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Radiologic Pathology Correlation Course at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Radiologic Pathology Correlation Course at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology1 Paula J. Woodward, MD, Kelly K. Koeller, CAPT, MC, USN
The Department of Radiologic Pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Washington, DC, offers a course in radiologic pathology correlation to radiologists in training from around the world. More than 18,000 diagnostic radiology residents and practicing radiologists have taken this course since 1950. This educational program is designed to aid residents in understanding the imaging manifestations of disease by employing radiologic-pathologic correlation (1). The course fulfills training requirements for hundreds of radiology residency programs in the United States (2) and elsewhere and presents a comprehensive review of radiologic imaging with pathologic correlation, with over 200 installments of didactic instruction and case seminars. The course consists of six sections, each focused on a different radiologic subspecialty: gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, pediatric, and thoracic radiology, and neuroradiology. Six full-time AFIP staff radiologists serve as the section chiefs and lecturers for these subspecialty areas. The program also features lectures by the department’s distinguished scientist (selected annually) and numerous eminent guest faculty from around the country.
HISTORY The Registry of Radiologic Pathology was founded in 1947 to collect radiologic material illustrating a broad Acad Radiol 2003; 10(suppl 1):S60 –S62 1 From the Department of Radiologic Pathology, Rm M-121, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 14th St at Alaska Ave, Bldg 54, Washington, DC 20306-6000. Address correspondence to K.K.K. The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or representing the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
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AUR, 2003
S60
range of diseases and to establish correlations between radiologic abnormalities and their underlying microscopic and gross pathology. The collected material was initially used for the education and training of U.S. military radiologists. The registry was first housed in the old Army Medical Museum located on the Mall in Washington, DC. In 1955, the museum was relocated to the AFIP at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), to accommodate the growing number of cases and trainees. The first chairman and registrar of the Department of Radiologic Pathology was Colonel William LeRoy Thompson (3). In the early days, a small number of radiologists attended informal didactic sessions around a view box, hosted by Colonel Thompson. As the number of cases grew and the outstanding quality of Colonel Thompson’s teaching sessions became recognized, the number of radiologists attending the informal “seminars” at the AFIP also increased. In 1966, Commander Elias George Theros (4) became the second chairman and registrar of Radiologic Pathology. Dr Theros created a formal course in radiologic-pathologic correlation, the archetype of the course taught today. Over the years, the course and the department’s archive of radiologic material continued to expand. In 1994, the course was relocated to a new, state-of-the-art educational facility at the WRAMC. In July 2002, the faculty published the first book-length edition of the course syllabus, complete with images and illustrations, in a softcover format (5). Currently, an online lecture series is in development. RADIOLOGIC PATHOLOGY COURSE Outlined below is an overview of important aspects of the course. While this information is current at the time
Academic Radiology, Vol 10, Suppl 1, February 2003
of this writing, changes may occur during the academic year. The most complete and current information is available on the Web site at www.radpath.org. Currently, the radiologic pathology course is offered five times a year and lasts 6 weeks. Resident enrollment in the course is a multistep process, each of which will be reviewed. Almost all of these functions are performed electronically, beginning at the Radiologic Pathology home page: www.radpath.org/program_directors. After the user enters a residency program identification number and password, a new Web page appears. At the top of this page are five activated functions: “Home,” “Your Account,” “Slots,” “Registration,” and “Log-out”. Your Account allows the program director and coordinator to modify existing information regarding their program. It is important that this information be kept up to date so that the appropriate program personnel can be contacted when required.
SLOT REQUEST AND ALLOCATION The process of enrolling residents in the course begins with a request for the number of slots the program will need for the academic year and for each course. Each fall, program directors and coordinators are notified by e-mail that the next academic year’s courses have opened for slot requests. Each residency program should carefully consider how many slots are needed for each course and submit a request via the online site (click on “Slots” on the home page at the Web site). Capacity in each course is limited, and once a course is full, no more requests are accepted. If there are still seats available in a particular course, slot allocation will be made automatically, and confirmation of the slot allocation will be e-mailed immediately to the residency program. If the course is full, the slot request will not be confirmed, and the user will be directed to request a slot in a different course. After a slot is allocated, the next step in the process—resident registration—may begin. Having a slot allocated to a program does not indicate that the slot will be held indefinitely. A slot allocation is a reservation, akin to a reservation for an airline ticket. The slot allocation (reservation) does not guarantee that the resident will have a seat in the course. That guarantee does not occur until the other steps in the process have been completed.
