New Year – New Leadership

It is an honor to serve as ASIP President, as the excitement and opportunity surrounding the future of pathology is evident. Our members, with their diverse interests, knowledge, and backgrounds, have the ability to unlock unlimited possibilities for innovation and impact. My training is in clinical and experimental pathology, with a focus on clinical immunology and basic gastrointestinal immune responses. I am also passionate about training and development of the next generation of physician-scientists and scientists. I believe that the discipline of Pathology is poised to dramatically impact the integration of basic science research findings into clinical medicine and into technology and drug development. The ASIP is working to develop innovative approaches to support pathology researchers and to foster knowledge of a broad spectrum of careers in the field of investigative pathology.  I look forward to this leadership opportunity, and I pledge to represent ASIP interests and the needs of ASIP members, as well as promoting the importance of the ASIP, its membership, and the field of investigative pathology.

The ASIP represents the essence of Experimental Pathology with members pioneering in mechanistic understanding of disease pathogenesis for developing novel diagnostics and therapies. I have had the privilege of being intimately involved with the Society for over twenty years and in my leadership capacity, I promise my solidarity to the society for many more years. As a member of the Council, I will continue to provide my objective feedback on fiduciary, programmatic, and administrative aspects to allow the ASIP to optimally accomplish its mission for all members. As the Chair of the Meritorious Awards Committee, I will work with other members to assist in selection of exceptional awardees in all categories from among our highly talented membership through a fair and balanced process. And finally, as the incoming President next year, I will be prepared to work with all of you towards sustainable solutions to critically identified challenges and threats to our society while recognizing new opportunities, strengthening our community, and delivering our mission.

It has been my pleasure to serve in the ASIP Council as Councilor At-Large during the past year 2023. During this time, I have had the time to interact and learn from leaders on the ASIP Council as we worked together on many important aspects of the society. Some of these included partnering with other societies, exploring opportunities for growth, and developing activities to support the career development of our early career members. In the next year, as Vice President, I will work closely with the membership committee to develop new strategies to attract and retain members at all stages of career, and from diverse backgrounds. In this effort, I will focus on increasing the branding and visibility of ASIP to diversify the portfolio of sub-disciplines related to the field of Pathology and implement a plan to increase diversity in the society. I look forward to meeting these goals and advancing the mission of the ASIP.

I have had a wonderful experience as part of the Presidential Succession and look forward to presiding over the upcoming Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. One of my goals as a member of this team is to make the ASIP a welcoming home for all scientists interested in experimental pathology and to provide mentorship and encouragement for a diverse and engaged new generation of ASIP members.  As Past President, I have the honor of chairing the Nominating Committee to identify and encourage that diverse base of younger members to become the future leaders of the society. I have been an active member of ASIP since 1988 and plan to continue to be involved in any way that the new leadership feels would be beneficial.

I have been recently named as an interim Councilor At-Large for the ASIP. I am very excited to have the opportunity to serve the ASIP in this new position. I have been a member of the ASIP for over 2 decades and have served in different capacities for the society, including the activities in Program Committee, Meritorious Award Committee, Nominating Committee, and the Editorial Board of The American Journal of Pathology. In my new capacity as the Councilor At-Large, I will be able to contribute my thoughts on issues at a higher level beyond individual committees working within the Council. These issues relate to the current and future strategy of the Society in this changing environment and how we can better serve our members and the scientific community in large. My objective in this position is to learn from and to work with my fellow Council members in managing this busy society, in formulating its new strategy and policies. I hope that as the result of our efforts, the ASIP will better position itself for the continuous growth of the society and for addressing future challenges.

This year as Chair-elect I aim to learn as much as possible from Dr. Kelsey McKillip (Chair of the Research and Science Policy Committee) and the members of the committee on the policies that most pertain to ASIP. I am also concerned by the impact to science and experimental pathology by government policies that affect taxation on academic spending, NIH's Center for Scientific Review, and academic freedoms such as needs-blind admissions and affirmative action rulings. FASEB's leadership will be helpful in directing our efforts. With the understanding that the ASIP can only do so much, I hope to learn in this coming year where our most critical priorities lie.

As the new Chair of the Publication Committee for the ASIP, I am very excited to be an integral part of decision making within the society and to be active in promoting ASIP-sponsored journals with an enhanced focus to promote and attract diverse authors, junior faculty, and women in science and medicine. The committee will foster ideas to increase high quality submissions and work with other committees within the ASIP to develop strong representation and opportunities to those interested in publishing in an ASIP journal.

It is my real honor to be elected as the Chair-elect of the ASIP Program Committee. I have served on the Program Committee for more than a decade and in my new leadership role I look forward to preserving and enhancing our traditions to develop high-quality innovative scientific programs for future ASIP meetings. A unique feature of the ASIP is its broad reach across the spectrum of basic and clinical scientific disciplines investigating the functions and diseases of different organs. One major goal of mine will be to enhance the composition of the ASIP Program Committee to take advantage of this intellectual diversity and encyclopedism of our society and bring together/cross-fertilize different research and clinical fields. Regarding the Program Committee we plan to attract leading research experts, and clinicians as well as young energetic investigators to create a balance of wisdom and enthusiasm. While preparing for future ASIP meetings we aim to showcase the traditional strengths of our Society while highlighting novel research and clinical trends, such as artificial intelligence, multiomic analyses, and personalized medicine. Furthermore, we plan to strengthen our relationships with different Guest Societies, as this is essential for creating diverse and insightful Scientific programs for our meetings.