Inside the Lab

Annual Meeting Special Episode – Workforce and Recruitment in Pathology 10.04.2026 43min

Recorded live at the 2025 ASCP Annual Meeting in Atlanta, this special episode of Inside the Lab brings together a diverse panel—a practicing pathologist, two medical students, and a resident—to explore one of the profession’s most urgent challenges: the pathology workforce shortage. Against the backdrop of ASCP workforce data showing a growing gap between supply and demand, the guests share firsthand perspectives on why students discover pathology late, how misconceptions persist, and what i...

Green Labs 05.02.2026 41min

In this episode of Inside the Lab, host David Ritter kicks off a new series on corporate responsibility with a timely conversation about Green Labs. Joined by Dr. Ilyssa Gordon and Dr. Moira Larsen, the discussion revisits how far laboratory sustainability has come since Dr. Gordon’s 2021 appearance on the show and examines what has changed over the last four years. The episode explores what “green labs” really mean in the context of clinical and pathology laboratories, from life-cycle ...

Advances in NSCLC Biomarker Testing 09.01.2026 49min

The current landscape of testing for NSCLC is complex, with many new biomarkers emerging rapidly, more points during which testing is possible, and precision drug treatments available on the basis of findings from biomarker testing. While promising for patients, the result of this rapidly changing landscape is confusion from interdisciplinary care teams as to what testing is necessary and when, who in multidisciplinary care teams should be ordering new tests and when, and what workflows are n...

Mia the Marvelous Lab Explorer: Using Children's Media to Inspire the Next Generation of Lab Leaders 08.12.2025 42min

Host David Ritter, MA is joined by Lotte Mulder, PhD and Kamran Mirza, MD, PhD, FASCP to discuss their new book, Mia the Marvelous Lab Explorer. The adventure follows Mia, a superhero and scientist, who uses laboratory science to explain why a friend has fallen ill with leukemia. The book targets children ages 5 to 9 years and balances striking entertaining and engaging tone with explaining scientific concepts accurately to a younger audience. Their conversation of the book expands into strat...

Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests: What We've Learned 19.11.2025 53min

Interim CEO of ASCP and host Dr. Ali Brown sits down with Dr. Eric Konnick and Michelle Campbell, MLS(ASCP) to discuss lessons learned from the latest efforts to place laboratory developed tests under FDA oversight. For listeners unfamiliar with LDTs, they begin by establishing what LDTs are and what their value to the lab and patient safety are before debunking common misunderstandings cited by patient advocacy groups regarding their accuracy, validity, and the transparency with which they’r...

Case Studies in Laboratory Management 31.10.2025 1t 8min

Host Constantine “Aki” Kanakis, MD is joined by Brittany Teeter and Sean to provide lessons learned and real-world takeaways from the world of laboratory management. This episode offers a glimpse into what seasoned lab managers learned across the course of their careers and provides concrete takeaways for lab managers at any stage of their careers on preparing for inspections, creating staff buy in for workflow updates, and relating the success of the lab to a hospital’s financial outcome whe...

Topics in Transfusion Medicine 01.10.2025 59min

In this episode of Inside the Lab, host Constantine Kanakis is joined by former ASCP president and Director of Transfusion Medicine at VCU Dr. Kimberly Sanford to discuss topics in transfusion medicine. This one-on-one conversation between two transfusion experts covers a wide variety of contemporary issues in transfusion medicine, including best practices in apheresis, logistical issues associated with pre-hospital transfusion services, and strategies for addressing blood shortages. Their co...

Interviews with Medical Examiners 02.09.2025 53min

In this episode of Inside the Lab, ASCP CMO and CEO Dr. Ali Brown is joined by Drs. Nicole Jackson and Greg Davis to discuss current topics in forensic pathology. In their fascinating and wide ranging discussion, they highlight the often overlooked role of forensic pathologists in offering empathy, care, and advice to the grieving relatives of their deceased patients, the need for expanded autopsy requirements in medical school rotations, and the utility of forensic training to anyone who nee...

The Pathology of Rare Diseases 26.06.2025 56min

Host Kelly Swails interviews Dr. Brad Brimhall and genetic counselor Megan Maxwell from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio to discuss challenges with and strategies for the diagnosis of rare diseases. Their discussion covers topics like the advantages of proactively using genetic testing to identify gene markers at the outset of care, the possibilities of artificial intelligence in identifying markers of rare diseases, and the role of pathologists in a multi-disciplinar...

AI and Pathology: A short history and what comes next 30.05.2025 1t 1min

In this special episode of Inside the Lab, producer and host David Ritter does a dive into the history of efforts to integrate AI into the practice of healthcare. He’s joined by MD/PhD candidate Rahim Hirani, who discusses the history of efforts to automate diagnostic decision making in healthcare all the way back to the 1950s, and how these efforts were qualitatively different from current tools like large language models. Then, he’s joined by Dr. Melody Nelson from the who discusses c...

