National Pathology Week (NPW) is our annual celebration of pathology, when we highlight the important contribution pathologists make to healthcare. Working in partnership with pathologists and laboratory scientists, our programme of events and activities aims to engage people of all ages, and improve public awareness and understanding of how pathologists and scientists diagnose disease.
We welcome pathology-related events and activities of all sizes, and various formats (including online!), in our nationwide programme – we’ve got lots of ideas and free resources to help with planning and delivering great activities.
National Pathology Week 2023
National Pathology Week 2023 will run from 19 – 25 June. We've moved the celebrations from November to June to coincide with the College's anniversary on 21 June. Our theme this year is 'Pathologists and Patients'.
We'll be celebrating 75 years of the NHS as part of this, and highlighting the essential work pathologists and clinical scientists do to help patients. We will showcase career options across our 17 specialties and engage young people in activities with our members to inspire the next generation. Watch this space for more updates!
College-led events
- Monday 19 June, 6-7pm BST - RCPath Book Club featuring 'Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything'
- Wednesday 21 June, 6.30-8pm BST - Virtual Pathology Pub Quiz for Undergraduates
- Thursday 22 June - Art of Pathology Exhibition at the Annual Dinner drinks reception
- Friday 23 June, 6.30-8pm BST - Virtual Veterinary Pathology Pub Quiz for Undergraduates
- Saturday 24 June, 11am-12pm BST - Discovering Cells art-science workshop with Dr Lizzie Burns
Organise your own NPW activities and events
Here are some ideas of activities you can run during National Pathology Week.
- Set up a stall in your hospital or university to showcase what your team does. You can order free RCPath promotional materials here.
- Use our theme, 'Pathologists and Patients' to highlight the role of pathology teams in prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Check out our Facts and Figures page.
- Run a hands-on activity for your local community. Check out our free resources and activity packs here.
- Give a careers talk to your local schools or universities. Have a look at our 'how to' guide for more details.
- Run a lab tour
Share your NPW photos with us on Twitter - tag us @RCPath and use the hashtags #PathologyWeek and #PathologistsAndPatients.
Become a Pathology Ambassador
We've teamed up with STEM Learning to provide our members with the opporutnity of signing up to the national STEM Ambassador scheme. More information is available in STEM Learning's handbook and leaflet provided below and on our Pathology Ambassador page.
Download our 2023 NPW design assets
National Pathology Week 2022
National Pathology Week 2022 ran from 20 – 26 June. We moved the celebrations from November to June as part of the College's Diamond Jubilee. The theme was 'Pathology: past, present and future'.
Find out about the free NPW College-led events using the links below.
- Monday 20 June, 6.30-7.30pm BST - 'Pathology: past, present and future' panel discussion
- Tuesday 21 June - the College's 60th birthday and Foundation lecture by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam
- Wednesday 22 June, 6.30-8pm BST - virtual pub quiz for medical and biomedical undergraduates
- Thursday 23 June, 5-6pm BST - RCPath Book Club featuring Stuck by Professor Heidi J. Larson
- Friday 24 June, 5.30-7pm BST - virtual pub quiz for veterinary undergraduates
- Saturday 25 June, 11am-12pm BST - Family pathology-inspired origami workshop with Dr Lizzie Burns
Watch the recordings of our NPW 2022 events
A look back at National Pathology Week 2021
NPW 2021 ran from 1 to 7 November. We ran a virtual programme again this year and supported member-led events of all sizes and formats.
Our theme for 2021: ‘All Together Now’
This National Pathology Week (NPW) our theme was ‘All Together Now’. We invited healthcare teams, medical students, schools, community groups and families to interpret our theme in creative ways with their events and activities - from the teamwork used by healthcare workers and communities in the fight against COVID-19, to the strength of the 17 pathology specialities working together to diagnose, prevent and treat diseases. There were many events around the UK and beyond and we'd like to thanks all those who were involved.
College-led events
Our online programme for NPW 2021 aimed to reach a range of audiences this November.
- RCPath Book Club. Our popular Book Club panel-discussion series returned, with a special NPW event on 1 November. The event featured 'Ten Drugs: Plants, How Pills and Powders Have Shaped the History of Medicine' by Thomas Hager. We also worked with the Social Mobility Foundation and the Royal Veterinary College, along with some of our members to deliver events for both university and school students. Our popular Virtual Pathology Careers Talks for 13 to 18 year-olds featured interactive talks and Q&A sessions with some of our members who had attended public engagement training to develop their talks. We also held a special webinar event for RCPath members with the founder of Harvey's Gang, Malcolm Robinson and two 'Virtual Pub Quizzes' for medical, biomedical and veterinary students.