PRESS RELEASE: Just What is Pathology, and How Does it Help the Health of Me and My Community?

Story
This article will introduce the medical specialty ‘pathology’, the real humans behind it, and the value pathology adds to the world by improving health outcomes across the entire human lifespan and generations beyond.

Significance
Pathology is a poorly understood medical field by the public.
Pathology is responsible for determining 100% of cancer diagnoses and providing information that 70% of medical decisions rely on. Furthermore, 100 pathology tests are conducted every minute across Australia, with 1 in 2 Australians having a pathology test each year.
Despite this, the public knows very little about the pathologist’s role or the beneficial value pathology provides to their health and the wider community.
People need to know the positive role pathology plays in their health and that it is more than just ‘dead bodies, lab coats and NCIS assistance’.

Key Points that will be addressed
1. Briefly explain the general roles of a pathologist.
E.g., Newborn screening tests to diagnose conditions before it’s too late or helping prevent antibiotic resistance
2. Briefly explain the pathology disciplines
3. Explaining 1-2 benefits of each of these roles,
E.g., Examining inheritable illnesses to help future generations avoid or mitigate them.
Conducting post-mortems to answer family questions about a loved one to help ease their pain and assist the grieving process
4. Explaining essential medical research breakthroughs pathology is responsible for
E.g., Personalised and preventative medical therapies: KRAS and RAS mutation gene tests which lead to a 67% improvement in the 5–year survival rate for metastatic colorectal cancer
5. Explain how pathology saves the healthcare system money and improves community health by preventing or minimising disease impacts.
6. Breaking the misconceptions of Pathologists:
e.g., Just because pathologists aren’t patient-facing, they still care deeply about patients.

Other work of mine
1. TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuKbSX8HT9E

2. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) Taking Care podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-student-view-of-rural-healthcare/id1491991831?i=1000569149539

3. The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-does-a-city-doctor-make-it-in-the-bush/id1556339665?i=1000524103612

4. The Australian Government: Destination Medicine podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-does-a-city-doctor-make-it-in-the-bush/id1556339665?i=1000524103612

5. Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories: People of Pathology Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-117-harry-gaffney-rural-medicine-and/id1490210201?i=1000567798522

6. RCPA podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DP0SyrV6JaZxkVTZD7pTc