ASCP Continues Push to Stop FDA’s LDT Rule as Stage 1 Compliance Approaches 

The FDA’s final rule on laboratory developed tests (LDTs) is set to take effect on May 6, but ASCP continues to push for a delay through legal, legislative, and administrative channels. ASCP supports the Freedom for Laboratory Testing and Innovation Act, which would block FDA funding for implementing the rule, and has launched an Action Alert urging members to advocate for congressional support. Read more.  

Congress Fails to Fix Medicare 

Congress approved a budget bill on March 14, which President Trump has signed, but it did not include a fix for declining Medicare payment rates. ASCP and other medical organizations had urged Congress to reverse cuts to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) and plan to continue lobbying for Medicare payment reform and are urging their members to take action. Read more. 

Supreme Court Ruling on Coverage of Preventive Services Could Impact Patients and the Laboratory  

The USPSTF recently released updated draft recommendations for cervical cancer screening, maintaining a "Grade A" designation for co-testing, which ensures full insurance coverage under the ACA. In April, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge regarding whether USPSTF-recommended screenings, including cervical cancer tests, must remain fully covered at no cost to patients. ASCP is closely monitoring the case, as a ruling against coverage could reduce patient access to critical preventive tests like cancer, diabetes, and STD screenings. Read more. 

Advancing Laboratory Science: Key Takeaways from the COLA 2024 Workforce Action Alliance Summit 

COLA hosted its second annual summit on the medical laboratory workforce, bringing together industry leaders to assess progress and set new priorities. The resulting Workforce Action Alliance (WAA) Summit Proceedings Document outlines key efforts to address workforce shortages, including improved data collection, clearer career pathways, and future skill development, explores emerging trends like automation, AI, and value-based healthcare, and offers strategies to build a sustainable laboratory science workforce. Read more. 

Building Bridges Series Illuminates Laboratory Careers  

ASCP’s Building Bridges Across the Laboratory Community webinar series returned on February 12 and will focus on laboratory career pathways and the impact of formative experiences. This free, six-part series features expert panel discussions, offers 1.5 CMLE credits per session, and aims to elevate career visibility, support career transitions, and promote workforce retention. Read more.  

Interactive Amazing Lab Returns to ASCP KnowledgeLab Conference 

The Amazing Lab Race is an interactive educational event that uses a competition format to help laboratory leaders apply ASCP’s Negotiation and Advocacy Toolbox for effective lab advocacy. The event will return as the closing session of KnowledgeLab 2025 in Scottsdale, AZ, encouraging laboratory leaders to enhance their advocacy skills and secure leadership investment. Read more.  

Ring Scholars Highlight the Value of Scholarship 

The 2025-2026 application window for the Dr. Alvin Ring Empowerment Scholarship for Laboratory Professionals is now open, offering financial support for students pursuing medical laboratory education. This scholarship is designed for U.S. citizens from medically underserved or rural areas who aim to build laboratory capacity in their communities. Read more.  

The 2025-2026 application window for the Dr. Alvin Ring Empowerment Scholarship for Laboratory Professionals is now open, and eligible students pursuing medical laboratory education are encouraged to apply here. Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2025.  

This scholarship provides financial support for direct academic tuition or needs-based expenses for students interested in entering or advancing their medical laboratory education. Students must be U.S. citizens from medically underserved and/or rural areas looking to practice in and build laboratory capacity in their communities.  

This unique scholarship opportunity was recently featured in a ASCP Critical Values article titled, “Ring Scholarship Supports the Pipeline of Training Laboratory Professionals,” which profiles five recipients of the inaugural Ring Scholarships (Ring Scholars), offered for the 2024-2025 academic year. Through independent pathways, each of the Ring Scholars found professional fulfillment in the medical laboratory, with education supported (in part) through this valuable scholarship.  

Please share program information and promotional flyers (available in English and Spanish) widely with your Network!  

The Amazing Lab Race, a highly engaging live education event for laboratory leaders, leverages the format of the Amazing Race to bring awareness and application of the ASCP Negotiation and Advocacy Toolbox to laboratory advocacy efforts. This Toolbox provides clinical laboratory leaders with more than 100 free templates, tools, and resources developed and vetted by ASCP members, to adapt for a data-driven approach to advocating for their laboratory to C-Suite and hospital administration.  