AFIP RADIOLOGIC PATHOLOGY CORRELATION COURSE
RESIDENT REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT Once a slot has been allocated, a resident may be registered for that slot. This is accomplished by clicking on “Registration.” All required fields of data entry are marked by a red asterisk. The course management must have this information so that it can contact residents directly. All residents must be registered for a course at least 60 days before the 1st day of class. The current registration fee for civilian physicians-in-training is $1,200 if payment is received 60 days before the 1st day of class and $1,500 if payment arrives after that date ($1,200 plus a $300 late fee). The registration fee for active-duty residents assigned to U.S. military residency programs is $200. Online credit card payment is possible on this secure Web site. The course and its faculty are fully supported by registration fees and do not receive any funds from the Department of Defense. Once registration and payment have occurred, the last step in the process is completion of the security clearance. SECURITY CLEARANCE This is the one step in the process that must be completed off line. All residents must submit proof of citizenship. U.S. or Canadian citizens should submit either a photocopy of the first two pages of their passport or a notarized photocopy of their birth certificate. Noncitizens must submit a photocopy of their passport, green card, and/or visa and the IAP-66 form as proof of citizenship and verification of their status. Resident registration and proof of citizenship and immigration status must be processed at least 60 days before the 1st day of class. A resident who fails to submit data by this deadline may be denied admission to a selected course. CONFIRMATION LETTER When the course management has received the resident’s registration, the correct registration fee, and the notification of security clearance, a confirmation letter is e-mailed to the resident. This letter provides the final confirmation for participation in the course. The resident must bring this letter on the 1st day of the course to gain admission to the WRAMC post and the course. CASE SUBMISSION The strength of the course is its demonstration of the direct correlation that often exists between the presenta-
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tion of disease at pathologic examination and its imaging appearance. The course is made possible only through the continued replenishment of the department’s archives by cases submitted by residents attending the course. Each resident is required to submit two complete, pathologically proved cases that illustrate radiologic-pathologic correlation. Residents should strive for cases that contain photographs of gross specimens, as these are the best examples of radiologic-pathologic correlation. Detailed instructions regarding an ideal AFIP case and submission criteria are available on the Web site. Program directors are notified if a resident does not submit the required cases. In 2000, the Department of Radiologic Pathology section chiefs decided to officially recognize the best of the many fine cases that are submitted in each course. Since then, a “best case” has been selected from the cases in each of the six subject areas covered in the course. These selected cases are then shown to the residents in a bestcase session during the last week of the course. Many of the winners have been invited to publish their cases in RadioGraphics. In addition, the institution with the largest number of best-case winners in a given year is now recog-
S62
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nized by the presentation of a plaque at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors in Radiology. To further encourage educational excellence in radiologic-pathologic correlation, the AFIP course faculty has embarked on an ambitious program to deliver an online replica of the current course. This online version will be developed over several years, with completion anticipated in the summer of 2004. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors extend thanks to Linda C. Wilkins for her assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. REFERENCES 1. Rosado-de-Christenson ML, Smirniotopoulos JG. Radiology residents’ report: radiologic pathology course. Invest Radiol 1993; 28:562–564. 2. American Medical Association. Graduate medical education directory 2002–2003. Chicago, Ill: American Medical Association, 2002; 339 –343. 3. Kilgore EJ, Haygood TM. Life as a military radiologist: William LeRoy Thompson. RadioGraphics. 1995; 15:1423–1436. 4. Rigler LG. Introduction of Caldwell lecturer: Elias G. Theros. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1977; 128:891. 5. Koeller KK, Levy AD, Woodward PJ, et al, eds. Radiologic pathology. Washington, DC: American Registry of Pathology, 2002.
