International Women's Day (IWD) is a worldwide event celebrated each year. IWD centres on women's achievements and raises awareness about discrimination that women still face a hundred years on from when it was first established. We are urged to take action of any kind that will help drive gender parity. This year's campaign, reminds us we can all #AccelerateAction. You may well have been one of many who honoured the women who do remarkable things in all areas of life on Satruday.

The College is proud to support this important occasion every year. This time around, we are pleased to feature Professor Sarah Coupland, College Registrar and former Vice President for Communications about how she as an invididaul and a leader of a team has been able to #AccelerateAction in pathology. 

Introduction

I am an an Assie-Brit Consultant Academic Histopathologist at the Liverpool University NHS Foundation Hospital Trust, UK, and am also the first female ‘George Holt Chair of Pathology’ at the University of Liverpool (UoL). I’ve been based in Liverpool for nearly 20 years and lead one of the 4 supraregional NHS Ophthalmic Pathology services in England. I also have expertise in haematopathology, molecular pathology and digital pathology. External roles in addition to those with the College include, President of the “Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland”.

 

Action that accelerated and improved an area within pathology

As a haematopathologist, I was involved in setting up Liverpool-Merseyside’s Haemato-Oncology-Diagnostics-Service (HODS) in 2011. This was established in accordance with the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) Improving Outcomes Guidance (IOG), to increase the accuracy of lymphoma and leukaemia diagnoses. I’ve since contributed significantly to lymphoma classification and the understanding of their pathogenesis: e.g., I was on the Editorial Board of the 5^th Edition of the WHO Lymphoma classification. I also significantly contributed to WHO ‘Blue’ Tumour Volumes of Eye-, Skin and Paediatric cancers. Finally, I was involved in the revisions of the 7^th and 8^th TNM staging of all ocular tumours.

Facing challenges as a woman reaching your goals

Currently, there are more female diagnostic pathologists in the NHS than males. That being said, it remains difficult as a female academic pathologist to progress successfully through the hierarchy of universities, achieving the same milestones within similar timeframes as male counterparts. However, it is always possible: stamina and persistence are key!!

Overcoming challenges to achieve your goals

I am tenacious, competitive and determined – 3 words that have not considered ‘appropriate’ females characteristics. I am also very organised and work hard. I have been able to create a team of similar like-minded people, who have the same goals in mind, a similar work ethic, and who I can rely on. Also, I have been able to tap into mentorship and leadership programmes that have provided ‘tips and tricks’ and inspiration. Positive feedback always helps: I was fortunate to be included in the “Top 100 Influential Women in Ophthalmology” in 2021 and 2024, and was on the “Pathologist Power Lists” of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.

An impact of a team’s efforts in accelerating change

In 2005, I established the ‘Liverpool-Ocular-Oncology-Research-Group’ (www.loorg.org), a multidisciplinary team focussing on eye cancers at (UoL). In close association with the Liverpool Eye Cancer Centre and its patients, LOORG. I set up a unique eye cancer biobank: it has uniquely evolved into a multimodal digital bioresource integrating clinical, radiological, histological, and genetic data of consented patients. Our Bioresource (EYE-CAN-AID) has enabled many impactful projects. For example, the development of a prognostic algorithm that predicts the risk of eye cancers spreading to the liver (where this tumour normally goes to first when it spreads), based on histological and genetic features of patient eye cancers. This has been implemented in the NHS for stratification of liver surveillance. EYE-CAN-AID represents a ‘treasure trove” for future AI-driven research, for the development of better diagnostic tools, ensuring faster, more precise, and personalised treatments.