The Amazing Lab Race competition first debuted at KnowledgeLab 2024 in San Antonio, Texas, where clinical laboratory leaders Stephanie Whitehead and Brittany Teeter brought home the Race trophy. Since then, Amazing Lab Races have been conducted at regional and national ASCP meetings in Chicago, IL, and Verona, NY, and have been shown to be an interactive and fun way to navigate the Toolbox materials, identify tools and resources of interest for advocacy efforts, and apply them to practical scenarios facing laboratory leaders.  

The Amazing Lab Race will be showcased at ASCP’s upcoming KnowledgeLab 2025 meeting as the closing general session on Tuesday, April 8:, “Amazing Lab Race 2025: Scottsdale, AZ – Building a High-Value Lab: Leveraging the Negotiation & Advocacy Toolbox to Win Leadership Investment.” ASCP encourages all new and seasoned laboratory leaders attending the meeting to participate in this unique and empowering event! 

The popular ASCP webinar series, Building Bridges Across the Laboratory Community (Building Bridges), kicked off its third series of webinars on February 12 with free registration available here.  

This year’s series will focus on highlighting the diverse array of laboratory career pathways and how exposure to formative experiences can shape these laboratory career trajectories. This multi-part series will feature five esteemed panelists per webinar session followed by a moderated Question & Answer session. Live attendance at each webinar session will confer 1.5 hours of CMLE credit.  

The goals of the series are to: 1) elevate the visibility of laboratory career pathways, 2) encourage those considering laboratory careers or navigating career changes to better understand and actualize career paths from peers, and 3) promote retention of the laboratory workforce through collaborative, enriching, and community-building discussion.  

The first webinar featured career trajectories of laboratory professionals in executive leadership positions across laboratory and healthcare systems and drew in over 300 attendees. The video recording of this inaugural webinar as well as the webinar presentation and supporting materials are freely available here. Register now for the entire series and share widely with your network of colleagues and trainees!   

In December, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released updated draft recommendations for cervical cancer screening for public comment. In our comment letter, ASCP thanked the Task Force for maintaining choice in cervical cancer screening and lauded the group for upholding a “Grade A” designation for co-testing. This designation pertains to insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), wherein screening tests designated as Grade A are fully covered with no cost to the patient. The final USPSTF cervical cancer screening recommendations are still pending. 

Relatedly, on January 10, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to whether screening services — including cervical cancer screening tests — recommended by the USPSTF must be fully covered at no charge to patients under the ACA. The court will likely hear arguments in this case in April and rule on the case in late June or July. The case has important implications for both laboratories and patients alike, as the covered preventive services include high-volume tests like diabetes and cholesterol testing, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, and cancer screenings. If the court rules that these services are no longer covered at no cost to patients, uptake by patients of these critical preventive testing services will likely decline. This is the first challenge to the ACA’s preventive services provision, but because this provision is one of the more popular of those in the ACA, it is ASCP’s hope that the court will rule that the services should remain covered. ASCP will monitor developments in this significant case as they arise.  

On March 14, Congress approved a budget bill funding the federal government for the rest of the 2025 fiscal year. The legislation was signed by President Trump the next day. Missing from the budget package, however, was a fix for the rapidly shrinking Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (payment rates today are 33 percent lower in real terms than in 2001). ASCP and its grassroots network of dedicated pathologists and laboratory professionals have been lobbying Congress to address declining Medicare payments, both for the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). In advance of Friday’s vote, ASCP joined 56 other organizations in a statement urging Congress to reverse this year’s cuts in the PFS as part of the budget deal. 

ASCP has been working with the American Medical Association and other concerned organizations to coordinate lobbying to fix the PFS. Last month, ASCP released an Action Alert supporting the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which would reverse the 2.84 percent 2025 cut in the PFS and provide a 2 percent update. ASCP also sent a letter to Congressional leaders endorsing the measure with the hope that it would be included in the recent budget bill.  

With the budget bill signed into law without a Medicare fix, ASCP and its allies will continue pushing Congress to address declining Medicare payment rates, both for the PFS and the CLFS. ASCP is asking its members and their colleagues to use the ASCP Action Alert to prod Congress to enact Medicare payment reform this year. ASCP will be releasing a separate Action Alert focused on the CLFS soon.  

