- Published:
- 14 April 2026
- Author:
- Professor Angharad Davies
- Read time:
- 4 Mins
Election season is upon us. For the College, first and foremost, the outcome of the election for our next President was recently announced – Professor Sarah Coupland will take up the mantle in November. Sarah is an academic histopathologist and an experienced leader, as a past Vice-President of the College and currently its Registrar; she is also Pathological Society President. Huge congratulations go to Sarah – we wish her well in taking up this most important of roles for pathology. I am quite sure her presidential term will be highly productive and successful.
Other elections are also on the horizon. Next month, as well as mayoral and local government elections in England, there will be devolved government elections for the Senedd in Wales and for the Scottish Parliament. Since health policy across the UK is devolved, the results of the latter 2 can be expected to impact on pathology services. As such, the College has launched its election priorities for the Wales and Scotland administrations, drawn up by their respective regional councils; we have an update on those. We also report on the College’s second Celtic Nations Summit held online in February, as a forum to bring together leaders from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales alongside College officers and senior staff.
The UK Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) haemovigilance scheme has been instrumental in improving transfusion safety since 1996. Last year, SHOT introduced the Transfusion Safety Standards. Shruthi Narayan’s article discusses their development and impact, together with challenges and their role in shaping safer transfusion. Staying with transfusion, the 2024 Infected Blood Inquiry report made a recommendation that all healthcare staff involved in transfusion should receive specific related training to improve safety for patients. Indu Thakar explains the educational interventions that have been implemented in Wales.
Pathology services are probably not the first thing that patients think about during their experiences of healthcare. How do we raise patient awareness of our work and just as importantly, how do laboratory services hear the voices of patients? In the first in a series of patient perspectives, Elizabeth Collins, College Lay Advisor, shares what her pathology test results meant for her, and their impact on her health.
Our trainee section, edited by Trainee Section Editor Ryan Clark, has a histopathology trainee’s perspective on digital pathology and training, from Julia Fortune. Zainab Thowfeek has produced an introductory guide for trainees in clinical biochemistry on the use of the Sampson equation for estimation of LDL cholesterol. We also bring you up to date with developments in the Pathology Portal, a resource of ever-increasing importance for trainees. Also of interest to trainees, the RCPath Science Communication prize is now open; there is still time for Foundation doctors to enter the Hugh Platt Foundation Essay prize; and Sharmila Shelvan reviews Diagnostic Pathology: Hospital Autopsy.
Meet the author
-
Professor Angharad Davies
Clinical Director of Publishing and Engagement
