President's Newsletter - February 2016
Thu, 18 Feb 2016

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February 2016
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Message From the President

Tron

I had an opportunity to visit the 6th Annual Resident Review Course this month.  It was great to see so many of our future colleagues in the audience.  This course not only prepares residents for their exam, but it is also a great opportunity to connect with each other from all parts of the country.  I was also heartened to see many of our colleagues give up their valuable weekend time to teach and provide their “pearls” in preparation for the exam.  Dr. Brian Cummings, God's gift to accounting, is very entertaining, and really knows his stuff!  Although the residents are not quite in need of tax planning/accounting advice at the moment, having Brian speak to them will give them a heads up and prepare them for their future.  It was also nice to run into Dr. Aly KarsanAly made it all the way from Vancouver to provide some talks on Hempath. This was the first year that the Review Couse offered a concurrent Hematological Pathology program, under the direction of Dr. Allam Shawwa.  This session really struck home to me, how important engagement is in our laboratory medicine world.   Pathologists networking with Residents, Residents networking and learning from each other, and the CAP-ACP engaging with its membership in Canada and around the world! A great value to our mission statement: "...a voluntary professional organization, advances the interests of our profession and promotes high quality standards for patient care by providing national leadership and promoting excellence in pathology and laboratory medicine practice, education and research."

Pathology and Medicine, in general, has become a very busy, all consuming, activity.  Time, in the day, is limited but it is, however, very important for us to consider the importance of engagement.  In my own practice of Dermatopathology, I have always known the value of engagement with treating clinicians.   However, based on some recent experience, this has been made even more clear.  Working with a Dermatologist who practices Tele-dermatology, the interaction and availability of clinical images has proven invaluable.  I have no doubt that diagnostic accuracy (a current hot topic) continues to improve and the literature seems to support this observation.  This is particularly true with inflammatory dermatosis which, at times, can seem a little byzantine. 

With engagement, I have also seen great progress made in advancing appropriateness.  At St. Mikes, the Laboratory Medicine program is closely engaged with members of the Department of Medicine in this cause.  This is something that I have struggled with over the years – being policeman really does not work.  However, by working closely with treating clinicians, changes can be made more seamlessly, especially when sold as improving quality.  At the end of the day, “getting out of our lab”, and engaging our students, our treating clinicians, our colleagues (a few blocks away) and yes, even the Government is something I (we) need to do more of. 

See you all in Vancouver in July.  We have some great sessions planned.  I look forward to engaging with you at our Presidents Reception; at the glorious Museum of Anthropology at UBC!

Victor Tron @CAPACPPresident

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CAP-ACP Communication and Advocacy

CAP-ACP Executive Director, Heather Dow, CAE, CPhT
Heather DowI am honoured to serve as the first Executive Director of CAP-ACP; it is a privilege to be associated with an organization that, for over 67 years, has been the national voice for promoting excellence in pathology and laboratory medicine practice, education and research across Canada.

With an excellent Executive that is firmly committed to CAP-ACP’s mission, a highly professional and dedicated staff, an array of outstanding organizations with whom we cooperate, and our affiliation with special interest groups, CAP-ACP is well-positioned to face the challenges that lie ahead.

CAP-ACP will, moving forward, retain its traditional focus but we will also seek to strengthen the Association's affiliations with Provincial and International organizations, restructure the annual meeting in order to apply Competency-based medical education (CBME) principles to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) curricular design (including practice performance assessment) and implement member recruitment and retention strategies in order to ensure a positive return on investment (ROI) for the association and its members.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my role with the CAP-ACP the past three years. As someone whose life course has been charted, to an important degree, by academic opportunities, including my certification as a Certified Association Executive (CAE), I am convinced that the empowerment of societies is measured by the strength of all its members.

I am a firm believer in team work and delegating to those who excel at specific tasks. I am, as a result, proud to re-introduce the full CAP-ACP National Office team to you: Pamela Lyons, Conference Manager (Vice President EM+), Lisa Baker, Executive Assistant (Membership, Conference Registrar, Website Administrator) Meredith Slack, Executive Assistant (Resident Review Course Coordinator, Presidential Assistant, Conference Assistant). In addition to the front-line team, there are also staff who work behind the scenes to ensure that all of the association's needs are met: Qin Fan, Irene Guo, Donna Bell and Megan Lyons. As you can see, we have a strong team to ensure that CAP-ACP reaches its goals, provides excellent membership service, and achieves the highest possible level of success. 