The May 6 stage 1 implementation date for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final rule exercising regulatory oversight over laboratory developed tests (LDTs) is fast approaching. Despite this looming deadline, ASCP continues to press for a reprieve from the FDA’s requirements. ASCP is looking for intervention from multiple entities, including the Court, Congress, and the Trump Administration. 

ASCP recently endorsed legislation—the Freedom for Laboratory Testing and Innovation Act—that would prohibit the FDA from using any federal funds to implement the rule. In addition, ASCP has launched an Action Alert to empower our members and their colleagues to contact their congressional representatives and urge them to support this important bill. Please take part in this important initiative by using ASCP’s eAdvocacy Center here. Similarly, ASCP and almost all other pathology and laboratory medicine organizations strongly oppose the VALID Act, which would create a similar massively bureaucratic and costly oversight scheme giving the FDA oversight over LDTs. 

On February 19, oral arguments were heard in the combined lawsuits brought by the American Clinical Laboratory Association and the Association for Molecular Pathology against the FDA. ASCP filed an amicus brief with the Court opposing FDA’s oversight of LDTs. ASCP hopes to see a favorable decision by Judge Sean Jordon soon, possibly by the end of March. ASCP will report on the judge’s decision as soon as it is released.  

In addition, ASCP has written the Trump Administration requesting that it rescind the FDA’s LDT rule. Congress is still in the process of confirming President Trump’s nominees for key federal healthcare agencies, including the FDA, and the administration has not yet outlined its views on the FDA LDT rule. 

With less than two months to go before the FDA implements stage 1 of its Final Rule on LDTs, ASCP strongly recommends that labs continue working toward stage 1 compliance. ASCP will continue to follow this issue closely and will report immediately if the May 6 implementation date is delayed or suspended. 

The American Proficiency Institute (API) donated $160,000 to the ASCP Foundation in support of its efforts to promote excellence in laboratory medicine. The ASCP Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, provides funding for educational programs and services, supports workforce shortage initiatives, and raises the visibility of the laboratory globally. 

API, long a champion of scholarship and education for laboratory professionals, views this donation as a commitment to the quality and availability of laboratory medicine in the U.S. and abroad.   

“The vital impact of laboratory medicine on patient care and public health is undeniable,” said API President Sue Harmer, MT(ASCP). “At API, we consider it our responsibility to support the profession through educational opportunities and scholarships. Our donation to the ASCP Foundation will further this charge.”   

“The ASCP Foundation is delighted with the generous contribution from API,” said Anne Walsh-Feeks, MS, MASCP, PA(ASCP)CM, FACHE, ASCP Foundation Chair. “For more than two decades, API has worked in partnership with ASCP to further our educational programs and commentaries.” 

“Medical laboratory scientists hold a special place in our hearts,” added Ms. Harmer. “I was certified as a medical technologist, and many API staff members are too. We care greatly about the quality and accuracy of laboratory medicine and want this donation to reflect that pride.” 

The American Proficiency Institute is one of the largest proficiency testing providers in the world, serving over 20,000 laboratories. API offers innovative solutions and technical excellence for the proficiency testing needs of hospital and reference laboratories, physician offices, clinics, and point-of-care testing sites. 

Contributions like those from the American Proficiency Institute, along with ASCP individual donors, allow the ASCP Foundation to continue advancing our mission and serving patients and members alike. If you are interested in donating to the ASCP General Fund, click here.  

ASCP’s Great Plains Chapter will bring Nebraska’s can-do spirit to Arizona when it hosts KnowledgeLab 2025 on April 7 and 8 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Great Plains Chapter’s leaders will share their know-how of how to build a thriving chapter. 

“We are honored to be invited to host KnowledgeLab 2025,” says Great Plains Chapter President Shanan Fuhrman, MLS(ASCP)^CM.  

Arizona doesn’t have a chapter at present and the Great Plains Chapter has been very strong for a long time.  

“The mantle of strong leadership has been handed down by previous presidents of the Great Plains Chapter over the years,” Mr. Fuhrman says. “This is an opportunity for our members to share what we are doing and help other chapters get started. We are helping to grow the profession.”  

Mr. Fuhrman and several other board members of the Great Plains Chapter, including President-elect Linsey Donner, PhD, MPH, CPH, MLS(ASCP)^CM, who served on the KnowledgeLab planning committee, and Jaime Perry, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, will participate in the KnowledgeLab opening ceremony to welcome attendees.    

