Professor Andrea Deyrup, MD, PhD, and fourth-year Duke Pathology resident Natalya Ramirez, MD, gave presentations at the 123rd Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly of the National Medical Association (NMA) in Chicago, Illinois, on July 22nd and 23rd, respectively.
Deyrup gave a talk titled “Changing the Narrative… Literally: Rewriting Robbins Pathology, A Model for Structural Change” in which she broke down the process of effecting change by addressing race-based medicine in the Robbins Pathology textbooks.
Deyrup is a nationally-renowned speaker on the topic of race in medicine. A large focus of her work has been to examine the questionable science that supports race-based associations in medical texts and board exams. After finding that the data were often inaccurate and misinterpreted, she has been building connections through presentations and a popular video series to end racialized medicine. Read more and watch a video about Deyrup’s work here.
Ramirez presented a talk titled "The Process and Pitfalls of Digital Imaging Validation for Immunofluorescence," which showcased her work with Associate Professor Karra Jones, MD, PhD, in the Duke Electron Microscopy and Immunochemistry Laboratory as part of her lab management apprenticeship this past year. The project involved onboarding a slide scanner to digitize the immunofluorescence process, which routinely is used to sign out cases from the medical kidney and muscle services, among others. As a future forensic pathologist, Dr. Ramirez enjoyed the opportunity to attend the Forensic Symposium hosted by the NMA Pathology Section.
A former Duke trainee, Marcel Castor, MD, also attended the convention and on June 21st presented “Measure Twice and Cut Once: Insight into Postmortem Vasculature Perfusion and Angiography.” In his talk, he addressed a missed diagnosis in an autopsy case. The correct diagnosis was made following coronary artery perfusion with barium gelatin, a technique taught to him by Duke Assistant Professor of Pathology Louis Dibernardo, MD, and Robert LeFaivre, a Duke Pathology staff assistant. Castor is currently associate medical examiner at DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office in Decatur, Georgia.