CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
Dr.Roy-Chowdhuri
He hopes the app will help level the playing field for cytology trainees. Not all programs have extensive and diverse collections of cytology material, Dr. Roy-Chowdhuri notes, and trainees at institutions with smaller collections may be at a disadvantage—one that may be more acute in countries with fewer resources. Dr. Singh says he spoke with colleagues in India, where some pathology residents cannot afford expensive cytology textbooks but most have access to smartphones.
Dr. Singh
In addition to providing easier access to study materials for students in the U.S. and worldwide, CytoAtlas provides an interactive approach to learning cytology.
Dr. Singh says they are planning to continue expanding the app to include more disease entities and unusual disease presentations.
As the app becomes more comprehensive, practicing pathologists also may find it a useful tool. Already one pathologist contacted Dr. Singh to say he used the tool to help with a differential diagnosis and thinks it could be useful for trainees during the workup of their cases.
Drs. Singh and Roy-Chowdhuri are seeking grants and other support to continue building and improving the app, which they have financed on their own. They also are working to promote the app.
“We want to spread the word so people use it,” Dr. Roy-Chowdhuri says.
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Bridget Kuehn is a writer in Chicago.