The Department of Radiologic Pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Washington, DC, offers a course in radiologic pathology correlation to radiologists in training from around the world. More than 18,000 diagnostic radiology residents and practicing radiologists have taken this course since 1950. This educational program is designed to aid residents in understanding the imaging manifestations of disease by employing radiologic-pathologic correlation (1). The course fulfills training requirements for hundreds of radiology residency programs in the United States (2) and elsewhere and presents a comprehensive review of radiologic imaging with pathologic correlation, with over 200 installments of didactic instruction and case seminars. The course consists of six sections, each focused on a different radiologic subspecialty: gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, pediatric, and thoracic radiology, and neuroradiology. Six full-time AFIP staff radiologists serve as the section chiefs and lecturers for these subspecialty areas. The program also features lectures by the department’s distinguished scientist (selected annually) and numerous eminent guest faculty from around the country.
HISTORY The Registry of Radiologic Pathology was founded in 1947 to collect radiologic material illustrating a broad Acad Radiol 2003; 10(suppl 1):S60 –S62 1 From the Department of Radiologic Pathology, Rm M-121, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 14th St at Alaska Ave, Bldg 54, Washington, DC 20306-6000. Address correspondence to K.K.K. The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or representing the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
©
AUR, 2003
S60
range of diseases and to establish correlations between radiologic abnormalities and their underlying microscopic and gross pathology. The collected material was initially used for the education and training of U.S. military radiologists. The registry was first housed in the old Army Medical Museum located on the Mall in Washington, DC. In 1955, the museum was relocated to the AFIP at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), to accommodate the growing number of cases and trainees. The first chairman and registrar of the Department of Radiologic Pathology was Colonel William LeRoy Thompson (3). In the early days, a small number of radiologists attended informal didactic sessions around a view box, hosted by Colonel Thompson. As the number of cases grew and the outstanding quality of Colonel Thompson’s teaching sessions became recognized, the number of radiologists attending the informal “seminars” at the AFIP also increased. In 1966, Commander Elias George Theros (4) became the second chairman and registrar of Radiologic Pathology. Dr Theros created a formal course in radiologic-pathologic correlation, the archetype of the course taught today. Over the years, the course and the department’s archive of radiologic material continued to expand. In 1994, the course was relocated to a new, state-of-the-art educational facility at the WRAMC. In July 2002, the faculty published the first book-length edition of the course syllabus, complete with images and illustrations, in a softcover format (5). Currently, an online lecture series is in development. RADIOLOGIC PATHOLOGY COURSE Outlined below is an overview of important aspects of the course. While this information is current at the time
Academic Radiology, Vol 10, Suppl 1, February 2003
of this writing, changes may occur during the academic year. The most complete and current information is available on the Web site at www.radpath.org. Currently, the radiologic pathology course is offered five times a year and lasts 6 weeks. Resident enrollment in the course is a multistep process, each of which will be reviewed. Almost all of these functions are performed electronically, beginning at the Radiologic Pathology home page: www.radpath.org/program_directors. After the user enters a residency program identification number and password, a new Web page appears. At the top of this page are five activated functions: “Home,” “Your Account,” “Slots,” “Registration,” and “Log-out”. Your Account allows the program director and coordinator to modify existing information regarding their program. It is important that this information be kept up to date so that the appropriate program personnel can be contacted when required.
SLOT REQUEST AND ALLOCATION The process of enrolling residents in the course begins with a request for the number of slots the program will need for the academic year and for each course. Each fall, program directors and coordinators are notified by e-mail that the next academic year’s courses have opened for slot requests. Each residency program should carefully consider how many slots are needed for each course and submit a request via the online site (click on “Slots” on the home page at the Web site). Capacity in each course is limited, and once a course is full, no more requests are accepted. If there are still seats available in a particular course, slot allocation will be made automatically, and confirmation of the slot allocation will be e-mailed immediately to the residency program. If the course is full, the slot request will not be confirmed, and the user will be directed to request a slot in a different course. After a slot is allocated, the next step in the process—resident registration—may begin. Having a slot allocated to a program does not indicate that the slot will be held indefinitely. A slot allocation is a reservation, akin to a reservation for an airline ticket. The slot allocation (reservation) does not guarantee that the resident will have a seat in the course. That guarantee does not occur until the other steps in the process have been completed.