“We’ll have a Chapter Meet-up session on day one during lunch, where there will be round tables with discussion topics to help attendees build and grow their local chapters while making connections with other members to encourage networking with future collaboration,” Mr. Fuhrman says. “To help raise chapter awareness and interaction, there will be chapter stickers handed out at registration.” 

The Great Plains Chapter leaders will be on hand to answer questions and talk about how to start a chapter. A key to maintaining a strong chapter is to have current leaders mentor up-and-coming leaders and to have a succession plan in place.   

“Succession planning is something our chapter has done really well,” Mr. Fuhrman says. “When you have a succession plan in place, you don’t lose institutional knowledge for how things are done. That is what builds your chapter up. Starting a chapter is the first step.” 

Register for KnowledgeLab 2025 here. 

Each year, ASCP honors members who have made significant contributions to pathology and the medical laboratory profession. Some of these awards are named in honor of pathologist or laboratory professional members for their specific accomplishments in advancing the profession and ASCP during their career.   

Ever wonder who were these giants in pathology for whom these awards are named? Here is a snapshot of some of these remarkable individuals and their legacies in pathology and laboratory medicine. 

H.P. Smith Award for Distinguished Pathology Educator 

This award recognizes ASCP pathologist members with distinguished careers in pathology and laboratory medicine who embrace education, research, administration, or service to organized pathology are ideal candidates for this award. This award was established in 1974 to honor former ASCP president, H.P. Smith, MD, FASCP, who served as professor and head of the Department of Pathology and Bacteriology at the University of Iowa from 1930 until 1945 and later held a similar position at Columbia University in 1945. 

A Fellow of ASCP beginning in 1940, Dr. Smith served on the Society’s Executive Committee and was President-elect and President from 1957 to 1959. His expertise touched many areas of the Society, serving on the Master Program Planning Committee, the Research Committee, as ASCP Representative to the American Medical Association, the Plan and Scope Committee, and numerous other committees. For his service, he received the ASCP Ward Burdick Award in 1941. Read more about him here.  

Last September, the ASCP H.P. Smith Award for Distinguished Pathology Educator Award was presented to Alexa Siddon, MD, FASCP, during the ASCP 2024 Annual Meeting.

“Receiving the H.P. Smith Award for Distinguished Pathology Educator was both an honor and a total surprise!” says Dr. Siddon, who is a professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Yale School of Medicine/Yale New Haven Hospital, Director of the Hematopathology Fellowship, and Medical Director of the Clinical Molecular Diagnostics and Flow Cytometry Laboratories in Laboratory Medicine. A molecular hematopathologist, her research interests include refining the diagnosis and prognostication of myeloid neoplasms. 

“I am so grateful to ASCP for recognizing me. I truly hope I am helping train future pathologists with the same enthusiasm and love of the field as my mentors trained me,” she adds.

Israel Davidsohn Award for Distinguished Service 

The Israel Davidsohn Award for Distinguished Service recognizes the rare individual who has made a significant impact within ASCP through a variety of roles. Established in 1989, this award recognizes Israel Davidsohn, MD, FASCP, ASCP President from 1951 to 1952 whose contributions touched every aspect of ASCP.  

Dr. Davidsohn was already 77 and had dedicated 50 years of his career to education and cancer research when he was interviewed for an article in the Feb. 1, 1973, issue of Laboratory Medicine. At the time, he was professor of pathology in the  

University of Health Sciences at the Chicago Medical School, and head of the Department of Experimental Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Chicago. His research in cancer “resulted in the development of a highly sensitive and specific immunologic test for the diagnosis and prognosis of some cancers,” according to the article. Learn more about Dr. Davidsohn here.   

Philip Levine Award for Outstanding Research 

Established in 1969, this award honors ASCP members who have made significant contributions to molecular pathology, immunohematology, and/or immunopathology. It honors the late Phillip Levine, MD, FASCP, whose contributions to medicine included determining the etiology of Rh hemolytic disease of newborns.   

