Inside the Lab

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

Tests that are designed in-house to fulfill a clinical need (but aren’t FDA approved) qualify as laboratory developed tests. And these LDTs are currently regulated by CLIA. But the FDA is proposing a new rule that would give them oversight of the design and development of laboratory developed tests. So, what does that mean for us? How would this new legislation impact everyday practice inside the lab? On this episode of the podcast, your hosts, Ms. Kelly Swails, MLS(ASCP), and Dr. Ali B...

We know that diverse teams perform better. In laboratory medicine, diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership not only inspires young professionals, it also promotes retention in a profession that struggles with staffing shortages. So, what’s stopping us from increasing representation and equity in laboratory leadership? What can we do to recruit a more diverse pool of job applicants and then support them in growing into lab leadership and management roles? On this epis...