Pathology and Lab Medicine

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

National organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology have published updated guidelines for cervical cancer screening. Crucial variations in these guidelines make implementing a sound, effective clinical protocol for management of gynecologic screening and treatment a challenge; and it is imperative that women's healthcare providers have a thorough understanding of clinical implications.

This Omnia Education program is presented by Dr. Thomas C. Wright, Jr., MD, Professor of Pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD

Guest: Steven N. Austad, PhD

The bowhead whale is the longest-living mammal on Earth. Its lifespan can exceed 200 years. What can we learn about fostering human longevity from the extraordinarily long-living animals in what author Dr. Steven Austad calls "Methuselah’s Zoo" (so named for Methuselah, the oldest figure in the Bible, said to have lived for 969 years)? Dr. Austad, professor of cellular and structural biology at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center, talks to host Dr. Mary Leuchars.

Host: Jay Goldstein, MD

Guest: Elizabeth Montgomery, MD

Gastroenterologists and pathologists often rely on each other to care for patients. How can clinicians and pathologists best facilitate each other's work for the good of the patient? Dr. Elizabeth Montgomery, professor of pathology and oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explores the interaction between gastroenterologists and pathologists with host Dr. Jay Goldstein. Also, Dr. Montgomery outlines biopsy tips for gastroenterologists.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA

Guest: Michelle Mack, PA-C

You've seen forensic investigators on TV detective shows like Law and Order and CSI but what is the job really like? Physician Assistant Michelle Mack, Director of Forensic Investigation at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in the District of Columbia, talks with host Lisa D'Andrea Lenell about how she puts together the puzzle surrounding a death investigation. The two also discuss how her PA training plays an integral role in her job and how she deals with the emotional side of a very difficult job.

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Don Siegel, MD, PhD

What are cellular vaccines and how do they differ from what we think of as conventional vaccines? What are the various types of approaches that we can potentially use for inducing anti-cancer immunity? Dr. Don Siegel, vice chair and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Penn Medicine, talks with host Dr. Lee Freedman about the exciting potential of cellular vaccines as cancer therapy.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Robert Harman

Human stem cell treatments are only just emerging in clinical trials. but man's 'best friend' is already benefitting from pain relief and important treatments that are commercialized. And this work in dogs and cats could one day benefit human patients. Dr. Robert Harman, CEO and founder of Vet-Stem, tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about the latest efforts by a stem cell therapy developer to use fat cells for treatments, a therapy gaining momentum in pets and soon to be moving through clinical trials for humans.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD

Guest: Neal Goldstein, JD

On October 30, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2009 Physician Fee Schedule, which includes revisions to the Stark regulations that tighten the prohibition on physician referrals and the anti-markup rules for diagnostic testing. Attorney Neal Goldstein explains that the changes made by CMS are an attempt to create a formulation that preserves the legitimate provision of in-office diagnostic services, while also cutting back on the proliferation of arrangements that have allowed physicians to profit from the diagnostic work of pathologists, radiologists and other specialists. Mr. Goldstein highlights the key tests for establishing compliance with the new anti-markup rules, though acknowledges that these revised regulations may unwittingly cause controversy within the pathology laboratory industry. Host Dr. Larry Kaskel explores the practical implications of these changes for the private and group physician practice.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Guest: Arlin Rogers, PhD

Arlin Rogers, PhD, chief of comparative pathology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, details a new genome study which is helping to explain why men are saddled with liver cancer more often than their gender counterparts. Dr. Rogers aims to raise awareness for the influence of hepatitis B and C, and the role of an important cell mediator, in this disease trajectory. Find out more with host Dr. Maurice Pickard.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Randal Mills, PhD

2008 was a watershed year for stem cell-based treatment, with the first product of this kind going before an FDA review for approval. Learn more from Randal Mills, PhD, chief executive officer of Osiris Therapeutics, as he unveils details of his company’s stem cell-based medicine with host Bruce Japsen. How might the submission of this medicine for FDA approval start us down the path toward an array of stem cell products?

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Randal Mills, PhD

While politicians debate whether there should be federal funding of embryonic stem cells, they might be over-looking a key point: the fact that all of the momentum in stem cell research is not in cells derived from human embryos at all. Randal Mills, the chief executive officer of Osiris Therapeutics tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about how all of the major clinical research in the U.S. is in adult stem cells.