AFIP RADIOLOGIC PATHOLOGY CORRELATION COURSE
RESIDENT REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT Once a slot has been allocated, a resident may be registered for that slot. This is accomplished by clicking on “Registration.” All required fields of data entry are marked by a red asterisk. The course management must have this information so that it can contact residents directly. All residents must be registered for a course at least 60 days before the 1st day of class. The current registration fee for civilian physicians-in-training is $1,200 if payment is received 60 days before the 1st day of class and $1,500 if payment arrives after that date ($1,200 plus a $300 late fee). The registration fee for active-duty residents assigned to U.S. military residency programs is $200. Online credit card payment is possible on this secure Web site. The course and its faculty are fully supported by registration fees and do not receive any funds from the Department of Defense. Once registration and payment have occurred, the last step in the process is completion of the security clearance. SECURITY CLEARANCE This is the one step in the process that must be completed off line. All residents must submit proof of citizenship. U.S. or Canadian citizens should submit either a photocopy of the first two pages of their passport or a notarized photocopy of their birth certificate. Noncitizens must submit a photocopy of their passport, green card, and/or visa and the IAP-66 form as proof of citizenship and verification of their status. Resident registration and proof of citizenship and immigration status must be processed at least 60 days before the 1st day of class. A resident who fails to submit data by this deadline may be denied admission to a selected course. CONFIRMATION LETTER When the course management has received the resident’s registration, the correct registration fee, and the notification of security clearance, a confirmation letter is e-mailed to the resident. This letter provides the final confirmation for participation in the course. The resident must bring this letter on the 1st day of the course to gain admission to the WRAMC post and the course. CASE SUBMISSION The strength of the course is its demonstration of the direct correlation that often exists between the presenta-
S61
WOODWARD AND KOELLER
tion of disease at pathologic examination and its imaging appearance. The course is made possible only through the continued replenishment of the department’s archives by cases submitted by residents attending the course. Each resident is required to submit two complete, pathologically proved cases that illustrate radiologic-pathologic correlation. Residents should strive for cases that contain photographs of gross specimens, as these are the best examples of radiologic-pathologic correlation. Detailed instructions regarding an ideal AFIP case and submission criteria are available on the Web site. Program directors are notified if a resident does not submit the required cases. In 2000, the Department of Radiologic Pathology section chiefs decided to officially recognize the best of the many fine cases that are submitted in each course. Since then, a “best case” has been selected from the cases in each of the six subject areas covered in the course. These selected cases are then shown to the residents in a bestcase session during the last week of the course. Many of the winners have been invited to publish their cases in RadioGraphics. In addition, the institution with the largest number of best-case winners in a given year is now recog-
S62
Academic Radiology, Vol 10, Suppl 1, February 2003
nized by the presentation of a plaque at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors in Radiology. To further encourage educational excellence in radiologic-pathologic correlation, the AFIP course faculty has embarked on an ambitious program to deliver an online replica of the current course. This online version will be developed over several years, with completion anticipated in the summer of 2004. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors extend thanks to Linda C. Wilkins for her assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. REFERENCES 1. Rosado-de-Christenson ML, Smirniotopoulos JG. Radiology residents’ report: radiologic pathology course. Invest Radiol 1993; 28:562–564. 2. American Medical Association. Graduate medical education directory 2002–2003. Chicago, Ill: American Medical Association, 2002; 339 –343. 3. Kilgore EJ, Haygood TM. Life as a military radiologist: William LeRoy Thompson. RadioGraphics. 1995; 15:1423–1436. 4. Rigler LG. Introduction of Caldwell lecturer: Elias G. Theros. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1977; 128:891. 5. Koeller KK, Levy AD, Woodward PJ, et al, eds. Radiologic pathology. Washington, DC: American Registry of Pathology, 2002.