Dermatopathology in the Desert is an annual resource for surgical pathologists and dermatopathologists to refine their diagnostic skills when confronted with complex and unusual melanocytic lesions, adnexal tumors, cutaneous lymphomas/soft tissue tumors, and diseases of the nails. The struggle to diagnose lesions in these categories is manifest by the nature of consultations received by the faculty, provoking their awareness of need for continuing education and updates in the context of contemporary revisions to precise diagnostic criteria and ancillary studies.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Steven D. Billings, M.D.

Head and neck pathology represents a significant portion of surgical pathology practice. Studies have shown this area to be particularly treacherous to community pathologists, with up to 53% of diagnoses changed (including 7% with major changes) upon second review at tertiary care hospitals.

Complicating this inherent difficulty, there have been numerous recent developments in the field of head and neck pathology. Novel entities have been described, pathognomonic molecular alterations have been uncovered, and major shifts in diagnostic classification schemes have been proposed.

This interactive microscopy course will help pathologists to stay up-to-date and maintain proficiency in head and neck pathology through an intimate mentoring experience with experts.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Justin Bishop, M.D.

Prostate needle core biopsies, transurethral resections of prostate, radical prostatectomy specimens, kidney biopsies, nephrectomy specimens, bladder biopsies, partial or total cystectomy specimens, testicular biopsies and orchiectomy specimens are frequently handled by pathology residents/fellows, general surgical pathologists and/or urologic pathologists in academic institutions and private practices. The spectrum of experience and frequency of disease entities are variable. These specimens present diagnostic challenges and risks to the pathologists who evaluate them. This course, based on pragmatic consultation cases and some routine, in-house cases is designed to reinforce accurate diagnoses, avoid diagnostic pitfalls and close existing professional practice gaps.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Adeboye O. Osunkoya, M.D.

This inaugural co-branded interactive microscopy course presents the synergistic union of expert surgical pathologists from the prestigious Arthur Purdy Stout Society and from USCAP, collaborating (through education of pathologists) to eliminate a variety of practice gaps in diagnostic surgical pathology. For example, there is a misdiagnosis rate of about 10% in breast biopsies, but for some notoriously problematic lesions, the rate is even higher.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has incorporated new, significant developments in various areas of diagnostic gynecologic pathology into its 2014 WHO Classification of Tumours of Female Reproductive Organs. This publication serves as a systemic educational tool for practicing pathologists to adopt new disease classifications and related diagnostic criteria, a guide to clinical management of patients and a disease framework for further investigations. This course parallels and reflects WHO updates and encompasses a broad review of diagnostically challenging areas in gynecologic pathology through intimate mentoring sessions around multi-head microscopes for interactive learning and real-time interchanges focused on the diagnostic experience. The faculty from Harvard, Yale and Stanford will enrich and stimulate you in an exceptional venue within a premiere resort destination (Palm Springs, CA).

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Pei Hui, M.D., Ph.D.

The placenta provides a wealth of information, retrospectively about the fetus and prospectively regarding the infant. Its examination is an essential component of the autopsy in cases of fetal or infant death, often gives useful insights of the diagnosis and treatment of sick newborns, and reflects the impact of maternal disorders on pregnancy. Yet, most pathologists have had little or no education or training in the examination of the placenta, including its histologic appearance in health and disease, and particularly the range of appearances with gestational age. Pathological examination of the placenta is probably the most under-utilized pathologic assessment of any human tissue.

This focused course provides the unique opportunity to learn from two experts in an intimate mentoring environment, and to close the practice gaps that reflect deficits in teaching and learning the extraordinary variants of placental pathology and how they relate clinically to infant and maternal management.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Theonia K. Boyd, M.D.

Thoracic specimens are commonly encountered in clinical practice derived from biopsy and surgical procedures on pulmonary, cardiovascular and mediastinal tissue. The panorama includes neoplasms and non-neoplastic entities. The fact that many of these require evaluation for medical diseases of the thorax provokes anxiety among pathologists, particularly where subspecialty pathologists are not readily available. The last five years contributed a dizzying array of updates in classification, nomenclature and reporting guidelines. Therefore, it’s time for pathologists to update their knowledge and skills in the diagnosis of thoracic pathology in an intimate mentoring environment that unites experienced experts with pathologists desiring a contemporary review of modern thoracic pathology.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Joseph J. Maleszewski, M.D.

This inaugural co-branded interactive microscopy course presents the synergistic union of expert surgical pathologists from the prestigious Arthur Purdy Stout Society and from USCAP, collaborating (through education of pathologists) to eliminate a variety of practice gaps in diagnostic surgical pathology. For example, there is a misdiagnosis rate of about 10% in breast biopsies, but for some notoriously problematic lesions, the rate is even higher.

A review of the literature and the collective clinical experience of this faculty as consultant surgical pathologists have clearly documented areas in diagnostic surgical pathology that remain problematic even for experienced pathologists. Examples include the categorization of proliferative breast lesions, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, small glandular proliferations in the prostate, and soft tissue lesions. With the frequent use of core needle biopsy, pathologists are often faced with the challenge of distinguishing these entities on small specimen samples.

The value of this course is its intent to eliminate diagnostic errors by highlighting pitfalls and approaches to resolve them using routine microscopic examination of H&E-stained sections and immuno-stains. The role of newer adjunctive molecular tests will also be discussed where appropriate. Thus, this course addresses medical knowledge and competence with the goal of improving clinical practice.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Laura C. Collins, M.D.

The diagnosis of soft tissue tumors can be a significant challenge (even for experienced pathologists) because of their rarity, the broad morphological spectrum of mesenchymal tumors, and overlap with other soft tissue tumors and non-mesenchymal neoplasms. The classification of soft tissue tumors continues to evolve, following the description of “new” tumor types, the discovery of novel molecular genetic alterations, and the development of increasingly specific diagnostic immunohistochemical markers. If your specialty interest is in soft tissue pathology, or if your practice requires enhanced competency in evaluating soft tissue lesions, this course is designed to familiarize you with recently-described soft tissue tumors and recently developed diagnostic markers.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Jason L. Hornick, M.D., FRCPath

This interactive microscopy course, taught by experts from Harvard Medical School, Stanford and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is designed to eliminate a variety of practice gaps in diagnostic breast pathology.

In general, there is a misdiagnosis rate of about 10% in breast biopsies, which may be even higher for some notoriously problematic lesions. This course (through intimate mentoring) attempts to reduce or eliminate diagnostic error by highlighting pitfalls and illustrating practical approaches to resolve them, using routine microscopic examination of H&E-stained sections with appropriate ancillary testing. The intended outcome is improved clinical practice and patient outcomes.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Laura C. Collins, M.D.