Society for Pediatric Pathology - SPP Winter 2001 Newsletter

The Winter newsletter is usually thin and short of news and this issue is no exception. There are rumors of people coming or going or at least thinking about it, but this carefully edited column is not the vehicle for unsubstantiated gossip. The constitution and bylaws committee has included for your review a listing of proposed changes that will be voted upon at the Spring meeting in Atlanta. Also, please note the imminent deadlines for submitting nominations for various Society awards (2001). These awards carry both honor and succor and it would be unfortunate if a paucity of nominations diluted their meaning. Details for submitting nominations may be found on our Awards page. There are several new job opportunities for our graduating fellows and/or upwardly mobile or disgruntled members and some positions listed in the previous Newsletter may still be unfilled. And some excellent fellowship programs still have open positions. The recruitment of new blood into pediatric pathology should remain a high priority of each one of us in the coming year. Positive personal interactions with young malleable pathology residents and medical students will always have a much greater impact than any institutional effort promulgated by the Society. A new cocktail initiative is being launched on Friday night at the Atlanta meeting to allow more opportunity for informal interpersonal discourse among members. Please refer to the announcement more distally located in this newsletter.

As we look forward to the upcoming annual meeting in Atlanta, it hardly seems possible that an entire year has gone by. This year has, like others, been busy for us all personally and professionally, and for the Society as well. From my experience as Secretary-Treasurer of the Society, I should have learned that it is impossible to predict from year to year what issues will be pre-eminent, and this year is no exception. Any failures of the past year are entirely my own; however, our successes are due to the attention of a large number of people who quietly work to keep the Society on track, to organize the meetings, and to keep us communicating with one another. It is these people that I would like to acknowledge in this my final presidential message.

Beverly Rogers and the Publication Committee have overseen major changes in the Society�s publications. These have included the search for a new editor for the journal with concomitant attempts to redirect its focus, and the move to professional management of the Website with publication of the newsletter and other timely information on the Web. A search for a new editor for the Website is also underway and when complete should lead to an even more useful forum for communication. Hopefully there will be further changes in our Website that will allow us to use this medium for other Society activities

The efforts of Kathy Patterson and the Education Committee have resulted in renewal of our ACCME accreditation, under the direction of Lisa Teot, and continuing improvement in the quality and diversity of our educational programs. The members of the Education Committee manage a wide range of efforts on behalf of the Society, ably and quietly. Their involvement in annual and interim meeting program development and evaluation extends well beyond abstract, workshop, and seminar selection. And, they often find themselves soliciting particular educational activities, helping in seminar development and sweet-talking potential workshop presenters. At least one of them also attends and evaluates all of the other educational events for which the Society provides CME credit or sponsors in any way. We all benefit from these efforts, of which we are largely unaware.

I, for one, was also greatly taken with the efforts of Jeff Goldstein at the Interim Meeting to place the Awards made by the Society in perspective and to make us aware of the people behind these awards giving them a deeper meaning.

I am deeply indebted to my colleagues at Texas Children�s Hospital who have been fully supportive of my involvement with the Society, not just for this year but for many years, and who remain supportive as I move now into a new phase of my life. But, most of all I would like to thank Joe Rutledge; his sensible advice, good humor, and personal concern, which have been of immeasurable value to me throughout this year; I couldn�t have done it without him.