Well, that's all fine and good but you may be asking yourself, “Who IS Heather Dow, the Executive Director?”

I have extensive experience in the role as Executive Director and Conference Manager in professional medical not-for-profit Associations nationally and internationally. I have been involved with Not-for-Profits and Charities for over 20 years with a large portion of that activity directed towards member recruitment and retention, by-laws and governance, policies and guidelines, advocacy, financial management and communication.

I have lived in Ottawa, Costa Rica, France, Jamaica and now reside in Kingston, ON. I am fluent in both English and French (born and raised in a French community in the Ottawa Valley and have worked in France as an interpreter) and I have functional Spanish language skills.

In my spare time I can be found hacking through the fields on my Tennessee Walking Horses (Georgie), racing the tracks for autocross or lapping at Shannonville, Mt Tremblant, or Calabogie, touring our great country on my 1100cc Honda Shadow, Highland Dancing wherever the bagpipes sound, watching the sun rise or set at our cottage on the lake in Arden, or my favorite pastime, enjoying time with my family and four teenage children. That's me in a nutshell.

I look forward to see you all in Vancouver! 


Canadian Chairs of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (CCPLM)
The CCPLM welcomes Dr. Subrata Chakrabarti, Western University, London, ON as the new Chair. The CAP-ACP expresses sincere thanks and gratitude to Past-Chair, Dr. Richard Hegele, University of Toronto, for his years of service and dedication to the Association. We know that we will be in good hands during this transition. The 2014-2015 actions of the CCPLM can be read on the CAP-ACP website.


Annual Meeting Needs Assessments
feedbackThe practice of medicine in general and of pathology in particular has dramatically changed over the last three decades. New discoveries, techniques and technologies broadened the scope of our practice; subspecialization ensued and the types of pathology practice in Canada are increasingly distinct. At the same time, new educational principles and tools are being implemented, which resulted in a dramatic change in academic curricula and accreditation requirements.

The CAP-ACP annual meeting has recently seen the introduction of many new sections and special interest groups which reflect the varied practice and interests of its members. As a consequence, the annual meeting’s committee was debating on how its program should be restructured in order to accommodate the growing number of sessions and topics. It was decided that rather than using expert opinion, it would be preferable to use an evidence-based approach using well established curriculum design principles and create an ad hoc committee to address this issue.

We are seeking member input regarding the planning of future meetings; including content, general flow and programming.


Member Spotlight
Leslie-Anderson_WebDr. Leslie Anderson is a PGY3 AP resident at the University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, St Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg (MB). Dr. Anderson is currently the co-president of the Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Manitoba PARIM. Leslie has been advocating and promoting the role of residents in medicine and recently arranged to have the CBC / Rick Mercer Report come to Winnipeg and film a segment on residents in anticipation of Resident Awareness Day. The filming took place in late January and the segment aired Tuesday, February 2.

LeslieAnderson


Canadian Journal of Pathology
If you missed the recent issue 7-3 of the Journal, you can access the electronic version on the CAP-ACP website.CJP

  • Invited Editorial/Éditorial sur invitation - Michelle Li, Eleftherios P. Diamandis MD, PhD, FRCP(C), FRSC
  • Invited Review - Marcio Mendes Gomes MD, PhD
  • Original Articles:
    • Egg Donor Pregnancy: A Potential Pitfall in the Diagnosis of Placental Molar Disease, Terence J Colgan MD, Matthew Vlasschaert BSc, MLT, Gaiane Iakovleva MD, Elena Kolomietz PhD
    • The Pathology Tissue and Archive Committee: Its Role in Human Tissue Research, Samantha Crombie MClSc, Karen Mackie ALT, Madeleine Moussa MBBCh FRCPC, Meg McLachlin MD FRCPC and Robert Hammond MD FRCPC
    • ARID1A Loss of Expression in Complex Atypical Hyperplasia and Grade 1 Endometrioid Carcinoma of the Endometrium, Nouf Hijazi, David G. Huntsman, C. Blake Gilks
    • Book Review
      29 Managing and Leading for Science Professionals, J. Godfrey Heathcote, MA, MB BChir, PhD, FRCP

Reminder - Membership Renewal 2016
It is time to renew your membership in the Canadian Association of Pathologists – Association canadienne des pathologistes (CAP-ACP).  Please visit the Membership area of our website (http://cap-acp.org) and sign in using your email address and password. If you cannot remember your log in credentials, please contact the Secretariat: info@cap-acp.org. Frequently asked questions about the CAP-ACP and the benefits of membership can be found here.

