W.B. Coleman, PhD – ASIP Executive Officer
In January of 2026, the American Society for Investigative Pathology will officially begin to operate as the American Society for Investigative Pathobiology! While the change in our name is subtle (and retains the ASIP acronym), it is also significant and required intense deliberation over time to ensure that the new name would fit our Society at-large, our members (individually and collectively), our mission, and our brand. What is the history of our name? How did we arrive at the new name? What is the significance of the name change? Here, we will answer all of these questions to provide the foundation required for our members to embrace the new identity that comes with a change of name.
History – The history of the American Society for Investigative Pathology involves a number of name changes and links to several precursor organizations. In 1913, the American Society for Experimental Pathology (ASEP) was formed and the new organization established membership in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). In 1976, the ASEP merged with the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists (AAPB) to form the American Association of Pathologists (AAP). Subsequently, a long-range planning committee recommended in 1991 that the Society’s name be changed and in 1992 the Society was reincorporated as The American Society for Investigative Pathology. As Dr. Mark E. Sobel (ASIP Past President and Executive Officer from 2001-2018) noted in his book, History of the American Society for Investigative Pathology 1976–2013, this name change was intended to reflect the broad interests of the membership in understanding mechanisms of disease and that this interest was held by investigators beyond departments of pathology. Over time, the nature of the membership of the ASIP and its precursors had changed. Departments of pathology at major schools of medicine began to add non-clinical faculty members whose primary role was to conduct basic science research on diseases. At the same time, faculty researchers in non-pathology departments began to focus on mechanisms of disease using approaches spanning a myriad of scientific disciplines—genetics, physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, and others. Hence, the field of disease research expanded to encompass a more diverse group of researchers, many of whom were not trained as physicians or physician-scientists. These trends have continued and the nature of the ASIP membership has evolved to now reflect that the largest percentage of members are PhD scientists and at least half are sited in non-pathology departments. Likewise, the field of disease research has evolved and some suggest that the new biology is pathology—where diseases are characterized at the cellular and molecular level with reference to normal, as well as at the level of the tissue and organism. In this new biology, pathogenesis (the origins of the disease) and pathophysiology (the effect of disease on the tissue and organism) are as important as pathology (the description of disease).
Another piece to this puzzle is the evolution of the ASIP Annual Meeting. For over 30 years, the Annual Meeting occurred at Experimental Biology (EB), alongside a handful of partner societies. The final EB meeting occurred in 2022 (Philadelphia, PA). In 2023, we met jointly with the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) and The Histochemical Society (HCS) for Tissue, Matrix and Pathobiology (Salt Lake City, UT). During the transition from EB, the 2022–2023 Council heavily focused on creating a standalone meeting concept which they felt represented our members and to also welcome colleagues and friends working in pathogenesis and pathophysiology. In 2024, ASIP launched a standalone annual meeting as a new home for our members. The first Pathobiology: Mechanisms of Disease meeting occurred in Baltimore, MD.
Process – The Society name change was formally initiated by Dr. Paul Monga during his year as ASIP President (July 2024–June 2025), following many years of discussion of our name among ASIP leadership. Dr. Monga recognized that it was important to hold fast to the recognizable acronym ASIP, while modifying the underlying words to reflect better on the nature of the Society – it’s members and their research. Dr. Monga commented: “…the name change of ASIP to the American Society of Investigative Pathobiology is not only appropriate but also timely as we embrace members from all scientific disciplines investigating disease pathogenesis.” In the Fall of 2024, we conducted surveys of the membership to determine if a name change was needed and wanted, and the vast majority of members agreed that there was a need. Subsequently, the membership was surveyed on a group of suggested name changes to determine which resonated the best with current members. The vast majority favored the American Society for Investigative Pathobiology. The new name was then formally approved by the voting members during the 2025 election and the bylaws were modified to reflect the change.
Significance – Dr. Pilar Alcaide, current ASIP President noted: “…the new name, American Society of Investigative Pathobiology, is more inclusive of diverse scientific approaches beyond traditional pathology and embraces the study of disease mechanisms at a molecular, cellular, and systemic level, capturing the breadth of expertise represented by our members. Disease research involves an interdisciplinary approach, reflected in the collaboration of our members at the ASIP annual meetings and publications in The American Journal of Pathology. This name change better positions the society to expand its mission to serve investigators researching disease mechanisms.” The utilization of pathobiology in our new name is intended to open the Society to investigators who might not consider themselves to be experimental pathologists, whose formal training was in a basic science discipline other than pathology, but do research on diseases and their origins in normal biology. Using pathobiology also acknowledges that advances in the field contribute to our general understanding of normal biology and how various mechanisms drive the initiation, establishment, and progression of various diseases.
Looking forward – A popular quotation from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, asks the question: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The change in our Society’s name does not represent a fundamental change to the organization, but reflects the diversity in our membership, their interests, and their approaches to disease research. As has been the case throughout the history of the ASIP and its various precursor organizations, we are continuing to evolve as an organization to better serve our members and the larger field of experimental disease research.
