working group Archives - Pancreatobiliary Pathology Society

Dear Pancreatobiliary Pathology Society Members,

It’s March, which means the 2019 annual USCAP meeting is upon us! Please join us on Saturday March 16^th for our Companion Society Meeting: “Challenging Topics in Pancreatic Neoplasia: I: An Update on Non-ductal Neoplasms and II: Approach to Neo-adjuvant Treated Ductal Adenocarcinoma.” Our Education Committee has created an informative two-part session that will first cover non-ductal neoplasms of the pancreas followed by the pathologic evaluation of treated pancreatic cancer that will include an update about our Neo-adjuvant Therapy Working Group. The Education Committee has also been busy reviewing the 15 abstracts they received for the Pancreatobiliary Pathology Society Abstract Award, and the winner will be announced at our annual Business Meeting, which will immediately follow the Companion Society session from 9:45 pm – 10:00 pm. For those who are unable to attend, please check our website after the meeting.

Our society has been productive over the past several months in other areas as well. The next case of the quarter will soon be released – keep an eye out for it on our website! Our bimonthly journal watch nicely highlights pertinent publications involving the pancreatobiliary tract. Both of these activities are now perks of membership. If you are not an active member, please join or renew your membership online! If you are a new member, welcome! In addition to the Neo-adjuvant Therapy Working Group, we have two other active Working Groups: The Grossing Working Group is in the process of writing a manuscript and the Cytology Working Group has been formed and is gathering data.

Our society would not be a success if it were not for the tireless efforts of our members. I would like to recognize the following members who have been making an impact in our society: Olca Basturk, who was instrumental in organizing this year’s companion session; Serdar Balci for publishing the bimonthly journal watch; Jiaqi Shi and Michelle Reid for contributing the cases of the quarter; Mabel Ko for managing our website; and the members of the Executive Committee, Grace Kim, David Klimstra, David Lewin, Volkan Adsay and Olca, for keeping everything on track and in order.

I am proud to be part of this international organization that strives to improve the clinical practice of pancreatobiliary pathology by providing a comfortable environment of team work and cooperation. An organization from which will sprout future leaders in the field of pancreatobiliary pathology.

– Alyssa M. Krasinskas, MD

Message from the President

Dear Pancreatobiliary Pathology Society Members,

Last year was a very productive year that culminated with our inaugural Companion Society Meeting at the annual USCAP meeting in Vancouver, Canada in March. I want to thank our speakers, Ralph Hruban, Olca Basturk, and Gunter Kloppel for their excellent educational talks, and Daniela Allende and Grace Kim for presenting a summary of the findings from the Grossing Working Group, our first active working group. I want to thank the audience for their attendance (and for not being distracted by the beautiful scenery that flanked one entire wall of the meeting room).

At our annual business meeting, which immediately followed the companion session, the PBPS presented its abstract award to Tao Wang for his presentation entitled “Mass-Forming Intraductal Neoplasms of the Biliary Tract Comprise Morphologically and Genetically Distinct Entities” (congratulations Tao!) and we welcomed many new members. The official minutes of the Business Meeting are available on our website.

Members of all PBPS committees worked extremely hard over the past year not only to create a successful companion session, but to also strengthen existing and bring new activities to our young society. I’d like to recognize the following members who really made this past year a success: Olca Basturk, who was instrumental in organizing the companion session; Daniela Allende and Grace Kim, for their contributions to the companion session; Mabel Ko for creating, updating and managing our website; and David Lewin, for running the business meeting and keeping our finances in order.

I’d like to touch upon a few items that are currently in the PBPS pipeline:

The Grossing Working Group is in the process of converting their Companion Society meeting presentation into a manuscript.
We also have a Cytology Working Group, which is co-Chaired by Michelle Reid and Barbara Centeno,
and we are forming a Neo-adjuvant Therapy Working Group to tackle the challenges of assessing these difficult specimens.
Finally, it won’t be long until we start planning our Companion Meeting for 2019.

I am honored to have been elected President of the PBPS and I am proud to carry on the tradition of fostering excellence and collaboration in education, research and the clinical practice of pancreatobiliary pathology around the world.

– Alyssa M. Krasinskas, MD