We do count on and appreciate your support, every year, so that the we can maintain our vision, mission and goals. Thank you for your renewed support to the CAP-ACP; the voice of pathology and laboratory medicine in Canada, advancing the interests of laboratory physicians across the country.


Online Member Profile
When you renew your member dues, please take the time to update your member profile. This information is now available online and at any time, you can update your email and select the Special Interest Groups or Sections you wish to participate. The majority of our communications are through email therefore, it is important that we have at least one valid email address to ensure you do not miss out on any newsletters, communications or notices.


Lloyd A. Kennedy Pathologists’ Assistant Award
All CAP-ACP members are invited to submit a nomination for the Lloyd A. Kennedy Pathologists’ Assistant Award. 

The Pathologists’ Assistant Award was established in 2007 and is provided by the Canadian Association of Pathologists and renamed The Lloyd A. Kennedy Pathologists’ Assistant Award and funded by the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen’s University and Kingston General Hospital from 2010 onwards. 

This award is given to a Pathologists’ Assistant in good standing, in recognition of his/her outstanding contributions to continuing professional development in the area of medical laboratory practice. 

Award entitlements:

  • $150 honorarium
  • speaking engagement (during the PA conference - includes travel, accommodations and complimentary PA conference registration)
  • certificate presented to the recipient by the Head of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University
  • acknowledgement during the Saturday evening PA Reception.
The nominee’s curriculum vitae should be sent with the nomination to sarah.james@uhn.ca no later than Monday, February 29, 2016.

Please remember that the nominee must be a CAP-ACP PA Section member in good standing, and shall have demonstrated significant contributions to continuing professional development of medical laboratory personnel through one of the following:

  • Instructing CPD courses in his/her area of expertise,
  • Development of CPD programs locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.  The nominees will be voted on by the PA Section membership.

Social Media
The CAP-ACP will be looking for more help in generating content for Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Please submit interesting links, etc. to info@cap-acp.org and we will get them posted. Our Twitter feed continues to be very active with 1249 tweets and 635 followers. Even if you do not have a Twitter account, you can follow the feed displayed on our CAP-ACP website homepage. We now have over 1432 Likes on Facebook.

Follow me, Victor Tron, CAP-ACP President on my Twitter account @CAPACPPresident. (577 Tweets with 439 Followers)

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CAP-ACP Education

Join us in Vancouver!
CAP2016

The Annual Meeting will be held July 9-12, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver Hotel, and will feature a multi-disciplinary scientific program, renowned guest speakers, an extensive trade show and a great social program. The Annual General Meeting for CAP-ACP will also be held during this conference.

This conference is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This activity was approved by the Canadian Association of Pathologists.

Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at www.ama-assn.org/go/internationalcme

At the end of the meeting participants will be able to:

  • Discuss recent developments in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment based on new biomarkers and molecular signatures;
  • Describe the pathogenesis of disease and apply up-to-date diagnostic criteria in several areas in pathology;
  • Evaluate and validate different educational tools in residency training for learning and assessment;
  • Discuss and assess the significance of new findings and observations in the context of current literature;
  • Discuss and assess issues that impact on pathology practice in Canada. 

Other meetings held during the annual meeting:

  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, General Pathology Specialty Committee.
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Anatomic Pathology Specialty Committee.
  • Annual General Meeting, Canadian Society of Cytopathology.
  • Annual General Meetings of all sections of CAP-ACP.
  • Annual Meeting of the Canadian Chairs of Pathology.
  • Canadian Leadership Council on Laboratory Medicine Executive Meeting.
  • Canadian Leadership Council on Laboratory Medicine Council Meeting.

Workshops
Scientific Workshops will be held on Saturday July 9 and Sunday July 10.

Saturday July 9 Morning – 0800-1130

Saturday July 9 Afternoon – 1300-1630

Sunday July 10 Morning – 0800-1130


Call for Paper - Abstract Submission is Open!

Submit an abstract - Deadline: February 29, 2016

The meeting will include electronic poster presentations and a limited number of oral presentations. 

