Pathpoint conference 2012

INCTR was represented at the Path Point Conference, held in Cape Town, South Africa on September 28th and 29th, 2012 by Dr Nina Hurwitz and Dr Jessie Githang’a. Dr Hurwitz, Director of INCTR’s iPath Program, gave an oral presentation entitled, “INCTR’s Online Consultation and Continuing Education Program”. Dr Jessie Githang’a, from the University of Nairobi and also a member of INCTR’s African Burkitt Lymphoma Strategy Group, presented a poster, “Improving the Quality of Hematopathologic Diagnosis in Sub-Saharan Africa Through Focused Interdisciplinary Workshops”. More than 300 pathologists who represented all of the sub-disciplines of pathology attended this international conference.

Dr Hurwitz’s presentation demonstrated how iPath can be used as a tool by pathologists in less developed countries for obtaining expert consultation as well as for training in pathology. Currently, iPath is actively being used in several African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. Dr Hurwitz’s presentation generated a lot of interest among the attendees and plans were discussed to expand the iPath Program to other disciplines such as chemical pathology.

Dr Githang’a’s poster described two hematopathology training workshops that were held in September, 2011 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and in Nairobi, Kenya. The presentation outlined how improvements in hematopathology diagnoses were achieved through focused knowledge and skills-based training workshops that targeted pathologists, hematologists and technologists in both countries, a model that could be replicated in other training sites in sub-Saharan Africa.

Both the iPath Program and the training workshops have aimed to improve the accuracy of pathologic diagnoses made in sub-Saharan African countries by using very cost-effective methods. These two activities have also included pathologists, hematologists and technologists from peripheral hospitals in addition to the major centers in these countries.

Note: Abbott Laboratories (Pty) South Africa kindly provided support for Dr Githanga’s to attend the Path Point Conference.

Poster by Dr. Githanga

Presentation by Dr Hurwitz

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