Five Years and Counting
How has laboratory medicine changed since we first appeared on the scene?
Welcome to another year of The Pathologist! Some of you may know that we recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of our publication and, with that in mind, I’ve been browsing through previous issues of The Pathologist to find out what the hot topics were in the good ol’ days.
I was not at all surprised to recall that our first-ever issue featured digital pathology. A quote from the article: “Uptake of the technology is growing, but only slowly.” From where I stand, at the start of 2020, the digital transition is now anything but slow. Laboratories around the world are opting for fully digital workflows; some have already implemented them, whereas others plan to do so this year. Even areas with limited resources are beginning to place their trust in digital pathology as a way to expand the scope of their abilities. Where will the technology go next? No one knows for sure – but artificial intelligence appears to be a smart bet.
Many of you will remember our cover feature from December 2014, and its (almost famous) headline – “The Last Respite of the Socially Inept?” – which directly quoted one doctor’s scathing opinion of pathology. In the article, students, trainees, and pathologists tackled common stereotypes (not to mention some less common ones. Where did survey respondents get the idea that pathologists like to collect roadkill and pigeon claws?!). Five years on, has anything changed? Students still report negative reactions to their interest in pathology; many regions still report staffing shortages and hiring difficulties; members of the public (and sometimes even other doctors) are often unaware of the laboratory’s important role in their health.
Do you remember what the landscape of pathology looked like five years ago – or even 10 or 20? How has your career progressed over those years? What has changed and what has stayed the same? If you’d like to share your views with us, please feel free to email [email protected] (or drop us a line on social media – another phenomenon that has seen huge growth in recent years). We’d love to hear from you!
While obtaining degrees in biology from the University of Alberta and biochemistry from Penn State College of Medicine, I worked as a freelance science and medical writer. I was able to hone my skills in research, presentation and scientific writing by assembling grants and journal articles, speaking at international conferences, and consulting on topics ranging from medical education to comic book science. As much as I’ve enjoyed designing new bacteria and plausible superheroes, though, I’m more pleased than ever to be at Texere, using my writing and editing skills to create great content for a professional audience.
