American Society for Clinical Pathology Joins Forces with Premier International Medical Society to Advance Women’s Health Worldwide
Chicago (PRWEB) March 31, 2014 -- The threat of women contracting cervical cancer in the United States is under control, but this virulent disease continues to be the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths among women in resource-limited countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)—which is strongly focused on addressing women’s health worldwide—is joining forces with the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGP) to expand access to quality health care for women around the globe.
ASCP and the ISGP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), effective April 1, 2014, that will enhance education initiatives, membership services, and advocacy to mutually benefit the members of both societies.
“ISGP is a premier international medical society that shares ASCP’s mission to advance women’s health through research, education, and raising standards of practice around the globe,” says Steven Kroft, MD, FASCP, ASCP President. “We look forward to forging a partnership with ISGP that will strengthen our respective initiatives to improve women’s health worldwide.”
Through its Center for Global Health and the ASCP Board of Certification, ASCP works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Clinton Global Initiative, the World Health Organization, and governments of resource-limited countries to improve access to health care to prevent HIV/AIDS, cervical and breast cancer, and other deadly diseases.
ASCP’s new partnership with ISGP will build upon these initiatives, as well as strengthen both Societies’ shared missions of interdisciplinary education, scientific discovery, and advocacy.
“This collaboration will be very beneficial to members of both organizations,” said Richard J. Zaino, MD, FASCP, ISGP President. “We look forward to providing expanded educational opportunities for our members and increasing our participation in global women’s health initiatives.”
The collaboration will also leverage each Society’s respective resources and create administrative efficiencies while allowing each to maintain its own identity and governance.
Key initiatives outlined in the MOU will include:
• Appointing ISGP representatives to serve on ASCP’s GYN committees;
• Hosting a companion society meeting in tandem with ASCPs Annual Meeting;
• Co-creating a strategic plan for Global Outreach and Education;
• Expanding the education and global outreach mission of the two societies, and,
• Providing CME accreditation for educational activities.
“ASCP and the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists each bring respective strengths to this partnership,” said Mark Stoler, MD, FASCP, Editor of The International Journal of Gynecologic Pathology and a former ASCP President. “This will allow us to develop innovative solutions to the challenges we encounter in a changing healthcare environment, and to provide enhanced services to our members.”
The overarching goal of this partnership is to provide the most positive outcomes for patients, according to Dr. Blair Holladay, ASCP Executive Vice President. “Those outcomes rely on relationships among pathologists, laboratory professionals, and the wide range of sub-specialties within the lab. ASCP is the thread that connects the ever-expanding field of pathology,” he said.
More about The International Society of Gynecological Pathologists
The International Society of Gynecological Pathologists is a worldwide community of pathologists and other physicians with a common interest in the pathology of the female reproductive system. The Society was founded in 1976 to facilitate exchange of knowledge about gynecological disease and to be a forum for dissemination of new information in this area.
More About ASCP
Founded in 1922 in Chicago, ASCP is a medical professional society with more than 100,000 member board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologists, pathology residents and fellows, laboratory professionals, and students. ASCP provides excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals. http://www.ascp.org.
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Sarah Minnis, American Society for Clinical Pathology, http://ascp.org/, +1 (312) 558-1770 Ext: 161, [email protected]
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