President's Newsletter
September 2024
17 September 2024
(Last updated: 19 Sep 2024 09:26)
I hope you have enjoyed your summer and managed to get a break.
I’d like to welcome our new ST1s and pathology trainees from our member countries. The BDIAP is here to help you through what I hope will be a long and happy career in pathology. For our senior members with new trainees, please encourage them to visit our website and apply for membership of the BDIAP.
Recent Meetings
BDIAP Summer Meeting, 9-10 May 2024
For the BDIAP, the summer started in May with the Joint BDIAP/ RCPath Dermatopathology Update meeting, and Joint BDIAP/BLPG Symposium on Skin Lymphomas, at the Royal College of Pathologists. The meetings were very well attended (with the second day attendance exceeding the capacity of the room!) and feedback was excellent. The networking reception was held on the terrace at 6 Alie Street.
I would like to thank all the speakers for making it such a successful meeting. Particular thanks should go to the convenors, Dr Paul Craig and Prof Stefan Dojcinov.
Recordings of the presentations at the meeting can now be viewed in the members area of the BDIAP website.
Pathology Summer School, 8-9 August 2024
This annual event, hosted by the RCPath and sponsored by the BDIAP, is open to UK medical students. It gives students an opportunity to meet trainees and consultants in various pathology specialties, and learn more about the role of pathology in healthcare.
This year’s Summer School was attended by 70 students. I would particularly like to thank Dr Matt Clarke who took the lead for the BDIAP at the School.
Please let your students know about this event. It is an important part of our efforts to attract young doctors into pathology.
Undergraduate Summer School
BDIAP/GDIAP International Junior Academy Summer School, 8-10 August 2024
This educational event is organised by the German Division of the IAP and sponsored by the BDIAP. The 2024 School took place in Budapest with 30 participants. The BDIAP awarded 2 bursaries to attend the meeting. Many thanks to Prof Aurelie Fabre who was the BDIAP speaker at this year’s School.
Read Prof Aurelie Fabre's report here.
The next event will take place in Bordeaux, France on 3-5 July 2025. More information to be announced soon, including bursaries to attend the Summer School.
View all BDIAP Meetings
Upcoming Meetings in 2024
Irish Society of Surgical Pathology meeting, Belfast 4-5 October 2024
This meeting is sponsored by the BDIAP. Early bird registration deadline 29 September.
More information can be found here.
IAP Congress, Cancun 27-31 October 2024
The 2024 IAP Congress is in Cancun, Mexico. The IAP Congress 2024 meeting offers high quality educational and scientific content with presentations from the leading pathologists around the world.
Please note the regular registration deadline is 17 September.
The BDIAP has awarded 8 bursaries to trainees and allied scientists from member countries to attend the Congress, and a further 11 bursaries to pathologists from the BDIAP Schools.
Joint BDIAP-ABP Symposium on Breast Pathology, London 22-23 November 2024
This year’s winter meeting is a joint symposium with the Association of Breast Pathology and will take place at the Royal Society of Medicine. Prof Sarah Pinder and Dr Rahul Deb have put together a strong programme that includes discussion of diagnostically challenging areas, reporting guidance and update on genomic markers and digital pathology. Registration numbers to date are high so please visit the website and register early to avoid disappointment.
The BDIAP AGM will take place at lunchtime during this meeting, on 22 November.
For trainees in our member countries, please note bursaries to attend the meeting are available. The deadline for applications is 20 September.
Apply for a bursary
View Programme and Register
National Pathology Week 4-10 November 2024
This year’s National Pathology week is fast approaching.
The Pathology Myths and Misconceptions event on 4 November is open for bookings here. The event is primarily aimed at undergraduates and foundation doctors, but is open to all. Please inform your trainees and students about the event.
If you are organising other National Pathology Week events aimed at the public please register them here.
2025 BDIAP Meetings
Save the date! The 15th Joint Meeting of the BDIAP and the Pathological Society of GB&I will take place jointly with the Belgian Society of Pathology on 24-26 June 2025.
Get your abstracts ready for submission in March!
Bursaries for these meetings will be available, further details to follow.
Ghent Pathology 2025 Flyer
BDIAP Schools
East African British School, Tanzania 22-23 February 2024
The 15th East African British School of Pathology took place in February. The topic was Histopathology of Infectious Diseases of the Gastrointestinal tract and Liver.
I would like to thank Professor Sebastian Lucas, Dr Alberto Guaglia and Dr Ula Mahadeva for delivering a very successful School.
Professor Sebastian Lucas' report can be viewed here.
Upcoming Schools
Sri Lankan British School of Pathology, Columbo October 2024, on Breast, Thyroid and Lymphoma pathology, and the BDIAP faculty will be Prof Ian Ellis, Prof Stefan Dojcinov and Dr David Poller.
Bryan Warren School of Pathology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (live) and Online (virtual), 23-24 November 2024. The topic is Lung and Mediastinal Pathology, and the BDIAP faculty will be Dr Jan von der Thüsen and Dr Michael den Bakker.
BDIAP Council
Recruitment is taking place for three positions to serve on BDIAP Council for 3 years (2025-2027), one Trainees Councillor and two UK Councillors.
The deadline to submit a nomination was Friday 13 September 2024. From personal experience, I can say that being a member of Council is both extremely rewarding and enjoyable. You never know where becoming a Councillor might lead…
This year, after 6 years as Treasurer, Prof Simon Cross is standing down. I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of time and effort that Simon has committed to the BDIAP over the last 6 years and his masterful handling of our finances.
He has guided the BDIAP through very difficult times and we should all be very grateful to Simon, not least because our membership subscriptions have not changed during this period!
Prof Christopher Fletcher 1958-2024
I would like to acknowledge the passing of Prof Chris Fletcher who sadly died on 28 July 2024. Chris was a graduate of St. Thomas's Hospital, London, where he trained in pathology and worked until moving to Boston in 1995 to become Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Director of Surgical Pathology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Chris was a brilliant diagnostician and original thinker who did more to forward our understanding of oncological pathology than any other pathologist of our generation. His published work includes almost 600 original papers and over 150 review articles, chapters and books, including Diagnostic Histopathology of Tumours, the definitive text on tumour pathology and essential reading for all histopathologists.
Chris received numerous prestigious awards, including the BDIAP President’s medal in 2018 for exceptional contributions to pathology education. His lecture at that BDIAP meeting will long be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to be there.
BDIAP President's Medal Special Lecture 2018
(BDIAP member log in required to view)
Frequently controversial, Chris was never afraid to challenge established dogma, stimulating audiences around the world to both think and laugh. He will be greatly missed by the global pathology community.
BDIAP Bursary Opportunities
Joint BDIAP-ABP Symposium on Breast Pathology: deadline 23:59 20 September. Apply here.
USCAP 2025: deadline for abstract submissions is 26 September 2024. BDIAP bursaries to open shortly. More information.
Innovation Grants
Student Electives
This is my last Newsletter as President of the BDIAP, and I would like to finish by thanking all my colleagues on Council, and in particular our administrative team, Sam Kiely and Louisa Coulthurst. It has been both a joy and privilege to work with you.
At the AGM in November, I will be handing on the President’s chain to Dr Jan von der Thüsen, confident in the knowledge that the BDIAP is in safe hands and will continue to go from strength to strength.
Professor Ian Roberts
President (2022-2024)
BDIAP
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