General Instructions:

  • Abstracts must be submitted using the website submission form. Failure to submit an electronic version will result in rejection. 
  • Abstracts submitted will be peer-reviewed for scientific quality and merit. Submitted abstracts must meet certain criteria and be submitted in proper form for acceptance. Failure to meet the criteria and follow the required format may result in request for abstract resubmission or rejection of abstract. 
  • Please note that your submitted abstract, if accepted, will be published in the Canadian Journal of Pathology and we encourage you to submit your full manuscript for consideration. 
  • The abstract may be written in English or French; either language may be used for the presentation. Abstracts must be clear, concise and have good grammatical form. Avoid superfluous words. No advertising or company logos may be used. The data may not have been previously published in a copyrighted journal or peer reviewed publication. Technical information pertaining to the observations and conclusions cannot be withheld for proprietary reasons.

Accommodations
Did you know that your choice of hotel for the CAP-ACP Annual Meeting has a direct impact on the hosting association? In order to secure sufficient meeting space for the Annual Meeting we must guarantee a minimum number of bedroom bookings by our delegates. Although we understand that making your reservations outside of the CAP-ACP block can sometimes be more economical to you, it may cause the association to have to pay attrition fees for the un-purchased rooms within the contracted room block, which over time, may result in higher conference registration fees.

The CAP-ACP depend on the annual meeting revenues to fund other programs throughout the year and to keep future registration fees low. Please assist CAP-ACP by making your hotel reservation in the official conference block at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver Hotel. 

Reservations:
A block of guestrooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver Hotel, 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC. All participants in the conference are required to make their own accommodation arrangements directly with the hotel. Please indicate “CAP-ACP 2016 Annual Meeting” when reserving your room. If there are any remaining unbooked rooms on May 30, 2016, they will be released for general sale and the special conference rate will not be available after that time. CAP-ACP Conference Rate: $229.00. Online reservation link – aws.passkey.com/event/13964847/owner/2072/home


Program
Check the website for updates on the program, business meetings and social event updates!


Future Annual Meetings
Mark your calendars to ensure your availability for these future conferences:

  • 2017 Charlottetown, PEI June 10-13, Delta Convention Centre
  • 2018 Quebec City, QC July 7-10, Hilton Quebec

Resident Review Course

The 6th Annual Resident Review Course was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport West, 1870 Matheson Blvd., Mississauga, ON  L4W 0B3 January 15-17, 2016. New this year was a full Hematological Pathology program! Check out some of the great tweets! https://t.co/6NybgVMIeI

Thank you to all the faculty, planning committee, co-directors, Drs. Jagdish Butany, Penny Barnes and Allam Shawwa, our Executive Director, Heather Dow, and Executive Assistants, Meredith Slack and Lisa Baker, for their hard work putting together this excellent program.

If you attended the course, please remember to complete the course evaluations:

Several comments received to date including: "The facility was easily accessible with free parking (thank you!) and had excellent lighting to provide contrast on the projection screens with various microscopic images."

Note to RRC attendees: The Association has been in touch with both the hotel and the AV company regarding deficiencies in their services during the course and they offer their apologies. We advocated on your behalf and stated very clearly all issues identified during the course. The planning committee has begun the process to find a more suitable venue and more reliable AV.


Electronic Cancer Checklist Education Sessions 2016 - Advance Notice
CCO

Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), in partnership with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) and the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP-ACP) is pleased to announce the next phase of education sessions below. In addition, one session is being sponsored by CAP-ACP, CPAC, and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO).

Each session will be presented “live” via WebEx on the dates below, with a recording of the live
presentation made available after each session on the Cancer View Canada website: www.cancerview.ca

This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of
Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the
Canadian Association of Pathologists.


Case of the monthCase of the Month - PA Section
The Pathologists' Assistants Continuing Education Committee (PA CEC) has posted "Case of the Month" presentations and invites their section members to download and review the cases for your interest.

The information is available on the PA Section Websitewww.cap-acp.org/pathologistsAssistants.php

The Education Committee is responsible to look into continuing education requirements for section members, to obtain information on existing and developing PA programs in Canada and to make the arrangements for the annual general meeting conference.  

Note:  You must be logged in as a member to access the Case of the Month page.  It is "Member's Only" access.