Born in 1900 near Minsk, now in Belarus, Dr. Levine and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when he was eight years old. He earned his MD at Cornell University Medical School in 1923, A few years later, he became an assistant to Karl Landsteiner, MD, an Austrian American biologist, physician and immunologist at the Rockefeller Institute, in New York. (Dr. Landsteiner had developed the modern system of classification of blood groups two decades earlier.) Dr. Levine went on to work as a bacteriologist and serologist at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in New Jersey. He was among a handful of pioneers in the area of blood group genetics and immunology. He passed away in 1987. Learn more about his extraordinary career here.  

Ward Burdick Award for Distinguished Service to Pathology 

This award recognizes noteworthy contributions to pathology through sustained service to the profession and ASCP. Established in 1929, the award honors Ward Burdick, MD, FASCP, one of the founders of the ASCP. 

In 1961, ASCP presented its inaugural ASCP award named in honor of Ward Thomas Burdick. The presentation “bespeaks the high regard we still have for the memory of our founder and Secretary-Treasurer, who died 33 years ago,” according to an article in February 1, 1962, issue of AJCP. Born in Pennsylvania in 1878, he was sent to live with his paternal grandparents when his mother died during his infancy. When his father remarried, Dr. Burdick returned to live with his family who moved to Buffalo, New York. A few years later, a teenage Dr. Burdick struck out on his own to make his way in the world.  In 1908, he graduated from the American Medical College in St. Louis, Missouri, and then completed postgraduate studies at Washington University. In 1908, he received his license to practice medicine in Missouri and became a professor of bacteriology at his alma mater.  

He and his family later ended up in Denver, Colorado, where he opened a private practice. As he continued his studies, “foremost in his mind was the tremendous importance of ‘pathological examination and diagnosis,’” according to the AJCP article. “He had a vision, far in advance of his time, of the pathologist as a highly valued member of the medical and surgical team.” Learn more about Dr. Burdick’s fascinating career by clicking on the AJCP article here.  

Dr. Philip and Sandra Barney Resident Volunteer Service Award   

The Dr. Philip and Sandra Barney Resident Volunteer Service Award is the newest named award. The service award, which recognizes an ASCP resident member with outstanding ASCP volunteer experience, began in 2023 through the generous donation of ASCP Past President Dr. Philip Barney and Sandra Barney to the ASCP Foundation. Learn more here. 

Continuing the legacy 

These named awards are one way that ASCP continues to honor the legacies of these amazing professionals by recognizing the current generation of distinguished pathologists who are making their own imprints to the field to this day.   

Last September, at the 2024 ASCP Annual Meeting, the Society presented the Israel Davidsohn Award for Distinguished Service to Zubair W. Baloch, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. 

"I am deeply honored and grateful for this recognition,” says Dr. Baloch. “ASCP is an organization that consistently values and appreciates the contributions of its volunteers and members. This recognition inspires me to continue striving for excellence.” 

Dr. Baloch adds, “As John Ruskin once said, 'The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.’”  

KnowledgeLab is just a few weeks away, from April 7-8 in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you are a laboratory leader or an aspiring leader, this is your opportunity to expand your knowledge by learning from renowned experts in their fields and network with colleagues who are all tackling the same challenges as you. 

Attendees will learn from leaders in groups of about 30 participants and have opportunities to pose their questions directly to the presenter. Equally important are the conversations that attendees will have with each other, where they will share their own personal experiences and learn how their colleagues are addressing similar issues in their own laboratories.  

The sessions focus on topics related to laboratory leadership and management, from “growing” your own laboratory staff and programs to address the workforce shortage, to leading through change, and exploring the relationship between quality and change management while introducing tools and techniques to help you be the change-agent. 

Kamran Mirza, MD, PhD, FASCP, MLS(ASCP), will deliver the Opening Keynote Session: A Symbiotic Vision: AI and Laboratory Professionals Driving Diagnostic Innovation. His presentation demonstrates how the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into laboratory medicine is transforming diagnostics, ushering in new possibilities for precision and collaboration. This session also explores how AI can serve as a powerful partner to laboratory professionals, enhancing their expertise while maintaining the irreplaceable human touch. Through real-world examples and practical insights, this keynote will address the challenges and opportunities AI presents, emphasizing a symbiotic approach where technology and professionals work hand in hand to elevate diagnostic accuracy, streamline workflows. 

Other session topics include how to improve and sustain your laboratory stewardship program, Reimagining the laboratory practice in an evolving Healthcare Landscape, creating successful employee engagement strategies, and building a “high value” laboratory using the ASCP Negotiation and Advocacy Toolbox to win leadership Investment. 

