Media Training and Communications for Pathologists

June 10, 2026

Precision Medicine | College of American Pathologists

CAP Virtual Media Training Registration

Don’t Hyperventilate! Breathing Hope Into Lung Pathology

Doctors Explain the Risks of Swimming in Freshwater Lakes

Transcript

Nancy Johnson 0:02

Cell profiling in a full array of colors, a primer on spectral flow cytometry, plus clear communication in a sea of information. How the CAP's media training can help. This is Path News Network Daily edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nancy Johnson. It's Wednesday, June 10th. Spectral flow cytometry is now helping pathologists make the most of single-patient specimens, according to a new CAP article released today. The article provides a primer on spectral flow cytometry, highlighting its promise in applications such as detecting residual disease and leukemia, monitoring patients' immune responses after transplants, and evaluating immune-related disorders. It's written by the CAP's Dr. Fabian Lucas, along with Drs. Alexa Andre and Christopher Snyder. Though spectral flow cytometry reduces costs for tubes and reagents, the authors also note the significant investment labs must make. Learn more at the full article on CAP.org under Member Resources on the Precision Medicine page. Hontavirus worries, cancer breakthroughs, AI science advances, Ebola, the health headlines come fast and furious these days, and pathology is at the center of it all. When the media reaches out, are you ready to deliver clear, accurate information? If you speak with reporters or present publicly, the CAP's media training can help you stay composed and on message. Dr. Adam Clough is a hematopathologist at Los Angeles General Medical Center and an alumnus of media training. He says the CAP course helps pathologists understand how to boil down complex topics into concise takeaways.

Dr. Adam Cloe 2:10

As pathologists, we often we're long-winded in our reports, especially uh hematopathology. Our reports are a couple of pages. And I think there's a tendency to if somebody asks us asks us a question, to say, oh, let me tell you all about this, this, this, this, and this, and and to kind of really go in a in a broad form. And a lot of the time it's important to realize that there's only so much time that a reporter has to either quote you with if it's a if it's a written article, or if you're on the news, you it needs to be relatively succinct.

Nancy Johnson 2:46

Dr. Khloe added that media training isn't just for pathologists who speak to the press or make presentations.

Dr. Adam Cloe 2:53

The main thing that I think about with the media training is it and I think is important overall for pathology, is just to think about communication and about how we communicate effectively. And it really applies to all areas of our of our professional career. I always tell our residents one of the most important things that you can do is to make sure that you are communicating with all of the people around you because we work as a team, and the team works best when we're able to explain what is going on and what we think and how we're seeing things.

Nancy Johnson 3:24

The last media training of the year is Friday, August 21st. Go to the CAP calendar of events to register for the free media training webinar. Have you browsed the CAP 26 agenda? The October meeting in Las Vegas has dozens of CME courses to fit your interests and expertise, starting with three courses on lung pathology. One of those sessions entitled Don't Hyperventilate, Breathing Hope into Lung Pathology, will provide a comprehensive overview of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung diseases. Dr. Anja Roden of Mayo Clinic Rochester is one of four experts leading the course, developed in partnership with the U.S. and Canadian Academy of Pathology. She says the course is designed for all pathologists, but especially those in general practice. It will take attendees into some of the challenges posed by lung cancers.

Dr. Anja Roden 4:28

If you think about small cell carcinoma, it's very well defined what the small cell carcinoma is. But if we get a small biopsy, then often there's crushed crushed cells, and we don't have many of the cells that still look evaluable. But what do we do with that? We not always just can say this is non-diagnostic because then the patient has to undergo another biopsy. So there are things we can do with these specimens, and we will talk about these issues.

Nancy Johnson 4:59

The course will also explore the diagnostic tools that are breathing hope into the treatment of lung diseases, including minimally invasive cryobiopsies that can obtain large, high-quality tissue samples.

Dr. Anja Roden 5:13

The cryobiopsy may be enough to diagnose an interstitial lung disease, and the patient does not have to undergo a surgical lung biopsy.

Nancy Johnson 5:22

Explore this course and others on pulmonary transfusion and pulmonary cytology at the CAP26 agenda. And finally, for many people, summer just wouldn't be summer without a visit to the lake. Freshwater swims can be refreshing and fun, but they come with risks. In a recent article for Very Well Health, CAP member Dr. Christopher Attaway explained some of the top health concerns of taking a dip in the lake. Dr. Attaway, an assistant professor at the University of Vermont, said Giardia is the most common parasitic infection associated with freshwater exposure, with an estimated 1 million cases annually. It's treatable and can be mild. Dehydration is the primary complication. Crypto, not the digital currency, is the name of a less common parasitic infection. And naegleria fowleri or the brain-eating amoeba, tends to make headlines. It is nearly always fatal, but is rare. Dr. Attaway says patients should seek medical advice if they have persistent diarrhea, vomiting, or other serious symptoms after swimming. The good news is that you don't have to avoid lakes. There are easy ways to protect yourself, including checking beach advisories before swimming, showering after swimming, and using a nose clip in the water. That's all for today's Daily Edition. Be sure to check the show notes for more information on today's stories. Got a story you'd like for us to cover on the daily edition? Write to us at stories @cap.org. We're back at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of the Daily Edition. I'm Nancy Johnson. Have a great day.