Articles from College of American Pathologists

A new virtual artificial intelligence (AI) platform for pathologists will debut at CAP25, September 13-16 in Orlando, to give pathologists experience with the technology.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists, has honored Emily E. Volk, MD, MBA, FCAP, with the Pathologist of the Year award. This award, presented at CAP’s annual meeting held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from October 19-22, 2024, recognizes her outstanding contributions to the field of pathology.

Robert Johnson joined the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as senior vice president of Strategic Communications and Marketing. Johnson will oversee advocacy communications, media relations, customer communications, internal communications, marketing strategy and content creation along with publications.

Amber Williams has joined the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as Senior Vice President for Membership, Learning/Education, and Meetings. Williams will lead the strategic integration of membership services, professional learning, and CAP meetings, focusing on providing members with the tools and knowledge they need to excel.

Terri Dickinson-Creasey, JD, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) at the College of American Pathologists (CAP), has been named PRSA Chicago’s 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year. This award recognizes her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity within the CAP and across the broader community.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) announces its new vice president of Education and Publications. In this role, Tina Schwartz will oversee the development and implementation of educational initiatives and publications that support pathologists in their practices and professional growth.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the world’s leading organization of board-certified pathologists, announced today that Michael Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE, FCPP, is joining the CAP as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Fraser brings more than 25 years of medical association management experience, as well as a track record of solid leadership in the health care sector.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) updated the “Principles of Analytic Validation of Immunohistochemical Assays” guideline to provide increased precision and accuracy of clinical immunohistochemical assays. This update assesses evidence published since the release of the original guideline in 2014 and provides new recommendations on how to analytically validate/verify immunohistochemical assays used for diagnostic and predictive purposes.

Caring for children and aging parents or grandparents can be challenging, especially while trying to work. That’s why the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the leading organization of board-certified pathologists, has partnered with Homethrive to offer its intuitive caregiving platform to any of their employees who care for a loved one due to age, disability, or a medical condition.

“Excited delirium” is not a medical diagnosis and should no longer be used as a cause of death. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) supports this recent position issued by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). This position is also supported by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

Qihui “Jim” Zhai, MD, FCAP, is the newly elected President-elect of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Dr. Zhai was inaugurated at a meeting of the membership on Saturday, October 7, 2023.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and the leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, honored several of its members for their contributions to pathology and laboratory medicine during its annual meeting, in Chicago, Illinois October 7-10, 2023.

Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP, is the newly elected President of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). At a meeting of the membership on Saturday, October 7, 2023, Dr. Karcher was inaugurated as the organization’s 38th President.

Molecular testing laboratories using College of American Pathologists (CAP) proficiency testing (PT) programs exhibit excellent testing performance based on a recent reanalysis of a pilot study that was published in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has released a “Products of Conception Guidance Document” as a resource for pathologists on the evidence-based best practices for processing and reporting of pregnancy tissues/products of conception (POC) specimens.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has released the 2023 edition of the Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists. Infused with best practices, our 21 discipline-specific accreditation checklists provide a clear roadmap for not only achieving accreditation but also for running a high-quality laboratory. Checklists are updated annually to help laboratories stay current with rapidly evolving advances in laboratory medicine, technology, and regulatory compliance.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is updating the 2017 evidence-based practice guideline, “Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing in Head and Neck Carcinomas,” which is available today in draft form for public comment through September 1, 2023 on cap.org.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have reaffirmed the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Breast Cancer Testing Guidelines, reducing confusion over terminology for reporting HER2 results.

College of American Pathologists (CAP) President Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP met with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Health Braintrust during a forum to discuss strategies to address inequities in health care on March 10. Dr. Volk provided an overview of the CAP’s work to eliminate disparities in diagnostic algorithms and reference ranges, as well as current advocacy policies supporting Medicaid expansion and mitigating social determinants of health.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) Press, released volume two of the Color Atlas of Hematology—on bone marrow. Volume two guides readers through morphologic identification of cells based on proficiency testing. Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP, of George Washington University, writes in the foreword, “This book is an eminently readable, practical, and in many respects entertaining resource for anyone interested in bone marrow morphology, physiology, and pathophysiology.”

Contracting the monkeypox virus (mpox) while pregnant can cause Congenital Mpox Syndrome, placental infection, and stillbirth, according to an article posted online in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the scientific journal published by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

Precision medicine continues to gain momentum from the laboratory benchtop to the patient's bedside, with the CAP leading—as it has for over 10 years—in improving quality of next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing through laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing (PT) programs.

This Fall, Winifred L. Williams, PhD, MPA, joined the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as senior vice president, Communications, Governance Services, and Human Resources. In this role, Dr. Williams will lead the CAP in developing strategies and implementing plans to elevate Communications, Governance, Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Working with the Executive Operations Team and the Board of Governors, she will proactively identify and address emerging issues and trends that may impact our members, customers, patients, and employees, while working to support and sustain a healthy, high-performing culture enterprise-wide with an emphasis on staff and member engagement.

