Advocacy Committee
APC Advocacy Committee Listserv - advocacy@lists.asip.org
HIT Subcommittee Listserv - apchit@lists.asip.org
Chair - Daniel Remick, Boston University
Vice Chair - Thomas Wheeler, Baylor College of Medicine
In 2006, the APC established the Advocacy Committee to further the interests of the APC and academic pathology regarding legislative, regulatory, and other organizational matters and to facilitate communication between the APC and legislative bodies, governmental agencies, licensing and accrediting bodies, and other pathology and non-pathology professional organizations. Chair members and other people active in the APC ( such as affiliate members, special members, liaisons, Sections Chairs, members of Sections, Senior Fellows) volunteer for membership on the Advocacy Committee.
In 2007, the Friends of Pathology Award was developed to recognize an individual outside of the field of pathology and laboratory medicine, whose career accomplishments have nevertheless been exceptionally beneficial to the pathology and laboratory medicine. When deemed appropriate by the Advocacy Committee, the Advocacy Committee through the Chair will propose a Friends of Pathology recipient to Council. A majority vote of Council is required to approve the nomination. An APC delegation, including the President, Advocacy Committee Chair, and others selected by the President, present the award in person to the recipient.
2007 Award Recipient (photo) - Senator Edward M. Kennedy
2009 Award Recipient (photo) - NIH Director Francis Collins
Two subcommittees were formed to closely monitor rapidly evolving issues:
Health Information Technology Subcommittee
An issue closely tied to health care reform is the role of pathology in the so-called "patient-centered medical home" model of chronic disease management and in the design and use of health information technology (HIT). The Advocacy Committee provided written testimony on behalf of the APC to the HHS Health Information Technology Policy Committee, on the critical role of pathologists in the design and implementation of clinical information systems displaying laboratory data and pathology reports.
Molecular Pathology Subcommittee
This subcommittee has worked on several initiatives related to molecular pathology and the movement toward personalized medicine. Much of this work has been done in partnership with the Association for Molecular Pathology. In 2010, the Advocacy Committee developed, and the APC Council approved, a position paper strongly opposing gene patents and restrictive licensing of genomic sequences. When the committee advising the Secretary of HHS on these issues approved a set of recommendations supporting our position and industry groups began lobbying against the recommendations, the APC released a press statement strongly endorsing the committee's decision.
Advocacy Archive (Articles, Reports, Letters & Press Releases of Interest to Members)
Advocacy Resources (Helpful Links to Outside Organizations)