Message from the President

Dominic Spagnolo is a graduate of the University of Western Australia. After being admitted as a Fellow of the RCPA, he undertook 2 years overseas study at Charing Cross Hospital in the UK, and Stanford University in California, before returning to Perth where he has remained a public sector pathologist. He is presently Clinical Director of Anatomical Pathology at The Western Australian Centre for Pathology and Medical Research (PathCentre) in Perth, and Clinical Professor of Pathology at the University of Western Australia. His fields of interest include haematopathology, soft tissue tumours and ultrastructural pathology.

Happy New Year to all in the Australasian Division of the IAP!

It is an honour to be President of this vigorous and enthusiastic body and the Board and I undertake to maintain the high standards expected of us. I should like to take this opportunity to thank our Immediate Past President, Ron Newland, for his sterling stewardship of the Division over the last two years, which sees a healthy division ready to face the challenges of 2000 and beyond . It will not be long before the 2000 Sydney IAP meeting is upon us, and the tempo at the Secretariat has increased significantly since the New Year. The Y2K bug did not find our IT system to be a good host and thankfully there have been no significant problems. The 26th Annual Scientific Meeting promises to be very exciting and instructive, and should live up to the high standards of our previous meetings. Organization for the meeting is well-advanced and in the capable hands of Jan McLean in the secretariat and our secretary Con Theocharous.

The two systems to be covered this year by our overseas guest speakers are Pulmonary Pathology and Testicular/Adnexal Neoplasms. Pulmonary Pathology has not been covered at our meetings since 1991 (Dr. Sam Yousem, Pittsburgh) and there have been significant advances in the field since then in both neoplastic and non-neoplastic pulmonary disorders. And who better to cover the field than Dr. Thomas Colby, our visitor for 2000, an outstanding pulmonary pathologist from the Dr Charles Carrington stable. Dr. Colby is a Consultant in Surgical Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale in Arizona, USA, and is Professor of Pathology at the Mayo Medical School.

He did his Residency and Fellowship in Pathology at Stanford University Hospital in the 1970's and was a faculty member there for several years before taking up the position of Director of Surgical Pathology at the University of Utah College of Medicine between 1983 and 1986. Since then he has had a long association with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and since 1994 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is recognized as a pre-eminent pulmonary pathologist with an outstanding record in teaching, research, lecturing and he is a prolific writer.

Dr Colby will deliver two lectures on topical non-neoplastic conditions of the lung of relevance to the surgical pathologist, and he will cover neoplasms in his slide seminar of 12 cases. Demand for the slides is certain to be high, so be sure to order slide sets early! No less notorious is our own Douglas Henderson from The Flinders Medical Centre who will also participate in the pulmonary session bringing us up to date on diseases of the pleura. It promises to be an enthralling day on pleuropulmonary pathology. Testicular and testicular adnexal tumour pathology, to my knowledge has not been a major topic at our IAP meetings before. It seemed timely therefore to cover this system which can cause diagnostic difficulties.

Our guest speaker to deal with this topic is Dr Victor Reuter who is Attending Pathologist in the Department of Pathology, Memorial Hospital at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. Dr. Reuter undertook his residency in Pathology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia between 1979 and 1983, was Chief Fellow and then Assistant Attending Pathologist at Memorial Hospital in the mid-80's followed by a 4 year period at Cornell University Medical College in New York. Since 1992 he has been back at Memorial Hospital as attending Pathologist and also a Member of Memorial Hospital. Dr Reuter has a long-standing interest and particular expertise in genitourinary pathology, in which field he has published widely. He is an enthusiastic teacher and lecturer, recognized by his several Pathology Fellows Education Awards and his prestigious appointment in 1998 as Chairman of the Education Committee of the USCAP. Dr. Reuter will deliver two lectures covering the pathology of seminomatous and non-seminomatous germ cell tumours of the testis, issues of differential diagnosis and prognostic factors. He will also conduct a slide seminar of 10 cases, in which he will touch on adnexal neoplasms.

To round off the session we are fortunate in having Associate Professor Guy Toner, Head of Medical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne, who will lecture on the clinicianÕs perspective of testicular germ cell neoplasia, and the clinician's expectations of the pathologist in managing these patients. This promises to be a most stimulating and instructive day, and everyone again is urged to place orders for the slide seminars early. The Specialty Club Meetings on Friday will again provide stimulating programmes to keep us abreast of developments in the various fields. There will be 12 sessions throughout the afternoon and early evening. The convenors put a great deal of effort into organizing these sessions, some of which include slide seminars, and I urge everyone to support them. We are blessed with plenty, and it is unfortunate that it is not possible to attend more than a few different sessions. It is proposed in 2001 to alter the Friday format to allow participation at a greater number of the Specialty Club Meetings, but more about this at this year's ASM.

