The Institute of Biomedical Science

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National Pathology Week

National Pathology Week has been lead by The Royal College of Pathologists for the last three years. Over the course of three years pathologists and biomedical scientists across the UK , have organised hundreds of events to promote pathology, increasing understanding of the science behind the diagnosis of disease, and highlight the vital role that pathology plays in modern healthcare.

As well as opening up their labs, pathologists and scientists have given talks in schools, hosted art exhibitions, organised displays in shopping centres and supermarkets as well as holding hands-on demonstrations, quizzes and other interactive events.

The IBMS strongly supports this initiative and has worked closely with the central team to plan National Pathology Week.

National Pathology Year in 2012

Following the great success of the last three National Pathology Weeks, 2012 has been designated National Pathology Year. There will be a year-round programme of public engagement events for a wide range of audiences. And because you’re not confined to a single week, you can hold your event whenever you want – when it suits you and your audience. You can even hold several different events throughout the year or repeat the same one for different audiences.

To maintain interest and give members of all pathology specialties the opportunity to highlight their role in modern healthcare, twelve themes have been selected for National Pathology Year in 2012. As in previous years, these are just to give you ideas – you can hold any type of event on any pathology-related topic at any time of the year. Laboratory open days are particularly popular – could you organise one in your lab? This is also a great opportunity to inspire the next generation of biomedical scientists and demonstrate to school students that there are interesting and rewarding careers in science. Many of the themes tie in with the school science curriculum, making them popular with students and teachers alike.

January: New Year's Resolutions
Research has shown that most New Year’s resolutions are related to making healthier lifestyle choices. January’s theme gives pathologists and scientists the opportunity to highlight their role in preventing, diagnosing and monitoring common conditions – and to provide some light-hearted encouragement to audiences trying to take the first steps towards better health. January is also the month when National Pathology Year will be launched around the country – how will you start the year in your hospital or region?

February: Love your heart
To tie in with National Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, February will have a heart theme. The great advantage of this is that we’ve done it before – National Pathology Week 2009 had the strapline 'The Heart of Modern Healthcare'. This means that hundreds of heart-related events have already been developed – ready to be updated and delivered in 2012. There are also tried-and-tested resources to download from the website. Have you held a heart-related event that you could repeat in 2012?

March: Mothers and babies
Mothers and babies will be the theme for March to coincide with Endometriosis Awareness Week (2nd – 8th), International Women’s Day (8th) and Mothering Sunday (18th). March 11th – 20th is also National Science and Engineering Week so there will plenty of opportunities to collaborate with other organisations. Events held during National Pathology Week 2010, with its strapline of “The building blocks of life”, can be repeated in March. Again, resources are ready to download from the website.

April: Parasites and pathogens
Infections are common, both in hospitals and the community. During April, we will focus on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and the role that pathologists and scientists play in keeping people healthy. This is an opportunity to highlight the importance of the appropriate use of antibiotics, the science behind food hygiene and to note some of the medical breakthroughs that have revolutionised our understanding of infections and how to treat them.

May: Healthy lungs
May is the month of World Asthma Day (1st) and World No Tobacco Day (31st), so we’ve chosen a lung theme. This gives lots of opportunities to team up with other organisations and charities such as the British Lung Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Whether you focus on infections, genetic disorders, transplants, cancer or occupational disease, there are plenty of links to most pathology specialties. Could you team up with your respiratory physicians or radiologists to hold an event in your trust?

June: 100 years of pathology
June is the month to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Institute of Biomedical Science and the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Royal College of Pathologists. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the contribution of all pathology staff to advances in pathology in the UK and abroad over the last hundred years. The IBMS AGM will be held in Liverpool this month – the site of the very first meeting in 1912.

July: Happy holidays
If you’re not away yourself, July’s the month to hold an event with a holiday theme.  You might recreate the previously popular “Sex, drugs and alcohol” lecture series, or hold an event based on preventing tropical diseases or food poisoning. No one wants to stop people from enjoying themselves, but there are ways of making informative events fun and appealing. If you fancy a good debate – how about looking at the sunscreen vs. vitamin D issue?

August: Olympic fever
The Olympics will be held in London from July 27th to August 12th and the Paralympics from August 29th to September 9th, giving plenty of opportunities to hold an event with a sports theme. Whether you’re explaining the science behind altitude training, the importance of hydration or the effects of banned substances, there are topics to tie in with many of the pathology specialties that will be of interest to a wide range of audiences.

September: Diet and disease
September’s theme focuses on the importance of a balanced diet and the conditions that can be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices. There is always an appetite for information about food allergies and intolerances – why not dispel some of the myths and explain the science behind the disorders?  At a more basic level you could use downloadable organ images to demonstrate the components of the digestive system and explain what happens to a meal as it is digested.

October: Cancer screening
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Jeans for Genes day also falls in October. The theme will be cancer screening, enabling pathologists and scientists to highlight the value of cancer screening programmes and the vital role that pathology specialties play in picking up cancers at an early stage. This theme is one of the more controversial of the year, making it an ideal topic for debates and class discussions. It’s also a great opportunity to clarify the aim of screening programmes.

November: Blood counts
The theme for November is blood, and you’ll be forgiven for holding related events a day early - Hallowe’en-themed activities are always very popular. You can look at anything to do with the blood – what's in it, how it’s made, blood donation and transfusion, anaemias, leukaemia/lymphoma or look at what different blood tests are for. Labtestsonline is a great resource for health professionals and patients that explains why blood tests are performed and what the results mean.

December: A year of pathology
The final month of National Pathology Year will be devoted to summing up the achievements of the previous eleven months. You could hold a large event that includes all the themes, perhaps based on the National Pathology Year quiz, available to download from the website. Or you could hold a smaller event in your department to thank colleagues for their contribution to events throughout the year. Whatever you decide, we hope that you’ll be able to look back on an enjoyable and rewarding year of public engagement.

Resources to help you develop and deliver National Pathology Year events can be downloaded from the www.ilovepathology.org website. These are being added to every week, so do look regularly to see what is available. Resources include PowerPoint presentations, posters, quizzes and event templates. There’s also a registration form so that you can register your event. A booklet, covering all twelve themes, will be available to use at any time of the year.

Further information and contact

A series of joint are events are being planned by the IBMS and RCPath, including a symposium for patients and the public. If you'd like to get involved or would like to discuss any public engagement questions you might have, please contact Abby Wright-Parkes, Interim Exec Head of Membership & Marketing at the IBMS (abbywright-parkes@ibms.org) or Suzy Lishman, National Pathology Year Lead (suzy.lishman@pbh-tr.nhs.uk).

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