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Principal Clinical Laboratory Scientist, The University of Kansas Health System, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Biggest challenge in pathology? Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have an invisibility crisis. Part of this, I believe, stems from the deep technical and analytic trenches of the work itself, which can be difficult to communicate to those outside the lab. Strategic interdisciplinary integration and fostering public understanding of what we do is necessary for sustainable practice and professional recruitment. Further, we should articulate our value in clinical outcomes through collaborative quality improvement projects and awareness campaigns. This will reduce the existing gaps between the results we turn out and how we distinctly and benevolently care for patients.

Exciting developments and trends? The emerging healthcare AI solutions are an exciting frontier. Laboratories generate huge amounts of data and laboratory values can be pivotal in algorithmic decision making. This creates opportunities for scalable solutions which uniquely require pathology and laboratory medicine expertise to ensure that ethical integration is upheld. It’s a prime seat at the multidisciplinary table for us.

Controversial opinion? There is applicable use and need for other HHS-boarded clinical and professional doctorates in pathology and laboratory medicine. We are united under a singular goal for the optimal advancement of patient care. That requires diverse representation of expertise, interests, and perspectives. Those who choose a different path into the profession could be doing so because they see a needs gap which others are blind too. Ivory Tower Syndrome shouldn’t limit the potential of these individuals or clinical scientific advancement. There could also be a direct impact to strong interdisciplinary presence, or collaborative initiatives. We can generate impactful change and future-forward culture shifts when we’re all at the same table.