Educational
Toward a cardiovascular pathology training
Report on the forum held in Vancouver, March 6, 2004,
Society for Cardiovascular Pathology
Gaetano Thiene
a,
T
, Anton E. Becker
b
, L. Maximilian Buja
c
, John T. Fallon
d
,
Bruce M. McManus
e
, Frederick J. Schoen
f
, Gayle L. Winters
f
a
University of Padua, Padova, Italy
b
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
c
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA
d
Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
e
British Columbia University, Vancouver, Canada
f
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Received 14 June 2005; accepted 8 August 2005
Abstract
Cardiovascular pathology is a subspecialty of anatomic pathology that requires both clinical education and expertise in contemporary
physiopathology. The Society for Cardiovascular Pathology sponsored a special workshop within the frame of the USCAP Annual Meeting,
held in Vancouver, March 6 –12, 2004, to address the present and future role of cardiovascular pathology in research, clinical care, and
education. Clearly, the recruitment and training of young pathologists are crucial to this aim. The forum tried to answer a series of questions.
First, is there room for cardiovascular pathologists and clinicopathologic correlations in the era of extraordinary advances of in vivo human
body imaging? What is the evolving role of the autopsy? How can the cardiovascular pathologist simultaneously be an autopsy prosector, a
surgical pathologist, a molecular pathologist, and an experimental pathologist? Is there a specific domain content for training in
cardiovascular pathology and does it meet the constellation of market needs and demands? What are the experiences in Europe, North
America and elsewhere? What is the influence of cardiovascular pathology in departments of pathology? Is the subdiscipline still a Cinderella
in the anatomic theatre or a Princess with a double helix coat of arms? The Society for Cardiovascular Pathology is strongly committed
to optimizing the academic and professional profile of the future generation of cardiovascular pathologists. This article reports the
outcome of the forum and directions that may lead to a vibrant future for well-trained cardiovascular pathologists. D 2005 Elsevier Inc.
All rights reserved.
1. Quo vadis cardiovascular pathology?
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is still by far
the leading cause of mortality in the Western countries,
nearly twice that of cancer
[1] (Fig. 1). In addition, the most
recent report of the World Health Organization in 2004
depicts a huge and expanding burden of cardiovascular
disease in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, despite
a sharp reduction in mortality from circulatory diseases in
the last 30 years, due to extraordinary advances in medical
and surgical therapies and preventive strategies, there are
still nearly 17,000,000 deaths from these ailments, annually.
Life expectancy in the United States increased by
6.0 years overall between 1970 and 2000. Nearly two thirds
of that increase (3.9 years) can be attributed to reduction in
cardiovascular mortality
[2] (Fig. 2), whereas only 3 months
can be ascribed to a reduced mortality of neoplastic disease.
1054-8807/05/$ – see front matter D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.carpath.2005.08.002
T Corresponding reviewer. Cardiovascular Pathology, University
of Padua Medical School, Via A. Gabelli, 61, 35121 Padova, Italy.
Tel.: +39 49 8272283; fax: +39 49 8272284.
E-mail address: cardpath@unipd.it (G. Thiene).
Cardiovascular Pathology 14 (2005) 312 – 319