News from the College of American Pathologists

By: Dr. Thomas R. Beaver

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) represents more than 17,000 board-certified pathologists, pathologists training for their boards, and laboratory technicians located around the world. Dedicated to encouraging excellence in the fields of pathology and laboratory medicine, the Northfield, Illinois-headquartered CAP operates as a leader in assuring high standards of quality among labs. Worldwide, more than 6,000 laboratories possess accreditation from CAP, with another 23,000 engaged in proficiency testing with the organization.

News from CAP: The latest news to come out of CAP includes the release of the 13th edition of So You’re Going to Collect a Blood Specimen: An Introduction to Phlebotomy. Published by CAP Press, the book covers phlebotomy (blood drawing) procedures, including patient care, specimen preservation, and protection against infectious diseases. So You’re Going to Collect a Blood Specimen also presents the latest in standards and regulations from the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and other organizations and agencies.

Active in professional development, CAP recently launched its QMEd Web-based educational courses, a series of online classes aimed at improving laboratory environments and their quality management protocols. The continuing education curriculum serves laboratory operators and healthcare professionals, helping them to design and manage effective quality management systems. CAP currently has two courses available through QMEd, including a seminar covering ISO 15189 compliance and another demonstrating the implementation of quality management systems.

In September 2010, CAP administrators inked a collaborative agreement with the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP-ACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia (RCAP) centered on developing cancer-reporting protocols for widespread adoption. The partnership’s goals include improving the guidelines for cancer data inputting and better defining staging variables for research resources.

Read more news from the College of American Pathologists at www.cap.org.

About Combat Robots, by Thomas Beaver

By: Dr. Thomas R. Beaver

One of my favorite hobbies, robot combat, pits two machines against each other as they fight to disable or destroy their opponent. Most of these robots are controlled by a remote, while some advanced models are self-directed. One of the first combat robot competitions occurred in 1987, called the Critter Crunch. Within seven years, Robot Wars, a British TV series that featured robot combat, boosted the popularity of the sport. Robot Wars aired more than 150 episodes before it was cancelled in 2003.

The mark of a well-designed combat robot is its ability to disarm opponents while still being able to protect itself from an oncoming attack. Most combat robots feature one method of attack, while some employ numerous offensive measures. Weapons used for robot combat include a rammer, a wedge, a spinner, a torque reaction, a thwackbot, a full-body spinner, a lifter, a flipper, and an overhead axe. While these are examples of various sponsored modes of battle, some banned weapons include an electric charge, the use of liquids, and open combustion, such as fire or explosions.

As for the television coverage of combat robot battles, the former Robot Wars competitors started a new series called BattleBots, which aired on Comedy Central. Other noteworthy appearances of combat robots in the media include a series on The Learning Channel called Robotica, and the formation of The Robot Fighting League in 2002. Battling combat robots is a sport that has gained in popularity over the past two decades, and I consider it to be one of the most exciting, precision-reliant hobbies in existence.

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

by Thomas R. Beaver, MD

With two decades of experience as a Medical Examiner and Forensic Pathologist, I am a longtime member of numerous professional organizations, such as the College of American Pathologists, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS).

AAFS has served a diverse membership since 1948, when it was founded as an organization dedicated to precision, accuracy, and specificity in the forensic sciences. Today it has more than 6000 members, whose practices span 11 sections of AAFS-designated specialization. The sections include Criminalistics, Jurisprudence, Engineering Science, Toxicology, and Odontology.

AAFS offers members numerous resources, including the bimonthly publication Academy News, which informs members of topical professional issues and organizational events. AAFS also publishes the internationally respected bimonthly scientific journal, the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Each issue contains dozens of articles spanning the entire discipline of forensics, organized into the same eleven section headings as the organization itself. With a price tag of more than $250 annually, access to this highly informative publication is costly, and presents one of the distinct benefits of maintaining active AAFS affiliation.

One of the aspects of AAFS I find commendable is the Young Forensics Scientists Forum (YFSF). This group, with its own distinct online presence at http://www2.aafs.org/yfsf/index.htm, draws participants from all levels and sections within its parent organization. In particular, it allows early-career forensic specialists the chance of interacting with senior members of the scientific community, gaining valuable professional contacts and skills through mentoring. YFSF holds its own meetings and educational sessions at the annual AAFS conference, and publishes a newsletter several times yearly. YFSF also runs a mentorship program which receives a high volume of participant interest.

The highlight of AAFS activities is its annual conference, which involves a full host of workshops, scientific sessions, and luncheon seminars. The full proceedings of every conference are available online at www.aafs.org, with the details of the 2010 conference being some 500 small-type pages in length.

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