Continuing Education for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Professionals (PaLM Ed)
At Pathologists Overseas, we are committed to advancing the education of pathology and laboratory medicine professionals through our PaLM Ed initiative. In the face of COVID-19 and limited international travel, we shifted to virtual course offerings.
As a small, volunteer-driven organization, we focus on increasing human resource capacity in our field. In doing so, we enhance accessibility for learners in rural areas and foster global connections among colleagues. Our dedication to high-quality virtual continuing education for pathology and laboratory medicine professionals (PaLM Ed) aligns with our mission to collaborate with partners in global Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PALM).
Recent Initiatives:
Spring 2021:
We partnered with the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) to offer a free, 10-week course on Laboratory Quality Management Systems (LQMS), based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory Quality Management Systems Essentials.
February 2022:
In collaboration with BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), we launched a free, 8-week virtual course focused on pediatric and lymph node pathology.
Summer 2022:
We worked with ASCP and Heart to Heart International (HHI) to adapt our virtual Laboratory Quality Management Systems (LQMS) course for Spanish-speaking audiences in Central and South America.
November 2023:
We hosted a comprehensive, 5-week External Quality Assessment (EQA) Course in partnership with RCPAQAP. This course featured 10 lectures covering essential topics such as EQA sample preparation, understanding commutability, establishing target values, and interpreting summary reports, with a focus on point-of-care testing, microbiology, hematology, and cytology.
August 2024:
In collaboration with the Garahan Foundation, we launched a 9-week virtual Laboratory Quality Management Systems (LQMS) course tailored for Spanish-speaking lab professionals throughout Central and South America.
September 2024:
We offered a second educational course in partnership with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Program (RCPAQAP), titled EQA 2.0. This course was designed for laboratories enrolled in our EQA program and focused on case-based approaches to interpreting EQA survey reports, investigating unacceptable results, and implementing corrective actions through four 90-minute virtual workshops.