ASCP Patient Champions Joins With AACC Lab Tests Online to Create Patient Educational Materials

Erin was first diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma when she was a senior in college and with recurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma eight years later when she was pregnant with her son. Because Erin’s husband, Cody, is a pathologist, she has had the opportunity to deepen her understanding of the diagnostic role the pathologist and laboratory team plays in care and treatment planning. As an ASCP Patient Champion, Erin shares what she has learned to empower other patients to ask the right questions about laboratory testing and understand their diagnoses. Now, the ASCP Patient Champions program is collaborating with AACC Lab Tests Online to create patient educational materials that, along with the stories of patients such as Erin, will help other patients understand the lab tests that are essential to their care.

Beginning during National Women’s Health Month in May, ASCP Patient Champions in collaboration with AACC Lab Tests Online is highlighting their inaugural patient educational materials that cover two types of diagnoses that occur more often in women than men: thyroid diseases and lupus. To view the educational materials, visit the ASCP Patient Champions website or https://labtestsonline.org/patient-tools.

The ASCP Patient Champions program raises awareness of the vital role the medical laboratory plays in patient care through real-life stories of patients. The program’s goal is to empower more patients to ask the right questions about laboratory testing and to understand their diagnoses by providing patients, caregivers and advocates with education and awareness about diagnostics, lab tests and pathology follow-up care.

To learn more about the ASCP Patient Champions program and the program’s patient stories and educational materials, visit www.ascp.org/patients. Encourage your friends and family who have been impacted by the lab to join you in raising awareness about the vital role of the lab in patient care with ASCP Patient Champions gear.