Learn more about the sessions here .  

ASCP’s Ask Me Anything initiative is garnering inquiries from pathology residents and fellows from around the United States and other countries since it launched last August. 

An initiative of the ASCP Resident Council, Ask Me Anything provides pathology residents and fellows an opportunity to connect with practicing pathologists via ASCP’s online Pathologist-in-Training community.  

Raul S. Gonzalez, MD, a professor of pathology and director of the gastrointestinal pathology service at Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, served as the pathologist fielding questions last November.  

“I appreciated being invited to do this. It’s a great opportunity to interact with trainees at other institutions,” he says. “Teaching the next generation of pathologists is so important. They asked excellent questions.” 

“Social media has opened the doors to allow us to talk to people in our field all over the world,” he says. “I did my residency around 15 years ago when social media was not even a concept. Back then, exposure to attending physicians outside your institution was mostly limited to attending a national meeting, if you could bump into them.”  

In January, Zenggang Pan, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and director of hematopathology at the University of Colorado Anshutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, Colorado, served as the pathologist fielding questions. “Many asked questions about career development and some were curious about my training and studying in hematopathology,” he says, adding that an international medical student also asked some questions about “observership” opportunities in the United States. 

Residents also asked about common pitfalls when preparing to take the AP/CP board exams, while another was considering adding molecular pathology as a secondary aspect of her training because of its expanding importance in medicine. Still another resident asked about tips to manage stress during training.  

Overall, Dr. Pan says he was honored to be invited by ASCP Resident Council Chair Savanah Gisriel, MD, MPH, to be a guest respondent for Ask Me Anything. He got to know Dr. Gisriel when she was in residency at Yale University School of Medicine, where Dr. Pan had worked some years ago. 

It is of no surprise that Ask Me Anything has gotten such a robust response from residents and fellows. The opportunity to interact with seasoned pathologists who can respond to your questions in real time is like receiving a gift of their precious time. 

To find out more about the Ask Me Anything series, visit the Pathologist-in-Training community, part of the ASCP Communities.   

Attending a meeting in-person with colleagues and renowned presenters offers advantages that are hard to achieve via online learning. Pathology Update 2025, to be held May 19-23 at the ASCP headquarters in Chicago, offers that face-to-face contact and the opportunity to learn from subspecialty trained experts.     

“The interactive nature is what makes Pathology Update stand out. You attend sessions in a small room with approximately 30 people and can ask questions and discuss cases with an expert in a supportive environment,” says Gulisa Turashvili, MD, PhD, associate pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Dr. Turashvili and her colleague, Kyle Devins, MD, an attending pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, are teaching a full day course on gynecologic pathology at Pathology Update 2025.  

They will focus on updates and recent developments over the past few years. They will also cover new and emerging classification systems for diagnostic entities such as vulvar squamous cell carcinomas and endocervical adenocarcinomas, and present tips for distinguishing cancer from common benign mimics. “Something can appear benign, but it can behave in an aggressive fashion,” says Dr. Devins. “The pathologist will have to know the morphologic features to make the right diagnosis. Malignant entities can mimic benign entities.” 

Drs. Turashvili and Devins will show slides of specific cases with clinical history and then have participants divide into small groups to discuss the differential diagnosis for several minutes. Then the entire class reconvenes, and a member of each group summarizes their discussions and diagnosis. 

This process helps to reinforce the learning. Then, when participants return to their offices and try to apply these same concepts, they will have already practiced this and it will feel more familiar. 

Also teaching at Pathology Update 2025 will be Humberto Trejo Bittar, MD, an anatomic pathologist and section head of thoracic pathology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and medical director of autopsy service at Moffitt. He appreciates the feedback and teaching resources that ASCP provides to the course instructors to make the sessions very engaging to participants.  

“We get a lot of support from ASCP’s education department so that we know how to give the most effective presentation of our teaching material,” he explains. 

His presentation will focus on emerging topics in thoracic pathology, including ways to diagnose mesothelioma, and the new staging system to address lung cancer. The course is targeted to community pathologists, who are generalists rather than specialists who see these types of cases frequently.  

He will teach the course in collaboration with Mitra Mehrad, MD, head of thoracic path at Vanderbilt University Medical School.  

