The College held an in-person conference on cellular pathology and genomics on 25 November 2024. The event was devised by the chair of the RCPath’s Genomics and Reproductive Science Specialty Advisory Committee, Dr Sian Morgan. Sian worked with College staff and Trustees to develop a programme of expert speakers. The one-day event aimed to promote closer working between cellular pathology, genomics and industry in the delivery of patient centred care.
The conference, which was expertly chaired by broadcaster and writer, Vivienne Parry, involved four speaker sessions on the following topics:
1. Cancer diagnostic testing pathway
2. Innovation in Cellular Pathology
3. Innovation in Genomics
4. Workforce.
The programme also included an introduction from RCPath President, Dr Bernie Croal, panel discussions with audience Q&A, and videos made by a cancer patient campaigner, Craig Maxwell.
There were around 100 delegates who were able to attend in person on the day. While originally planned as an in-person only event, 15 people were unable to make it to the College so joined the event virtually (including one speaker). This is because there were multiple travel disruptions on the day of the event due to a storm the previous day.
There were three to five speakers in each of the themed sessions and they were asked to provide a short and snappy presentation (of no more than 7 minutes) covering aspects that are working well, key challenges and possible enablers for improvement and/or solutions to highlighted problems. This brief worked well – it generated focused and complementary talks and allowed for lengthy and interactive discussions on the four themes covered at the event.
Speakers included Dr Sian Morgan, Professor Rachel Butler MBE, David Wells, Professor Darren Treanor, and his colleague, Dr Charlotte Jennings. The College’s directors of learning and of professional practice, Jo Brinklow and Katherine Timms gave talks during the session on workforce. The biographies of all speakers can be downloaded below.
Delegates were invited to post thoughts in Slido throughout the day and were also encouraged by Vivienne Parry to share comments and questions via handheld microphones. This generated lots of lively discussion around the key themes of the day, which continued into the breaktimes.
The College is grateful for the three sponsors of this event, AstraZeneca, Illumina and Lilly UK. Without their support, the event would not have been able to go ahead. AstraZeneca and Lilly UK had exhibition stands at the event, which delegates could visit during the refreshment breaks. AstraZeneca also provided a speaker, Lee Welch who is AZ’s Diagnostics Lead. In his talk, Lee put forward the case for collaboration between industry and the profession to help break down barriers and accelerate access to genomic testing and precision medicine.
The conference ended with a summary and closing remarks from Professor Sarah Coupland and Dr Bernie Croal followed by networking drinks in the Elizabeth Room foyer.
Feedback on the event from speakers and delegates has been very positive overall. IBMS CEO and speaker at the event, David Wells said, ‘It was a great event, I really enjoyed the short talk format and the content was excellent!’. Comments from delegates who completed the online feedback form after the event included ‘Very informative and well-arranged workshop’ and ‘Enjoyed the day, very good chair’.
There were also some suggestions for improvements and next steps. One delegate said’ The session on workforce was a good start, but some of the topics need to be extended with wider discussion.’ Another remarked ‘The College is crucial in driving the change, setting the agenda and encouraging all its members to to make change, collaborate.’
Dr Sian Morgan is now working with College Trustees, other College Officers and staff on a summary report of the genomics conference. This will include clear actions for the College around ways we can facilitate and support greater collaboration between cellular pathology, genomics and industry.
Author(s)
