The Pathologist

In July 2001, I began my pathology residency at North Shore University Hospital in New York. On September 11, I was completing my first rotation in surgical pathology. At around 9:30am, during a busy morning grossing surgical specimens, we heard that hijacked planes had struck the World Trade Center. We gathered in the conference room to watch the news unfold. When the towers collapsed, many of us were moved to tears, struggling to comprehend the scale and horror of what had happened.

Credit: Adobe Stock (Edited) A forensic pathologist described the gunshot injuries that led to Tupac Shakur’s death during the Las Vegas murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Lisa Gavin, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for Clark County, Nevada, testified during the second day of the trial. She reviewed autopsy photographs and explained the medical evidence to jurors, including the paths of the bullets and the injuries they caused.

Credit: Adobe Stock DNA recovered from the Shroud of Turin largely reflected modern handling and environmental exposure, limiting its ability to establish the artifact’s age or origin, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Scientists at the University of Padova in Italy, examined 12 specimens from an official sample collection obtained in 1978. The specimens included linen fibers, dust, and a small biological fragment.

New evidence-based guidelines from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) recommend higher serum ferritin thresholds for diagnosing iron deficiency, potentially identifying patients whose low iron stores may previously have gone unrecognized. Published inBlood Advances, the guidelines address variation in testing practices and diagnostic thresholds across different patient populations.

There was a time when doing a lab test was essentially the same thing as understanding how it worked. If you measured something, you probably knew when to pour in the reagent, what color was supposed to change, why it might have gone wrong, and what it should look like before a number went onto a screen. Take osmotic fragility as an example. You basically just put red cells into progressively more dilute saline solutions until eventually the red cells burst.

A blood-based score may help clinicians distinguish takotsubo syndrome from acute coronary syndrome earlier in the diagnostic pathway, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal. Takotsubo syndrome, commonly referred to as broken heart syndrome, causes temporary dysfunction of the left ventricle. Patients often present with chest pain, electrocardiographic changes, and elevated cardiac biomarkers, closely resembling acute coronary syndrome.

Digital pathology is no longer a proof of concept. Across Europe and beyond, pathology departments are moving from pilot projects to routine clinical practice. At Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, the pathology department is undergoing a large-scale digital transformation. While the transition has improved workflows, collaboration, and access to expertise, it has also exposed the operational and technical challenges that accompany digital pathology at scale.

The 2026 Annual Meeting is a joint event with ASCP and the Canadian Association of Pathologists – Association Canadienne des Pathologistes (CAP-ACP), and this year's general sessions are bringing science and the future of pathology and laboratory medicine to the forefront. Here's what attendees can expect. Donald L. Siegel to keynote the Wednesday General Session Donald L.

Johnson & Johnson has funded the development and publication of this article, including a consultancy fee for Eva Compérat. The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and publisher, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Johnson & Johnson. CP-601882 | September 2026. As cancer care becomes more personalized and pathology more closely connected to treatment decision-making, questions around how these changes translate into routine practice are becoming increasingly important.

Credit: Adobe Stock A genomic test that can classify brain tumors in as little as two hours is being rolled out across specialist National Health Service (NHS) centers in England. The rapid test could potentially allow diagnostic information to guide treatment – and, in some cases, surgery – far earlier than is currently possible. The two-year, £2.1 million NHS pilot will evaluate an approach developed by researchers at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.