Dr. Bittar, Dr. Turashvili, and Dr. Devins are only a few of the leading experts who will be teaching at Pathology Update. 

Dr. Turashvili points out that the caliber of the presenters is second to none. “All of us practice at academic medical centers where excellence is expected,” Dr. Turashvili adds. “We each go beyond what is typically required of us. We do research, we handle complex, challenging and interesting cases, and we train the next generation of pathologists. It is our background training and subspecialty expertise that makes us stand out.” 

Learn more about Pathology Update 2025 and register here. 

Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, in Glendale, CA, has been awarded the Leading Laboratories designation from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and The Joint Commission. The two-year designation acknowledges Glendale Memorial’s commitment to laboratory excellence and improving patient outcomes. 

“We are deeply honored to receive the Leading Laboratories designation in partnership with the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP),” says Betsy Hart, MSN, President and CEO of Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center. “This prestigious recognition reflects the excellence in quality outcomes, professional development, leadership, and visibility that our team consistently strives for.  

“To be the first in the CommonSpirit Health system, second in California, and among only a select few nationwide to achieve this incredible distinction is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our staff,” she adds. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our entire team, and especially to Ramy Moawad, Director of Laboratory Services, for making this achievement possible!” 

Mr. Moawad embarked on the Leading Laboratory application process when he first joined the hospital just over two years ago. “Our goal has always centered around the patient, their needs, and our ability to make them as comfortable as possible and to provide quality care,” he says.   

The application process required a review of the hospital laboratory’s outcomes, indicators, metrics and evidence. Additionally, the laboratory had to demonstrate excellence in four key areas: supporting professional development, cultivating trusted leadership and promoting laboratory visibility. 

Mr. Moawad proudly points out some of Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial laboratory’s strengths that contributed to its successful application: 

• An emphasis on professional development, including offering up to $5,200 in tuition reimbursement per year for each staff member after they have worked there for six months 

• An effective test utilization program which has been in place for many years to ensure that unnecessary testing is minimal and that appropriate tests are used for each patient 

• A finance stewardship program which promotes reinvesting money in the hospital’s healthcare system and developing laboratory tests 

•  An outreach program within the community to boost awareness of careers within the medical laboratory and provide both a free medical laboratory technician internship program and a phlebotomy training program to residents of the surrounding community 

• A culturally diverse staff, which reflects the community’s richly diverse population. 

Glendale, situated five miles from West Hollywood, has a population of 400,000. The majority of its residents are of Armenian heritage, followed by a sizable Hispanic population, and a growing Asian population.  
 
Mr. Moawad explains. “A big factor in our hospital deciding to offer phlebotomy and medical laboratory technician (MLT) internships is to provide career opportunities” to meet the needs of our diverse patients. 
 
The internship programs have been remarkably successful. Early on, the local ABC television affiliate sent a news team to report on the programs, which generated a lot of buzz within the community. Since then, the programs have seen a steady increase in applicants.   
 
“We are getting a lot of interest from students who are first-time college graduates in their families,” Mr. Moawad says. “We are sending the message that we support our community, and we want to keep our community healthy.”   
 
Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial has also reached out to local physicians to inform them of the hospital’s services. For example, its cardiovascular fitness gym holds free blood pressure checks for local residents, as well as free glucose testing. The laboratory also conducts a successful local blood drive three times a year which has received strong community participation.   
 
Mr. Moawad credits Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial’s senior leadership team for their support in his team’s quest to seek Leading Laboratories designation.  “Our hospital administration is very focused on patient care and on supporting our community.” He is equally emphatic about giving credit to his laboratory team for their success.  
 
“I give a lot of credit to our team, who came together and were receptive to the idea of applying for Leading Laboratories designation. “We would not have been able to achieve this recognition without their input and leadership. Every single member of our team is invaluable.” 
 
Learn more about the Leading Laboratories initiative here.   

ASCP Releases Action Alert to Fix Medicare Payment Flaws 

ASCP is advocating for bipartisan legislation introduced in Congress to reverse a 2.8 percent cut in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and provide a 2 percent update. The Society recently issued an Action Alert urging members to contact their representatives and support the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. Additionally, ASCP is pushing for reforms to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), which has faced years of cuts, as part of its broader effort to stabilize Medicare payments for pathology and laboratory medicine. Read more.  

