President's Welcome

Dear Colleagues, Patients, and Friends,

Thirty years ago, a small group of clinical laboratory professionals formed the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP). From modest beginnings, we have evolved into a dynamic, diverse, and welcoming global community of over 2,950 individuals in 60 countries. I am honored to serve as President for this historic anniversary, which our community will celebrate in November at the 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo in Vancouver, Canada.

AMP members advance patient care every day by developing and performing advanced molecular testing to provide accurate and timely diagnosis for a wide range of conditions. We serve as an essential partner in precision medicine efforts that are improving outcomes for patients. The critical importance of molecular testing was demonstrated to a global audience at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite ongoing regulation and reimbursement challenges, supply chain constraints, and staffing shortages, our members continue to offer innovative new ways to help patients combatting infectious diseases, inherited conditions, and cancers.   

AMP advances the molecular diagnostics field through education, clinical practice, and advocacy. For laboratory professionals who are new to our community or hoping to return to the field, I encourage you to take advantage of our broad range of educational offerings, including annual meeting and international meeting content, webinars, and in-depth courses. You may also benefit from reading our freely available practice guidelines in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (JMD). For the public, AMP offers “Molecular Medicine for Patients,” a website full of educational resources that were created with input from the patient community, including several infographics translated into Spanish.

AMP is pleased to now offer free Associate Membership for trainees for the duration of their training (up to 7 years).  I encourage you to share this information with your colleagues, students, residents, and fellows. If you are a molecular professional but not yet a member, I encourage you to join us and experience all that AMP has to offer!

Sincerely,

Maria E. Arcila, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Association for Molecular Pathology 2024 President