Education
The JPC education mission is twofold:
- Provide Continuing Medical Education for our employees and providers.
- Provide graduate education for our military service members.
A robust CME curriculum has been developed by the Education and Quality Assurance sections to meet the needs of the solo pathologist and employees, in support of the DOD and VA.
CME activities include on-site presentations, virtual presentations, and online content from the College of American Pathologists, the American Society for Clinical Pathology and CAP-ISO consultants. A digital slide repository for CME credit is under development. Graduate education includes subspecialty rotations for federal government residencies and fellowships and support of the dermatopathology fellowship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and of the Navy Oral Pathology Residency.
As the JPC matures, we will work closely with the other DOD and federal agencies to identify and implement other educational opportunities.
The JPC Social Media effort and IT/AI/Pathology Summer internship program have been developed to increase public exposure to the world of pathology and reveal the accomplishments of our organization. The JPC has Twitter/X and LinkedIn accounts to post pathology related content which includes high resolution images of cells, special stains and accompanying descriptions and diagnosis. The Summer internships, hosted through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, provide High School students and Graduates with exposure to Pathology, Histology, Internet Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and its relatedness to pathology. Visit the Army Educational Outreach Program to learn more.
If interested in a Summer Internship, please apply with WRAIR AEOP Science Education and Fellowship Programs, and contact us with your WRAIR AEOP application number.
Research
The main functions of the Research Program Management Office are to provide guidance to and administratively support Investigators with the goal of leveraging the invaluable JPC repository of data and materials to perform research on the cutting edge of science and technology. In pursuit of that goal, the JPC RPMO ensures compliance with all required procedures, guidelines, policies, and human subjects’ regulations. Additionally, the RPMO works to formalize relationships with collaborators through a variety of government-approved and DOD-specific agreement vehicles.
All personnel interested in collaborating on a research study or educational project are highly encouraged to contact the Research Program Management Office for guidance.
Repository
The JPC Repository is the oldest and the largest collection of human pathologic specimens in the world with more than:
- 55 million microscopic glass slides
- 35 million paraffin-embedded tissue blocks
- 700K wet tissue samples
Our materials have been used for decades to advance scientific, clinical knowledge and to promote biomedical research. We're working to modernize the repository to improve handling of slides and blocks and to digitize digitize the JPC's clinical workflow. Our goal is to optimize for utility of cases for research and to improve the accrual of high value pathology materials in the repository.
Aaron Auerbach, M.D., M.P.H., FCAP
Dr. Aaron Auerbach currently serves as the Director of Education, Research, and Repository at the Joint Pathology Center. Dr. Auerbach was the inaugural Director of Medical Education and played a pivotal role in shaping the center’s academic programs. He introduced innovative changes to the training curriculum for residents, focusing on expanding responsibilities, enhancing research opportunities, and implementing a digital scanning initiative.
