The Association for Academic Pathology (formerly the Association of Pathology Chairs) held its AAPath Annual Meeting July 21 to 24 in Washington, D.C.–a prestigious conference that brings together academic chairs and program directors from institutions across the country. Several of our UAB Pathology team members attended this year’s conference across its various tracks, highlighting leadership, education, and administration.
Dr. Magi-Galluzzi, Dr. Yabing Chen, Christina Crowe, Dr. Brandi McCleskey at the AAPath Annual Meeting

The conference, now in its 57th year, was a first for Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, M.D., Ph.D., C. Bruce Alexander Endowed Professor, as department chair. Residency Program Director and Vice Chair of Education, Brandi McCleskey, M.D., Associate Professor, was invited to present “Holistic Recruitment in the New ERA(s)” as well as participate in a panel discussion with other Program Directors. Her presentation reflected on her journey of identifying best practices for holistic review, discovery of unique and efficient practices to implement holistic review, and evidence of the implementation of holistic review at various stages. The main goal: ensure individual characteristics are guiding successful and strategic recruitment. She provided the group with the tools to move forward in this “new ERA(s).”

While the content presented spanned an array of topics this year, digital pathology and artificial intelligence were common themes as the field moves into this era. Michael Laposata, M.D., Ph.D., AAPath President, Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, presented an opening welcome on “The State of Academic Pathology in 2024: What is Real, What is Improbable and What is False,” in which he advocated for pathologists interacting directly with other providers in the patient’s care team to help understand whether they’re ordering the correct tests and making the most up-to-date interpretation of test results for their patients.

Christina Crowe, MBA, MA, Director of Communications, attended to learn more from the administrative leaders in the organization. Crowe, along with faculty lead Kamran Mirza, MBBS, Ph.D., Godfrey D. Stobbe Professor of Pathology Education, University of Michigan, initiated a Communications Affinity Group with the support of AAPath which has met twice since May, bringing together communications professionals from academic medical centers across the country.