Veli Marjoniemi, Honorary Treasurer, Australasian Division of the I.A .P. since July 1999. Born Finland. Lived in Australia since 1970. Medical degree at Sydney University (1988). Trained in pathology as registrar at Westmead Hospital. Finished training in 1996. Worked briefly as pathologist at New Childrens Hospital (Sydney) and at Liverpool Hospital and has been at St George Hospital since mid 1997.

Ladies who keep our meetings running smoothly - Juleen McLean, Louise Hain and Jan McLean

A special occasion in this year's Friday programme will be the inauguration of the Orell FNA Club to honour Dr Svante Orell's seminal contribution to the development of FNA cytology in Australia .The occasion will be marked by a lecture to be given by Dr Orell. One of the strengths of our ASM's has been the Poster Presentations. It was a little disappointing last year to see that the number of posters had decreased compared with recent years. We all recognize how it is becoming increasingly difficult to find "quality" time to devote to original endeavour, a sentiment expressed frequently to me by many at last year's meeting. Nevertheless, we must strive to maintain the health of our division by fostering such scientific endeavour, and not succumb too readily to the extraneous pressures which would thwart such pursuits. Please encourage registrars in particular to undertake projects - they should bear in mind that ensuing publication of their work can be used in lieu of case studies for their Part II examination requirements. Finally, a word about the International IAP Meeting to be held in Brisbane in 2004. Planning for the meeting is progressing extremely well under the direction of the indefatigable Robin Cooke. He has been working tirelessly, ably supported by our secretariat, in laying the foundations for 2004. Recently, Robin hosted a very successful site visit to Brisbane by members of the International Executive, who gave the venue and Robin's preparations the endorsement we expected. I should like to express my gratitude to Robin for his outstanding contribution to the preparations for 2004, and to all who have helped him in his endeavours thus far. No doubt, Robin will report more details about progress towards 2004 at the AGM. I look forward to seeing as many members as possible from our Division in Sydney in June for what promises to be a great meeting.

Dom Spagnolo, President

Distinguished Pathologists Award

Ron Newland presenting Phil Allen with the Distinguished Pathologist's Award at the AGM June 1999.

Some years ago the Board of the Australasian Division of the I.A.P. instituted the Distinguished Pathologist's Award. Each President was authorised to make one nomination for the award during his or her term of office. I was not at all surprised when the Board strongly endorsed my nomination of Philip Wesley Allen for the award.

The award itself takes the form of a certificate and an inscribed bronze medallion embossed with the I.A.P. logo. I have a copy of Phil's curriculum vitae and there is no way, in the time available, that I can even summarise his achievements. I think Phil would like me to mention that he is essentially a South Australian even though he was born in London.

He graduated in medicine from the University of Adelaide in 1960 and after a residency at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and a year spent as a medical officer in the South Australian Gaols and Prisons Department he embarked on a career in anatomical pathology. It was not clear from the C.V. whether the Gaols and Prisons time was, or was not, at Her Majesty's Pleasure. Shortly after gaining his fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 1966 Phil was appointed assistant pathologist at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology under Dr Franz Enzinger. Phil soon developed an enduring passion for soft tissue tumours and very quickly earned an international reputation in this field. Following his return to Australia Phil has provided his colleagues with an excellent consultative service in soft tissue tumour diagnosis.

He has had a long involvement with the Australasian Soft Tissue Tumour Registry and is its current chairman. He has published extensively on soft tissue tumours and has given innumerable lectures and seminars on this topic in many countries. Many of his presentations have been in South East Asia where he is seen as a great ambassador for Australian pathology. I think it fair to say that many an audience has been enlivened, perhaps even shocked, by the stentorian voice of Phil Allen challenging the conventional way of looking at things.

He may not always be right but he is always stimulating and provocative. As a senior pathologist recently remarked to me 'every organisation needs a Phil Allen'.Phil has held senior positions at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science and also the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in South Australia. He is currently working in the Department of Anatomical Pathology at the Flinders Medical Centre. Phil is a foundation member of the Australasian Division of the I.A.P. He served as the State Councillor for South Australia, the President of the Australasian Division and I.A.P. Vice President for Australasia. Phil's contribution to pathology and the I.A.P. in particular was recognised in 1994 when he was elected President of the International Academy of Pathology.

He is the first Australian to have held this prestigious position. Before finishing, I would like to make the point that Philip Allen is much more than a distinguished pathologist. He has been married to Valmai since 1961 and has five children. He has made very significant contributions to the community beyond pathology which include local government, school education and the Lutheran Church. He once managed a dairy farm carrying up to 120 milking cows and as recently as last year was a playing member of the cricket team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

It is now with much pleasure that I ask Phil Allen to accept the Distinguished Pathologist's Award from the Australasian Division of the I.A.P.