CMS Grants MIPS Exemption for Providers Affected by California Wildfires 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has granted an automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) exemption from MIPS reporting for clinicians affected by the California wildfires. ASCP continues to monitor this payment policy affecting our members, and you can read more about the EUC exemption and what it entails here.  

Ring Scholarship Expands Access to Laboratory Education 

Applications for the Dr. Alvin Ring Empowerment Scholarship, offering $1,000–$5,000 to support laboratory professionals pursuing education in histotechnology, medical laboratory technology, and medical laboratory science, will be open March 3-May31. This scholarship aims to expand access to laboratory science education, particularly for students in medically underserved and rural areas. Read more.  

Current Study on Laboratory Professionals’ Education, Exposures, and Motivations Identifies Timely Recommendations to Support the Workforce 

ASCP, in collaboration with the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies, has released results from a new survey that looks at the pathways that lead people to careers in the laboratory. This first-of-a-kind survey provides insight that can help the profession better understand the paths leading to the laboratory, and how we can better recruit, retain, and advocate for the laboratory. Read more.  

ASCP Workforce Data Included in the AHA 2025 Environmental Scan Report 

For the first time, laboratory workforce data from ASCP has been included in the AHA’s 2025 Environmental Scan. The inclusion of ASCP workforce data highlights the critical role of the laboratory in shaping the healthcare landscape and the essential contributions of medical laboratory professionals in delivering patient care. Read more.  

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has released its 2025 Environmental Scan, a comprehensive report offering critical insights into the evolving health care landscape. This year’s edition includes workforce data from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), marking a milestone in cross-sector collaboration. This partnership underscores the growing recognition of laboratory professionals’ vital role in addressing systemic workforce challenges and advancing patient care. The report equips hospitals, health systems, and community stakeholders with data-driven insights to navigate staffing shortages, operational pressures, and emerging trends, fostering strategic planning and dialogue among leaders, boards, and staff. By integrating ASCP’s data, the AHA amplifies the importance of a resilient, multidisciplinary workforce in shaping health care’s future.  

Please visit the link to read the complete 2025 AHA Environmental Scan report. 

A recent collaborative study by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies (UW CHWS), was published in AJCP in January 2025. The study examined professionals across six occupations, including medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, and phlebotomists, and their career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce. The study reveals diverse educational backgrounds and career trajectories, with nearly 50 percent of respondents introduced to the field through personal networks in healthcare. Despite high job satisfaction (75 percent would recommend their careers), challenges persist: inconsistent job titles limit career advancement, staffing shortages strain workplaces, and public awareness of these vital roles remains low. The findings highlight the importance of hands-on-training and professional development while emphasizing the urgent need to clarify entry pathways and enhance the visibility of these critical healthcare roles. 

To strengthen the workforce, the study advocates targeted policy and organizational reforms. Key recommendations include standardizing job titles to improve role clarity, expanding outreach to schools and career counselors to promote laboratory careers, and investing in training programs to address staffing gaps. By prioritizing these strategies, stakeholders can foster a resilient pipeline of skilled professionals to meet growing healthcare demands. Enhancing public recognition of the medical laboratory field’s critical impact on patient care and streamlining entry pathways will ensure a sustainable workforce capable of maintaining community health.  

To read the full study and learn more about the results, click here.  

Do you know any high school or college students from medically underserved and/or rural communities looking to start or continue their laboratory science education? If so, stay tuned as ASCP opens its application window for the Dr. Alvin Ring Empowerment Scholarship for Laboratory Professionals! Scholarships range from $1,000-$5,000 depending on applicant qualifications and degree program pursued. The ASCP Foundation is also conducting a public donation campaign to fund additional scholars through this award.  

In its inaugural year, this scholarship provided $55,000 in financial support for tuition and needs-based expenses to 14 laboratory science students from medically underserved and/or rural areas. Current and prospective laboratory professionals across a wide range of geographies, professional training, and backgrounds were considered and selected for the first scholarship cohort.  

This scholarship will re-open its application window on March 3, 2025, and will continue to expand access to laboratory science education for students in need of financial aid to pursue or continue their journey into the laboratory workforce. Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2025. The scholarship application and additional information about eligibility criteria and application details will be available here by March 3. ASCP members are encouraged to share this opportunity widely with their network and trainees that may be interested in or eligible for this opportunity.