CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
Stanley J. Robboy
April 2013—Our 11th CAP annual meeting will open Oct. 13 in Orlando with a scientific plenary tied to this year’s “dig deeper” track (13 courses) in endocrine pathology. Three renowned experts will present “Metabolic Syndrome: Can the Controversy Become Pathology’s Opportunity?” and launch four days of outstanding education and networking.
The scientific plenary will open the education program of nearly 100 CME courses for board-certified and resident pathologists to be taught by a faculty of 148 distinguished experts at CAP ’13. Nearly half of the courses will be new; 51 are popular repeats. More self-assessment modules than at past meetings will be offered (23), along with luncheon roundtables on selected topics. Seven supporting associations will cosponsor 16 courses, reflecting healthy multidisciplinary involvement.
The Spotlight reception speaker, Eric Topol, MD, is a practicing cardiologist whose book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care, was published last year. Dr. Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and chief academic officer for Scripps Health, is editor-in-chief of Medscape Genomic Medicine.
In 2003, I served on the CAP’s first National Meeting Planning Committee, chaired by then president-elect Mary Kass, MD. There was a handful of ground rules. The education had to be new, bright, and fresh. The content had to be immediately useful and relevant to the practicing board-certified pathologist. And the environment had to make it easy for our members to connect with one another.
The original keywords (learn, connect, lead) captured the initial vision: pathologist-driven education in an environment that fostered genuine engagement and a sense of community. With 11 years’ experience, we have expanded on those keywords, adding: be visible, be ready, be competitive.
We purposefully chose a single-site setting for all activities. By “owning” the hotel, we could ensure easy and meaningful networking. A geographically compact venue would create opportunities for CAP members to easily mingle, meet, and talk about policy, advocacy issues, or what they were learning in the didactic sessions.
Terence J. Colgan, MD, who now chairs the CAP Curriculum Committee, believes that our national meeting stands out because we think inclusively about member interests and concerns. The curriculum, roundtables, receptions, town hall meeting, and informal encounters accommodate conversations about the many factors that affect our practices—not only medical and scientific but also regulatory, economic, practice, and medicolegal. This year, we will also introduce expanded tools and resources to illuminate practice pathways that research suggests hold the most promise for our specialty.
Special provisions to make newcomers feel welcome include a luncheon for first-time attendees. And a dedicated lounge for residents and new-in-practice pathologists encourages friendships, mentoring, and leadership development. One highlight, open to everyone but “owned” mostly by our residents, is the abstract competition.
Abstracts are judged by subject editors of the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, who score submissions for final review by Archives editor Philip T. Cagle, MD. Dr. Cagle tells me that we received a record number of abstracts last year and published a record number (567). CAP junior members who serve as corresponding authors of accepted abstracts are eligible to receive cash prizes as part of the Top 5 Junior Member Abstract Program. The Top 5 Junior Member winners will also be acknowledged during the Spotlight event.