Ron Newland, President 1997-99

The Second Conjoint Meeting of the Japanese, Korean, Australasian, and Hong Kong Divisions of the IAP and Pathology Association.

Catriona McLean and I attended this meeting held in Seoul in mid October. Tony Leong was also present. The meeting is similar to our own, with an emphasis on practical pathology but with time devoted to research. The abstracts were numerous and of high quality. I spoke at the gastritis symposium and presented two cases at the breast slide seminar.

Catriona presented one neuropathological case at the slide seminar and a poster. Tony Leong presented two posters. The meeting was extremely well organised. The Koreans created a wonderful atmosphere with a mixture of Asian formality along with genuine friendship and interest. There were speakers from Hong Kong, japan, Australia, America and Korea and this gave a true international flavour to the meeting. Our interests and knowledge are similar across these countries.

We gained a great deal from this experience, both in knowledge gained from the speakers, as well as being able to see some of Seoul. I was expecting a large, modern, polluted city. We arrived at night and in the morning awoke to see bare peaked, green fringed mountains through our hotel window. The food was superb, and travel around the city was easy. Our Korean hosts gave us a fascinating and enjoyable time. It was an honour to visit a country of such ancient culture and generous people.

John Pederson

Meetings

Diagnostic Pathology 2000
August 5 - 9, 2000
Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennysylvania
Contact:
Ph. 706 733 7550
Fax 706 733 8033
Email: iap@uscap.usa.com

23rd Annual Update in Clinical Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
March 5 - 10, 2000
Park City, Utah, U.S.A.
The University of Utah, Department of Pathology, Division of Clinical Pathology, Section of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, is pleased to offer this 22.5 hour review and update in the areas of clinical immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases.
Contact: Jeannette Rejali,
Department of Pathology, Division of Clinical Pathology,
University of Utah School of Medicine,
50 North Medical Drive,
Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
Ph 801 581 5873
Fax 801 585 1265

British Division

Symposium on Infectious Diseases
Antwerp, Belgium, 19 - 20 May, 2000

Symposium on Upper GI Tract
London, 24 - 25 November, 2000

Joint meeting with the Pathological Society of Great Britain
Liverpool, July 2001
Contact: Carol Harris,
Administrative Secretary of the British Division,
P.O. Box 73, Westbury on Trym,
Bristol BS9 1RY, UK.
Ph 0117 907 7940
Fax 0117 907 7941
Email: bdiap@cableinet.co.uk
Internet: www.le.ac.uk/pa/pnf1/IAP/iaphome.htm

Course on Pulmonary Pathology
London, June 20-23, 2000
This course is designed to provide histopathologists and cytopathologists with an opportunity to study diagnostic lung pathology in a comprehensive manner. It comprises lectures and practical microscopy sessions, the latter making up roughly half the time and consisting of individual study of a unique collection of cases.
Contact: Professor B. Corrin,
Brompton Hospital,
London SW3 6NP.
Fax: 44 20 7351 8293
Email: b.corrin@ic.ac.uk

6th International Symposium on Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine
7 - 10 May, 2000
Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Contact: Dr Jose A Centeno, Chairperson,
Department of Medical Education,
American Registry of Pathology,
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,
Washington DC, 20306-6000.
Ph: 202 782 2839
Fax: 202 782 9215
Email: centeno@afip.osd.mil

7th International Surgical Symposium
May 2 - 5, 2000. Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Contact:
Mayo School of Continuing Medical Eduction,
200 First St,
S.W. Rochester. MN 55905.
Ph: 800 323 2688 / 507 284 2509
Fax: 507 284 0532
Internet: www.mayo.edu

12th Congress of the International Academy of Pathology Arab Division
November 19 - 22, 2000, Dubai
Contact: Chairman Organizing Committee,
12th Congress of the I.A.P. Arab Division.
Ph/Fax: 00971 4 2223783
Email: alaal@emirates.net.ae

APECSA 5th Congress - Advances in Pathology
16 - 19 July, 2000.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Contact: The Secretariat, APECSA 2000 Conference,
University of Zimbabwe Medical School,
Department of Immunology,
Box A178 Avondale, Harare,
Zimbabwe.
Ph: 263 4 791631 ext 102
Fax: 263 4 791995 
Email: lzuenah@healthnet.zw

40th Annual Congress of the South African Society of Pathology
2 - 5 July, 2000,
Warmbaths, North Province under the Auspices of the Medical University of South Africa.
Contact: Mrs C Jackson,
Secretariat,
PO Box 54,
Medunsa 0204.
South Africa.
Ph: 27 11 521 4627 / 5261
Fax: 27 11 521 5810
Email: cjackson@medunsa.ac.za
Internet: www.medunsa.ac.za