Since its inception in 1922, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has worked to provide excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals. 

And while the implementation of these principles has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, the core values of the organization have not. ASCP maintains its patient focus and ongoing commitment to education and standardization. 

On this episode of Inside the Lab, our hosts, Ms. Kelly Swails and Mr. David Ritter, LMS Business Analyst for eLearning at ASCP, are joined by Dr. Fred Rodriguez, MD, MASCP, FCAP, Emma Moss Professor of Pathology at the LSU School of Medicine and Former President of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, to discuss the history of ASCP. 

Dr. Rodriguez discusses how and why the organization was founded in 1922, describing ASCP’s role at the forefront of developing standards for laboratory practices. He explains how ASCP’s Board of Registry Certification became the global gold standard for excellence in laboratory testing and explores the professional organization’s efforts to standardize Medical Laboratory Science programs in the last 100 years. Listen in to understand the challenges to advocating for our profession and the critical part pathologists and lab professionals play in modern medicine. 

Topics Covered 
· What the field of pathology was like when ASCP was founded in the early 1920s
· How and why ASCP was founded as a not-for-profit organization
· The 5 objectives articulated in the ASCP constitution (and why they have endured for 100 years)
· ASCP’s role at the forefront of developing standards for laboratory testing
· How ASCP’s Board of Registry Certification became the gold standard for excellence in lab testing worldwide
· ASCP’s efforts to standardize Medical Laboratory Science programs over the last 100 years
· What factors contributed to ASCP’s growth after World War II 
· ASCP’s role in supporting pathologists in developing countries
· How COVID serves as an illustration of the importance of laboratory medicine
· Concerns around the proliferation of point-of-care testing and what that means for the laboratory 
· Advocating for the profession to emphasize our critical role in modern medicine 

Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter
Email [email protected] 

Connect with Dr. Rodriguez
Dr. Rodriguez at LSU Health
Email [email protected]  

Connect with Ms. Swails & Mr. Ritter
Ms. Swails on Twitter
Mr. Ritter on LinkedIn 

Resources
'The American Society for Clinical Pathology: The Pathology Society of Firsts’ in Laboratory Medicine
Center for Global Health
The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
ASCP 2022 Annual Meeting
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store