Syed T. Hoda
Director of Bone & Soft Tissue Pathology at NYU Langone Health; Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, USA
Exciting developments and trends? By far and away, digital pathology is what this specialty needs and is heading towards. Almost 15 years ago I first heard the hype of "the future is digital" and since then I've been singing the need for us to massively adopt digital pathology into our daily workflow. That time is now officially here. I am the head of our digital pathology transformation at my institution and it has been so much work, integrating between many different people of varying skill sets to get this spaceship off the ground – but it's about to happen.
After that, the sky's the limit for diagnostic advancements and a more modern, capable, dynamic workflow. I have no nostalgia towards the microscope; it is simply a modality of how we do our work – a tool which has helped expand this specialty into what it is today. Modalities change, because the world changes. Digital microscopic imaging is the way forward, no question.
Controversial opinion? Pathologists on social media only talking about pathology does not expand the perception of the specialty in any tangible way. Social media is more than simply sharing knowledge, it's about conversation, engaging with people, and interaction. Far too often I see young pathologists thinking they can make a reputation simply by sharing searchable didactic knowledge without any sense of true interaction or human discourse. We are not a cold specialty; we are full of deeply thoughtful and dynamic minds that still need to be fully unleashed onto the world to improve medical culture as well as medical and scientific influence in society. Be daring more than timid, timeless more than trendy.
Raising the profile? Our work speaks for ourselves, but we really need to make sure our work is heard. Be loud, proud, and bold in your discussion about what we do outside of the people in our own specialty. Teach medical students and residents like you mean it, not because you are checking a box. Talk to doctors, patients and people as much and whenever you can about the diseases we diagnose; and offer them real-world understanding with your robust knowledge about the subject matter. The era of the "quiet pathologist" should be declared over!