The CAP-ACP is pleased to offer its Resident and PA members a discounted license to ExpertPath.

ExpertPath, written by renowned pathologists in each specialty, provides comprehensive decision support you can rely on, including:

  • Over 4,000 common and complex diagnoses
  • 50,000 searchable, high-quality annotated pathology images
  • Overviews of diagnosis groups
  • Tables with summary information for organ systems
  • Normal histology topics
  • Specimen handling protocols and best practices

Click here for more information - Note that you must be a CAP-ACP member, and signed in to the members' area to access the registration link. Cost is $65 CAD - Subscriptions offered through the CAP-ACP are in limited supply. Allow a 72-hour delay to activate your subscription.

*Note that there will be a delay as registrations will be forwarded to ExpertPath on a weekly basis. ExpertPath will then email you directly with your login credentials.

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CAP-ACP Collaboration

Future of Medical Education in Canada - Continuing Professional Development Project
FMEC CPD is a 3-year project, the result of which will be a robust description of a Pan-Canadian Consortium that will sustain innovation and ongoing quality improvement in our evolving Canadian CPD system. Additional details about this project can be found at www.fmec-cpd.ca/.

This description will be generated, in large measure, by encouraging stakeholders to work together on projects of interest and deliberately harvesting the learning that will result. FMEC CPD projects will foster collaboration among all CPD stakeholder organizations. One of the key strategies to address FMEC-CPD’s intended outcomes is to intentionally integrate the work of all stakeholder organizations in contributing to the outcomes or conclusions for selected priorities.

The CAP-ACP will be submitting an application, thanks to Dr. Marcio Gomes, for which the processes and intended outcomes can be reviewed to inform and shape the description of a Pan-Canadian CPD Consortium.


Consultation on the FMRAC Physician Practice Improvement System
Thanks to Dr. Rosemary Henderson, the CAP-ACP participated in a survey seeking feedback from the CAP-ACP in the development of the Physician Practice Improvement System (PPI System). Survey results will help guide the evolution of the document (PPI System).

The Vision of the "Physician Practice Improvement" is Canadians assured of the competence of physicians; Physicians supported in their continuous commitment to improve.

The shift to Physician Practice Improvement is a priority for the Board of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, one it expects to be achieved within 5 - 10 years. The FMRAC is working closely with a wide range of stakeholders to develop a Pan-Canadian strategy that will help medical regulatory authorities, physicians and stakeholder groups implement the PPI System. In addition to FMRAC and medical regulatory authorities, the working group is made up of representatives of seven organizations that will be key to successfully implementing the PPI System.

Note that Canada is not unique in adapting a new approach to assessing professional competence – the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and the United States are all redesigning their revalidation programs.

More information to come!


 

Canadian Cancer Action Network (CCAN)Canadian Cancer Action Network

The CAP-ACP has partnered with the Canadian Cancer Action Network (CCAN). Membership in CCAN is free and it has its perks! CCAN currently includes 100 diverse member organizations from across Canada. A current membership list can be accessed here.

Funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, CCAN is a patient-centered organization dedicated to ensuring the interests of Canadian patients and caregivers are a key health priority in Canada. With 14 years of successfully uniting Canadian cancer-site organizations, population organizations, palliative care organizations, national associations, and provincial groups under one coordinated umbrella, CCAN continues to expand to engage a broader audience that reflects the diverse needs of the cancer patient community.

Benefits of Membership Include:

  • Exclusive engagement in multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional collaborative patient and caregiver initiatives.
  • Dissemination of member information and/or promotion of member activities and initiatives to the full CCAN network (such as the Radiation Therapy Patient Charter for patient advocacy input).
  • Connections, a weekly comprehensive media scan distributed by the CCAN Secretariat exclusively to CCAN members.
  • Informative e-Bulletins highlighting key activities and initiatives that impact the Canadian patient and caregiver communities.
  • Promotion of member initiatives within CCAN’s current network of 97 pan-Canadian organizations.
  • Key updates and news on scientific, policy, and funding updates relevant to the Canadian patient community.
  • Facilitated networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities with other organizations, including fellow members.
  • Opportunities to represent your organization by serving on provincial or national advisory boards and working groups.

Events & News
Check out the News and Events sections of the website to stay current with provincial, national and international activities and notices that may be of interest to you.

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Career Opportunities
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- last updated November 2017 -