supportive and economically sustainable practice environments. And we’ll build your leadership and communication skills so you’ll become more effective advocates in the bargain. Then we’ll head to the Hill to lobby for positive change.
If you’re not convinced that the Pathologists Leadership Summit will be a good investment of your time, I have three words for you: Pathologists Quality Registry. The CAP lobbies for laws that protect the pathologist’s ability to provide high-quality services in a fair, competitive environment. We believe that getting paid fairly for the value your practice provides is essential to the future of providing outstanding patient care. That’s why we created the Pathologists Quality Registry. One reason the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services continually approves our registry, now with 28 quality measures, is because our member volunteers and advocacy staff had long since established our credibility. Pathologists who use the registry can readily demonstrate the quality of their work, thereby avoiding MIPS penalties and potentially earning positive payment adjustments. So, yes, I think the Pathologists Leadership Summit is a good place to invest your time.
The second new event I’d like you to know about is Pathology in the Park, June 22–25, 2020, an opportunity for amazing learning in an incredible setting: Yosemite National Park. Education in the morning will feature top speakers in breast pathology, gastrointestinal pathology, and hematopathology; afternoons will be set aside to explore the park with your family, other attendees, or both. Rooms can be reserved at the legendary Tenaya Lodge and registration is open now. If you have been to Yosemite, I need not say more. If you have not been there, this is the time. Bring the family if you can and expect an unforgettable experience.
The third topic I’d like to address is one of some urgency: protecting and promoting our specialty by fostering interest in pathology careers. Residents, fellows, and new-in-practice pathologists are among our most dynamic members; we can count on their continuing help. If recruitment began in medical school, this would be a short conversation, but the process of discernment can begin long before then—or, as in my case, long before students themselves know it.
I shared my personal story in the June column. During medical school, it was my good fortune to stumble into a summer job in the laboratory, where I met a group of outstanding pathologists who showed me what I didn’t know I wanted. All of us encounter young people with an interest in science or medicine or both. Each of us can encourage them to consider pathology by talking to them about what we do and sponsoring laboratory tours so they can see what our workplaces are like. Many will respond to the appeal of pathology, just as we did.
Those who practice in a medical school environment can promote one of the most effective recruitment tools I know: pathology interest groups led by residents who can talk about their own experiences, give tours of the laboratory, and above all listen. When scientifically engaged medical students encounter encouraging mentors close to their age, good things happen. When those mentors are open about the satisfactions of pathology (and serve pizza), those conversations will likely recur. Please do your part to enrich our pool of promising new pathologists. They are our future. Making them welcome is part of our job.
My good friend Patrick Godbey, MD, is all set to succeed me as CAP president. At about the time you read this, he’ll be managing the team and I’ll be a participant on the field. I have greatly enjoyed serving as your president and representing the CAP. We have terrific members and staff who work smart and hang tough to keep our patients safe and ease their healing. It has been a privilege to meet so many of you and work together to protect the safety of our patients, the quality of our work, and the future of our specialty. Thank you for all those things.
Thanks to all who are as engaged as I am. Please step out of the bleachers and join us on the field if you haven’t already. You have a lot to offer, and it will be great fun. I’ll look forward to seeing you there.
Dr. Williams welcomes communication from CAP members. Write to him at president@cap.org.