Who We Are

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) was founded in 1995 to provide structure and leadership to the emerging field of molecular diagnostics. AMP's more than 3,000 members include individuals from academic and community medical centers, government, and industry; including pathologist and doctoral scientist laboratory directors; basic and translational scientists; technologists; and trainees.

Through the efforts of its Board of Directors, Committees, Working Groups, and members, AMP is the primary resource for expertise, education, and collaboration in one of the fastest growing fields in healthcare. AMP members influence policy and regulation on the national and international levels, ultimately serving to advance innovation in the field and protect patient access to high quality, appropriate testing.

AMP is a nonprofit corporation, incorporated in the State of Maryland, and tax exempt under IRC 501(c)3.

Mission

The Association for Molecular Pathology is a not-for-profit scientific society that advances the clinical practice, science, and excellence of molecular and genomic laboratory medicine through education, innovation, and advocacy to enable highest quality health care.

Vision

The Association for Molecular Pathology provides global expertise in molecular testing that drives patient care.

Core Principles

Quality Health Care Through Excellence in Clinical Molecular Testing

• Tests developed and performed by molecular laboratory health care professionals can provide useful information that guides patients’ diagnoses, treatment, and prognoses. These test results help optimize treatment responses and improve health outcomes (“precision medicine”). AMP members improve patients' access to high quality tests, thereby helping to promote healthcare equity for all patients.
   
• Adherence to practice guidelines, such as with lung cancer testing, leads to improved patient care. AMP develops guidelines for the molecular pathology field and promotes best practices.
   
• Laboratory developed testing procedures (LDPs) are often the standard of care, the highest quality test available, and at times, the only available testing option. Patient access to LDTs performed in CLIA certified laboratories should be maintained and not hampered through the promulgation of regulation. Additionally, these laboratories provide an option to clinically confirm research findings and should be utilized for this purpose.
   
• Molecular laboratory health care professionals should have the necessary expertise and training to consider a patient's medical history, clinical presentation and other relevant information to determine the most appropriate test that will provide the most useful information to the patient's healthcare providers.
   
• The vast majority of molecular pathology tests require a professional interpretation for the results to be actionable by a treating physician.
   
• Molecular pathology professionals are essential members of the clinical care team.
   
• Disparities in both access to and quality of healthcare in any community are an unacceptable problem
   
• AMP is committed to the training and education of its diverse members, molecular pathology-professionals-in-training, non-molecular laboratory professionals, and clinicians through education events such as its annual meeting and online offerings; co-sponsored sessions at other organizations' events; and, by facilitating the ongoing work of Molecular Genetic Pathology fellowship program directors.

Fostering a Diverse and Inclusive Global Community of Molecular Pathology Professionals

• AMP is distinguished by its collegial community, where diverse members support one another with the common goal of advancing the science and implementation of high quality molecular diagnostics to directly benefit patient care.
   
• AMP welcomes a diverse community of physicians, doctoral scientists, trainees, technologists, and those from varied settings such as academic and community medical centers, government, and industry. AMP members benefit from a supportive and inclusive environment that fosters open learning and collaboration, and where all in our field feel that they belong. Advancing patient care worldwide through molecular testing requires investment in positive and welcoming member interactions, education activities , and harmonizing standards where possible.

Collaboration to Advance Molecular Pathology and Improve Equity in the Delivery of Molecular Laboratory Testing

• AMP partners with other provider associations, patient organizations, trade associations, coalitions, and other stakeholders to educate their members, develop practice guidelines, and perform other activities that facilitate the integration of molecular testing for best patient care.
   
• The Association is an active member in coalitions in support of improved reimbursement and coverage of laboratory tests, appropriate oversight of laboratory tests, and to advocate for policies that benefit patient care.
   
• AMP collaborates with other organizations that support initiatives to improve equity in the delivery of molecular laboratory testing
   
• To support similar interests and goals, AMP frequently aligns with the broader medical and scientific  community to have a stronger voice in its advocacy efforts.

Advocacy that Advances the Field and Practice of Molecular Pathology, Protects Patients, and Improves the Adoption of Innovative Technologies and Tests

• AMP and its members actively engage policymakers as trusted experts.
   
• Policies that encourage careers in molecular pathology are essential to the future of medicine.
   
• Reimbursement policies must provide equitable patient access to appropriate testing and fair payment for services.
   
• Both local and consolidated settings can have value for testing in the best interest of patient care.
   
• Patents on naturally occurring DNA obstruct patients' access to testing, hinder research and are barriers to innovation.
   
• Molecular pathology is comprised of a wide variety of professionals, including physicians, doctoral scientists, and medical laboratory scientists (technologists), all of whom have essential roles in providing high quality molecular testing. Appropriately qualified doctoral, i.e., PhD, scientists should be legislatively deemed in the U.S. to be Qualified Healthcare Providers, able to bill Medicare directly for their molecular pathology interpretive services.

Innovation to Transform Patient Care

• AMP supports continued investment and research in molecular medicine.
   
• Discoveries in our understanding of the molecular basis of disease are opening the doors to new treatments and cures. Molecular laboratory health care professionals play an important role in both the research and development of these advances and their integration into clinical practice.
   
• Investment in biomedical research is critical to forward new discoveries that will transform patient care, prevent disease, and lead to more effective treatments. AMP members provide critical surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks, which is crucial to help the public health system prepare for unanticipated epidemics and new pandemics. They rapidly develop new diagnostic tests that assist public health officials with preventing and controlling outbreaks.
   
• AMP believes that broader research funding and institutional policies should support diverse and inclusive staff recruitment and retention strategies. These large-scale policies are crucial to increasing representation among the clinical laboratory workforce, in addition to addressing barriers and biases that can impact the healthcare and scientific workforce.