BDIAP Virtual Study Days
10 - 11 November 2020
A Breath of “Fresh Air”
I recently by chance overheard a conversation between colleagues at work. When I joined them, they had been talking about the BDIAP Molecular Pathology Study Day. “What a brilliant course” were the words, “just perfectly gauged and practical”, “excellent speakers and perfectly organised”. I thought this would be the best credit to any event when you spontaneously hear people talking about it and wanting more of it in future. Initially conceptualised for trainees, Consultants have also found it a highly suitable update. The BDIAP has hit a “jackpot” with events like these and the credit on this occasion goes to the enthusiastic trainees on the BDIAP council who have thought it through and brought it to fruition. Dr Katie Allen and Dr Matthew Clarke were hugely responsible for the organisation of the recently held two courses. Together with Dr Abhisek Ghosh, they have brought in a wave of activity and enthusiasm, resulting in successful events and reliance on new technology in professional education, just at the right time, when the COVID pandemic completely changed the way we professionally interact through remote access and digital technology. (By a Consultant Pathologist)
BDIAP Molecular Pathology Study Day
The BDIAP Molecular Pathology Study Day took place in November 2020. Molecular pathology is used by pathologists to identify important molecular characteristics of different diseases which provides important information to directly help treat and manage patients. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic this study day was held as an entirely virtual event for the first time. This was not without significant challenges having to adapt to a very new field of event delivery in response to the continually changing situation created by the pandemic. This study day was aimed primarily at trainees and consultants in histopathology, and others who are working in or related to the field of molecular pathology. The virtual format allowed us to extend the invitation to delegates from overseas and we had over 250 registrants from all over the world making this a truly international event. The speakers were a select group of international experts in their field who are at the forefront helping to drive the molecular advancement in the different histopathology subspecialties including respiratory, urological, gastrointestinal and soft tissue pathology. A full programme was provided with pre-recorded talks and the speakers took part in live Q&A sessions after each series of talks. The delegates were also provided with a ‘Basics of Molecular Pathology’ guide in advance of the meeting to help prepare some of the junior audience members for what they may encounter. As expected, the talks were excellent and of the highest quality, providing delegates with very useful information about the different molecular tests available, when to use them and how to interpret the results. Feedback from delegates so far has been very positive and we look forward to building on the success of this format in the years to come.
“Excellent overall perspective of the subject for a beginner. Very practical information. Virtual nature of the meeting was brilliant”
“Molecular path is not much covered for trainees. Thanks to the event organisers we could get an elaborate insight into the subject”
“Lots of different sub specialties included, biomedical scientists included and relevant material for them, encouraging collaboration between cell path and genetics which really is very important for optimal specimen handling”
“I was able to update on a variety of organ systems as working in specialty systems makes it difficult to keep up with developments. All talks were of excellent quality”.
BDIAP Members can access the material from the virtual study day here
BDIAP Approach to Cut-up Study Day
Following on from the success of the first virtual BDIAP Molecular Pathology Study Day, the ‘Approach to Cut-up’ Study Day was also delivered virtually for the first time, a day later. The macroscopic approach to specimens is a crucial first step in the diagnostic pathway – the specimen preparation, macroscopic identification and description of the pathology and block selection is vitally important to achieving an accurate diagnosis and therefore this study day is an important training opportunity to supplement the day-to-day learning in pathology departments. Again, the virtual format allowed the reach of the BDIAP to be extended and we had an international audience of over 250 delegates from around the world. The event was aimed primarily at trainee histopathologists, either those who were just beginning their training and looking for some useful tips on how to approach complex specimens, or those senior trainees who are approaching their examinations. However, biomedical scientists were also welcomed as many are also now undertaking specimen preparation in their roles. A team of internationally renowned experts provided a packed programme with a series of excellent pre-recorded talks covering all the different subspecialties of histopathology including skin, gynaecological, lymphoreticular, gastrointestinal and respiratory pathology, with live Q&A sessions allowing the delegates to ask any questions of the experts. This event was a great success reflected by the positive feedback received so far. Where permission has been provided, the delegates have also been given access to the talks from both study days via the website.
The BDIAP is very pleased to have delivered the two study days as entirely virtual events. The team would like to thank Geoff Cross for all his hard work in providing the vital AV support in advance and on the day, the speakers for the significant effort involved to deliver these talks in this new format, and for the continued support from the delegates of these study days. The BDIAP is looking forward to further exploring the virtual arena of event delivery in the future.
“Best virtual format I’ve experienced for a conference”
“Well organised, informative, clearly explained, enthusiastic speakers”
“Very informative, I felt it was aimed at a very good level for trainees, very practical”.
BDIAP Members can access the material from the virtual study day here