Becky Stankowski
Lead Pathologists' Assistant, Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories, USA
Intro to pathology? I started college with an interest in forensic anthropology. Anthro labs showed me I needed something with a little more meat on the bone, so to speak, so I focused on forensic pathology. I was looking for a job to get some experience while working on my undergrad, but ended up in a clinical lab, and eventually in pathology as a lab assistant. The pathology lab had a pathologists' assistant (PA) working there, and I was fascinated by what she got to do on a daily basis. I didn't know anything about surgical pathology before that, and had no idea that PAs existed, but grossing sure seemed a whole lot more interesting than spending most of the day at a microscope. I continued working as a lab assistant while I finished college, then remained a casual employee while I got my Masters in Pathologists' Assistant from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, in North Chicago. At the time, it was the closest PA program to me, just 120 miles round trip each day! I've been working at what is now Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories for 25 years, and I spend each day grossing alongside the PA that introduced me to the profession and became my friend, mentor, and coworker. Thanks, Heather Manternach!
Exciting developments and trends? Though it's not exactly new, digital pathology is an important development. The ability to share images without having to physically transport slides can have a significant positive impact. Whether from the lab to the responsible pathologist, or in pathologist-to-pathologist consults, providing better patient care and turnaround time are the most obvious benefits. In addition, increasing patient safety by not sending materials elsewhere for consultation or specialization creates huge reduction in risk and associated costs. There may be added value by increasing pathologist job satisfaction and retention, if pathologists have the ability to view slides from a home office or other remote location. As the costs for this technology make it more realistic for labs to use, it really will play a fundamental role in laboratory workflows. Adjacent to digital pathology is the possible use of AI for things such as determining percent of positivity in IHC stains or counting positive cells in a core biopsy. It is very exciting to watch this science develop.
Professional ambitions? As the Spring Meeting Chair for the American Association of Pathologists' Assistants (AAPA), my goal has been to get more PAs to present grossing lectures at our conferences. We are experts at gross examination of specimens, and pathologists rely on our ability to get the pertinent information on a slide so they can make a diagnosis. We need to share our knowledge with our peers, and continue to elevate our profession by demonstrating our expertise, whether through lectures, peer-reviewed articles, or poster presentations. It's also important to educate pathologists, other medical professionals, high school and college students, and the public, about PAs and what we do. We play a very important role in patient care that is often overlooked or misunderstood by hospitals, labs, and regulatory agencies. We must continue to advocate for our profession and fight for recognition, sometimes even within our own field.