Dr. Rogers chaired a task force, which met recently in Dallas, to define the future of Pediatric and Developmental Pathology. Attending were Drs. Raj Kapur, Cheryl Coffin, Steve Qualman, Marian Malone (PPS), Denis Benjamin, Ron Jaffe, and Annie Cimino (Springer managing editor). The Publications Committee in Vancouver recommended this action in the wake of the resignation of Dr. Benjamin, declining submissions to the journal, and the continuing low number of institutional subscriptions. The purpose of the task force was to define the future direction of the journal so as to ensure its success, and to outline the expectations of the editorial board for the new editor-in-chief. Dr. Kapur brought feedback from the many members of the SPP who responded to a poll submitted on the ListServer and Dr. Malone presented the PPS experience. Responses were similar. The major issues felt to be responsible for declining submissions were the fact that readership is narrow (low impact factor) and turnaround time for articles is slow. It was also discussed that people may not be publishing as much because of increasing service requirements. Increasing the subscription base was discussed at length. Springer currently advertises the journal with a focus on institutional subscribers, because the greatest potential for gain of readership and profit resides with institutional libraries. Springer will increase this effort, and also will target institutional libraries that currently subscribe to their other pediatric subspecialty journals (Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Radiology, and Pediatric Surgery International). We will also be placing the PDP table of contents into other more widely read pathology journals as an advertisement, similar to the paradigm established by Modern Pathology and Laboratory Investigation.

The fact is, we can advertise all we want, but if the quality of articles submitted to the journal does not increase, additional advertising will be a hollow gesture. We hope that we can increase submissions by adding new features to the journal and by making the editorial board accountable for materially supporting the journal through solicitation and submission of high quality articles. All of these recommendations will be discussed at the spring meeting of the Publications Committee. Turnaround time will also decrease with the use of OnLine First, the electronic version of PDP that is offered by Springer. This electronic initiative will decrease turnaround by 5 months, but will still allow for publication of a printed version of PDP.

The major hurdle at this point is selecting a new editor-in-chief with a desire to carry Pediatric and Developmental Pathology into the future. The advertisement appeared in the Fall 2000 Newsletter (see Fall 2000 Newsletter for job description). If we want to continue to have a journal for our Society, we must actively support this journal or be prepared to bemoan its demise. The choice is yours. If you have comments about what I have said, please get in touch with me (brogers@childmed.dallas.tx.us).

Proposed additions to the Bylaws are typed in bold; Proposed deletions contain a strike-through.

(b) Duties. The duties of the Education Committee shall be as follows: (1) Maintain surveillance of the educational content of the annual scientific meeting and make recommendations to the Council concerning these. (2) Evaluate abstracts and assist the Executive Committee in other preparations for scientific meetings of the Society. (3) Make recommendations to the Liaison Committee concerning the establishment and maintenance of liaison with other scientific societies whose aims are similar to those of the Society. (4) Evaluate and make recommendations to the Liaison Committee for co-sponsorship by the Society with other organizations of educational activities consistent with the aims and purposes of the Society. (5) Evaluate qualitative and quantitative manpower needs for physicians with expertise in pediatric pathology in North America. (6) Collate content and output of existing training programs, define a core curriculum for training in pediatric pathology and make recommendations for meeting projected manpower requirements. (7) Work toward the development of a mechanism by which special competence in pediatric pathology can be assessed and certified. (8) Establish a repository of teaching and testing materials for use in the development of expertise among pediatric pathologists and for potential use in examinations for special competence in pediatric pathology. (9) Evaluate and make recommendations regarding the teaching of pediatric pathology in medical schools.

(b) Duties. (1) Develop and maintain a voluntary program for evaluation and ongoing monitoring of training programs in pediatric pathology. (2) Establish standards for the evaluation of such training programs. (3) Maintain records of program evaluations. (4) Provide feedback to participating program directors regarding program deficiencies and make recommendations for improvements. (5) Interact with appropriate external agencies and committees regarding issues of program accreditation in pediatric pathology. (6) Collate content and output of existing training programs, define a core curriculum for training in pediatric pathology and make recommendations for meeting projected manpower requirements.

This is a reminder that the deadline for receipt of applications for either the Young Investigator Research Grant or McAdams Travel Stipend is February 1. Please let your fellows, residents, and faculty know about these opportunities that are sponsored by the Society for Pediatric Pathology. Details about eligibility and the application process are available on the Grants/Awards page on this website.

Jim Dimmick assumed the chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of British Columbia on January 1. In honor of this event Joe C. Rutledge, poet laureate of the Children�s Hospital of Seattle, has written the following haiku:

Click on a photo to see a larger version of it in a new Web browser window.