Emerging Respiratory Viruses 16.04.2025 1t 1min

Inside the Lab is joined by experts Drs. Hannah Wang from the Cleveland Clinic and Rodney Rohde from Texas State University to discuss emerging respiratory viruses. Their discussion begins with lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and an overview of what technologies have emerged since. They go on to discuss the virology and surveillance strategies for H5N1 and RSV, as well as vaccine hesitancy and its impact in the treatment of measles.

Challenges for Lab Professionals to Expect in 2025 28.02.2025 47min

In this episode of Inside the Lab, Dr. Ali Brown sits down with guests Sean Tucker, MLS(ASCP)CM and Laura Severs, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM to discuss their predictions for what 2025 holds for laboratory professionals. Topics discussed include: How workforce trends will continue in the near future and what strategies may work for addressing them;What to expect with automation and what pros and cons automation holds for laboratorians; What challenges, risks, and benefits cybersecurity holds for la...

Setting Up a Laboratory Test Stewardship Program 15.01.2025 50min

In this episode of Inside the Lab, guests Jane Dickerson, PhD and Elise Occhipinti, MD join host Kelly Swails to discuss the creation and maintenance of laboratory test stewardship programs. Topics covered include: How and why your organization should set up a stewardship programInvolving stakeholders in the process The essential components of a success programMetrics and key performance indicators to trackResources, guidelines, and toolkits for those looking to create their own ...

Advances in I-O Biomarkers 07.11.2024 52min

While the rapid evolution of I-O continues to bring unprecedented change to the way cancer is treated, there are significant gaps impacting the laboratory team regarding the examination of resection specimens following neoadjuvant immunotherapy and staying abreast of advances in I-O biomarker testing. This episode discusses advances in I-O biomarker testing, advantages and limitations of some key I-O biomarkers, and practical ways that pathologists and laboratory professionals can impr...

Newly FDA Approved Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Testing: How to Implement Such Tests in Core Laboratory? 21.10.2024 35min

The diagnostic paradigm for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has rapidly shifted in the last five years as fluid-based biomarker testing has emerged as a reliable, accurate, and accessible means to detect amyloid pathology when evaluating a patient for cognitive decline. This podcast is designed to help pathologists and laboratory professionals gain an understanding of plasma testing for markers such as Abeta40/42, P-tau181, and P-tau217 which are rapidly appearing in the commercial space and how hea...

Promoting Diagnostic Excellence by Improving the Communication of Urgent and Unexpected Diagnoses in Anatomic Pathology 15.08.2024 52min

Communicating imperative diagnoses effectively can often be a daunting challenge. It’s a crucial and delicate step that takes practice and know-how to do well and can be one of the most important actions taken with patients. That’s why a panel of experts have gotten together to discuss the current practices, gaps, and best practices for communication of urgent and significant/unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology. The Promoting Diagnostic Excellence by Improving the Communication of Urg...

Women Trailblazers in a Multigenerational Workplace 20.05.2024 59min

Women make up a majority of the workforce in pathology yet lag behind men in leadership roles. What are the consequences of this for women working in pathology today, and what can be done? In this episode of Inside the Lab, Drs. Melissa Upton and Kimberly Sanford share a warm conversation in which they reflect on their long and varied careers, describe the unique challenges they faced over their careers, and discuss their accomplishments as trailblazers themselves. Our guests des...

Special Episode: Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) Testing and Targeted Therapy in Prostate Cancer 15.03.2024 49min

Although molecular testing offers promising opportunities for diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancers, prostate cancer has lagged behind other types of cancer. Recently, homologous recombination repair testing in prostate cancer has provided a means to achieving targeted treatments for patients as well as opening new avenues of collaboration between pathologists and oncologists. On this episode of Inside the Lab, hosts Ms. Kelly Swails, MLS(ASCP), and Dr. Ali Brown, MD, FASCP are joined ...

Special Episode: CRC Biomarkers and the Impact on Patients’ Lives 01.03.2024 57min

As CRC affects younger and more diverse populations, emerging tests for CRC biomarkers provide enormous utility for diagnosis. However, misdiagnosis of CRC, shifting demographics of those afflicted with CRC, and patient unfamiliarity with symptoms create challenges in identifying CRC. In this episode of Inside the Lab, hosts Dr. Ali Brown and Lotte Mulder are joined by Dr. Melissa Taggart, a board-certified pathologist at MD Cancer Center and Karla Valencia, a laboratory manager at MD Anderso...

Special Episode: Emerging Biomarkers for the Assessment of Alzheimer's Disease 30.11.2023 37min

Recent developments in disease modifying therapies have been proven to slow the progression of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease. And yet, we can only confirm a diagnosis of AD after a patient’s death. But what if we could use biomarkers to identify preclinical stage Alzheimer’s and step in long before a patient exhibits dementia? On this episode of Inside the Lab, your host, Ms. Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP) introduces us to Dr. Shih-Hsiu Jerry Wang, MD, PhD, A...