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Staff Pediatric Pathologist and Program Director, Paediatric Pathology Fellowship, at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, California; Clinical Associate Professor of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, California, USA

Motivations? As a pediatric pathologist whose daily rigors are geared towards the betterment and improved quality of life of children I am motivated by the fact that my labor translates into meaningful outcomes. Knowing that these children are dependent on my expertise to eradicate their disease or prolong their life expectancy gives me that mammoth sense of purpose and drives my strong desire to get out of bed and make my journey to the hospital in the morning. My strong passion for teaching and the ample opportunities to work with medical students, residents, fellows and international observers both at CHLA and Keck of USC there gives added value to my job.

Book recommendation? “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder.

Biggest challenge in pathology? It is well known that there is a shortage of pathologist globally, however, not all regions are affected equally. In all of Africa, for example, there are just 1,500 pathologists who are tasked to serve 1.34 billion people. By contrast, the UK with a population of 66 million has 1,800 pathologists. Pediatric pathologists are even scarcer. One premier children’s hospital in Cambodia, for example, has no histopathology service or pathologists. l would like to see a better investment in pathology education and more specifically pediatric pathology education in the developing world. With the advent of telemedicine and virtual platforms we as a professional community can work towards training more physicians in those countries at little cost to us.

Attracting talent… Consider a career in pathology since the field is a monumentally rewarding one. Just knowing that what we do as a pathologist has a tremendous impact on patient outcomes offers immense gratification and a sense of pride in our craft. The fact that in many instances neither the surgeon, clinician, or oncologist can treat the patient optimally without the input of the pathologist speaks of the importance of our service. In addition, it may be surprising to learn that pathology jobs are not restricted to the hospital lab and that there is a diversity of practice settings from academic settings to community jobs to private practices making it easy for one to find his/her niche.

What’s more, the quality of life, and work-life balance, afforded by a pathology career is unrivaled. Moreover, as we speak, the job market for pathologists is excellent and has been that way for as long as I have practiced. Unfortunately for medical students, although they are taught pathology in the pre-clerkship phase of their education, they do not receive significant exposure to the practice of pathology hence they lack a true understanding of the everyday work-life and the importance of the work we do.