Monica Drut (Argentina), Miguel Reyes Mugica (USA), Edwina Popek (USA)	Maria T. Garcia de Davila, President of the Conference (Argentina), Denis Benjamin (USA), Irene Scheimberg (United Kingdom), Ron Jaffe (USA)

Platform Presentations and Poster Viewing and Discussion
Symposium: Advances in Pediatric Malignancy
Moderator: Poul H. B. Sorensen, Ph.D.
British Columbia�s Children�s Hospital, Vancouver, BC

Platform Presentations and Poster Viewing
Strauss, Vawter and Neustein Award Announcements
Young Investigator Award Presentation
Sidney Farber Lecture - by Dr. Louis P. Dehner
Workshops

Objectives: Recognize histologic and, where appropriate, cytologic features of neoplastic and non-neoplastic bone lesions occurring in the pediatric population; correlate the histologic features of neoplastic and non-neoplastic bone lesions with the clinical, radiographic and, where appropriate, cytologic findings; and develop a differential diagnosis of bone lesions utilizing this integrated approach.

Faculty: Joseph R. Siebert, Ph.D. and Raj. P. Kapur, M.D., Ph.D., Children�s Hospital and University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Objectives: Develop a systematic approach to the practice of fetal pathology; apply ancillary techniques to fetal pathology and define the role of the fetal pathologist, including establishing and operating a fetal pathology service.

Faculty: Helen Liapis, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

Objectives: Recognize the diagnostic features and generate a differential diagnosis for the entities presented; understand our current knowledge of the pathogenesis of each disorder; evaluate prognosis and risk for recurrence based on pathology.

Faculty: Aliya N. Husain, M.D., Loyola University, Chicago, IL and Maria Parizhskaya, M.D., Children�s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

Objectives: Participants will learn current terminology and grading of rejection of heart, lung and liver with consideration of the difficult differential diagnosis. Pathologic features of opportunistic infections will be illustrated, together with the use of newer diagnostic techniques; e.g. polymerase chain reaction and in-situ hybridization; the participants will become familiar with the pathologic features of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders.

Faculty: Pierre Russo, M.D. and Eduardo Ruchelli, M.D., Children�s Hospital of Philadelphia

Objectives: Participants will acquire practical insights into the differential diagnosis of malabsorption in childhood, with emphasis on the role of the GI biopsy; evaluation and significance of eosinophilia in various segments of the GI tract; and specimen handling and diagnosis of intestinal innervation disorders.

Faculty: William A Devine, BS, Children�s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA and Carole A. Vogler, M.D., St. Louis University Health Sciences Center, Cardinal Glennon Children�s Hospital, St. Louis, MO

Objectives: Participants will develop an understanding of the �sequential segmental analysis� method for examining hearts, become familiar with the morphology of a variety of complex cardiovascular malformations, and become familiar with methods for examining surgically repaired and palliated congenitally malformed hearts, including cardiac explants.

NOTE: Registration for SPP workshops may occur without registering for the SPP meeting, if space allows.

On Friday, March 2, there will be an evening mixer in the Marquis IV room where presenters will be able to put up their posters and members will be able to mingle informally with the presenters and with each other. There will be a cash bar. Although authors are not required to be in attendance at their poster, the intent of this new initiative is to promote mingling and discussion among members in a casual setting. Topics of informal discussion are not limited to the posters, and may include politics, research, dinner arrangements and other important issues of interest.

SPP/USCAP Meetings
2001: Atlanta, Georgia, March 3-4
2002: Chicago, February 22-23
2003: Washington, DC, March 21-22

SPP Interim Meetings
2001: Memphis, TN, September 20-24
2002: Dallas, TX, September 25-29

The 47th Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Pathology Society will be held in Warsaw from September 13-15, 2001.

Please note: Any of these links will take you to the information on our Positions page in a new Web browser. Positions will appear below without a link once that position has been filled.