Published on October 24, 2022, the College of American Pathologists’ (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists introduces enhancements with the new 2022 edition to clarify and simplify the inspection process for both laboratories and inspectors. With the annual release of the 21 discipline-specific checklists, the CAP continues to serve its laboratory partners and their patients with rigorous requirements confirming regulatory compliance while applying modern best practices in laboratory medicine.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the world’s largest organization for the medical doctors who diagnose and study disease, recognized several of its members for their contributions to pathology and laboratory medicine during its annual meeting, in New Orleans, Louisiana October 8-11, 2022.

The Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has awarded accreditation to National Cancer Center Hospital East (Kashiwa City, Japan) based on results of a recent on-site inspection as part of the CAP’s Accreditation Programs.

A new College of American Pathologists (CAP) evidence-based guideline is among the first to address testing based less on the cancer type or tumor origin and more on the methodology and status of a biomarker—in this case, microsatellite testing and deficient mismatch repair process assessment.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) President Emily Volk, MD, FCAP, released the following statement regarding the draft Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee authorization bill by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The discussion draft of the bill includes sections of the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act to provide greater regulatory oversight of laboratory-developed tests (LDTs).

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) President Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP, released the following statement on the Health Equity and Accountability Act:

Terri Dickinson-Creasey, Esq. joins the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this newly created role, Ms. Dickinson-Creasey will work closely with the CAP Executive Operations team and DE&I advisory group to lead the implementation, tracking, and evolution of the DE&I strategy, as well as contribute her expertise on DE&I trends and best practices. In addition, she will advise leaders on creating and sustaining a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, and collaborate with colleagues across the CAP to champion those efforts.

For National Minority Health Month this April, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) calls for Congress to act on legislation that addresses the social determinants of health in the United States. The CAP will also join with federal agencies and communities across the country by raising awareness for the importance of vaccines and booster shots as vital tools against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unvaccinated pregnant women risk delivering stillborn babies due to placental failure caused by COVID-19 infection, which destroys the placenta and deprives the fetus of oxygen, according to research reported online in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the scientific journal published by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s flawed implementation of the No Surprises Act. In the amicus brief, the CAP warned the government’s actions will cause substantial harm and further drive more physicians out of their patients’ health plan networks.

The College of American Pathologists President Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP, released the following statement in support and urges quick passage of the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act.:

CAP President Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP released the following statement on the introduction of the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021 in the House of Representatives:

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) strongly opposes new federal regulations that give insurance companies the upper hand during what should be an impartial independent dispute resolution (IDR) process as set in the No Surprises Act. The interim final rule for the IDR process, released on September 30, disregards Congress’s intentions of creating a fair system where physicians and health insurers can resolve disputes without one single factor having more weight than another.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the world’s largest organization for the medical doctors who diagnose and study disease, recognized several of its members for their contributions to pathology and laboratory medicine during CAP21 “Advancing Medicine Today & Tomorrow.” Meeting participants had the option to attend virtually or in-person at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois, September 25-28, 2021.

In a ceremony at the College of American Pathologists (CAP) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP, was sworn in as president-elect of the physician and medical laboratory organization.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) will host its CAP21 Annual Meeting with timely and informative educational sessions from Sat., Sept. 25 through Tues., Sept. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

With the release of the 2021 edition of the College of American Pathologists’ (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists on September 22, 2021, the CAP continues to serve patients and the medical community with stringent requirements laboratories must achieve to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) regulations for laboratory testing.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Cancer Leadership Council are encouraging all health care workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation announced in July 2021 a new fundraising campaign with a minimum goal of $2 million that will secure life-saving cancer screening and pathology education and training programs for the next decade.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) new evidence-based clinical practice guideline, “Laboratory Detection and Initial Diagnosis of Monoclonal Gammopathies,” establishes recommendations that pathologists and clinicians can implement to better manage testing and improve the accurate diagnoses of patients with monoclonal gammopathies (MGs). The guideline was published August 4, 2021, as an early online release in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

The College of American Pathologists is updating its 2014 evidence-based guideline “Principles of Analytic Validation of Immunohistochemical (IHC) Assays.” An expert panel has drafted updated recommendations, which are now open for comment from August 4-August 25, 2021.

"Grossing, Staging, and Reporting–An Integrated Manual of Modern Surgical Pathology,” released this month from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Press, guides readers through producing a comprehensive, succinct pathology report that emphasizes the factors that directly determine the quality of patient care.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) released updates to the CAP Cancer Protocols, clinical guidance for reporting pathologic features in the treatment of cancer patients, in late June 2021. The updates include changes to the CAP Biomarker Protocols which provide reporting guidance for commonly ordered biomarkers.

College of American Pathologists (CAP) President Patrick Godbey, MD, FCAP, issued the following regarding the reintroduction of the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act of 2021. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) on June 24 released the VALID Act, which would provide regulatory oversight of laboratory-developed tests.

With a national shortage of certain test tubes to collect blood for coagulation testing, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) published recommendations on June 15 for ordering physicians, nurses, and laboratories to follow until supplies for the tubes return to normal levels. The CAP reviewed the recommendations to address the shortage of 3.2% sodium citrate blue top tubes with officials from the US Food and Drug Administration. Shortages are expected to persist throughout the rest of 2021.