HemePath Hub at CorePath: a Unique Learning Opportunity for Hematologic Cancers With Aamir Ehsan, MD, and Bridget Herschap, MD

Oncology Data Advisor: Welcome to Oncology Data Advisor. Today, we're here at the ASCO Annual meeting, and I'm joined by Dr. Aamir Ehsan and Dr. Bridget Herschap from CorePath Laboratories. Thank you both so much for coming on today. Would like to introduce yourselves and share what you do at CorePath?

Aamir Ehsan, MD: This is Dr. Aamir Ehsan. I'm the CEO and Medical Director of CorePath Laboratories in San Antonio, Texas.

Bridget Herschap, MD: This is Dr. Bridget Herschap. I'm the Medical Director of Business Affairs.

Oncology Data Advisor: I'm excited to hear more about the HemePath Hub at CorePath, which is a unique learning opportunity for hematologic cancers. Dr. Ehsan, would you like to start off by telling us about HemePath Hub?

Dr. Ehsan: Sure, thank you. The idea of HemePath was conceived back in 2022 just after the ASCO Meeting here in Chicago. We know that we all are trained as residents and fellows in academic centers where the learning is more like a structured curriculum, and most of us actually end up going into a prior practice. After you graduate with your training, there is no forum where both private and academic enterprise can collaborate. So, that was the idea behind the HemePath Hub. After your graduation or your training, it provides an opportunity where the cutting-edge technology, business innovation, and integration can be learned as a continuous education learning.

Oncology Data Advisor: Great. Dr. Herschap, would you like to tell us about the various options?

Dr. Herschap: Yes. I'll start with our first track, which is for our US-based pathology residents and fellows. As Dr. Ehsan mentioned, this track really is focusing on building an academic and private collaboration. It gives our pathology trainees a glimpse into the private laboratory workspace, but still offering the same level of education that an academic center would give.

It's also a very, very unique opportunity because it gives our pathology trainees an experience to have hands-on opportunity for learning bone marrow biopsies. For instance, they can learn to do a bone marrow biopsy and do the biopsy themselves. Then since we do all the testing in-house under one roof, they're able to actually walk back the sample they just took and see real-time testing happen. They get the diagnosis as they're standing right there looking at flow, and they can visit our fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or cytogenetics lab or our molecular lab and really take a full part in this diagnosis.

Our second track is actually a medical director elective for pathology residents. This track is designed to train pathology residents about the complex business of pathology. Most of us don't get that opportunity to learn in residency. So, trainees will get the opportunity to learn business skills and concepts necessary to running a very successful lab that includes revenue cycle management (RCM) services, data integration, and embracing innovation technology in order to grow your laboratory.

Then the third track that I'll discuss—and Dr. Ehsan will discuss a few more—is for our practicing general pathologists. This really is to give a refresher in triaging and interpreting bone marrow and lymph node biopsies. We've really been seeing an increase in demand in this track, especially given the new updates in myeloid and lymphoid malignancies that are incorporating mutational information into the diagnosis. Our hematopathologists at CorePath are staying on top of this genetic landscape that's constantly changing and offering these diagnostic pearls to our colleagues so that we can support the best and most accurate diagnosis for our patients.

Oncology Data Advisor: That's such an innovative approach. It's very exciting.

Dr. Herschap: Thank you.

Oncology Data Advisor: Dr. Ehsan, what other options are there?

Dr. Ehsan: We have two other options. One is what call it Track 4 or Track D, which is focusing more on hematology-oncology (heme-onc) fellows. Relevant hematopathology knowledge and experience is an integral part of practicing heme-onc. Our experts will teach them the basic diagnostic skills, which include interpreting peripheral smears, bone marrows, triaging cases, appropriate reordering of ancillary studies such as flow genetics and so on, so forth. We also guide for their board certification examination so they can be comfortable in taking all these pathology-related questions.

And the last track that we offer is more for international residents, fellows, and pathologists. We understand that the ability to obtain such specialized knowledge, experience, and enhanced diagnostic skills is very limited in many places internationally. So, these folks come and spend four weeks with us and acquire all this knowledge. This offers a unique opportunity to establish a laboratory internationally, as well, in collaboration with CorePath through continuous support and digital pathology.

Oncology Data Advisor: That's great. Dr. Herschap, what else should we know about HemePath Hub?

Dr. Herschap: Just a few summarizing points from my end—HemePath Hub really is a unique opportunity. You can learn about cutting-edge technology and all of the related aspects of it, and then ultimately how to apply that for the best diagnosis for your cancer patients. I do like to say that HemePath Hub really supports our ultimate goal, which is caring for lives at CorePath. We do this not only through diagnostic testing but through education as well. I do encourage people to come and join us—maybe not in the summers, it's really hot there, can get up to a hundred degrees—but we'd love to have people, even in the summer.

Oncology Data Advisor: Absolutely, yes. Dr. Ehsan, any last-minute words for our listeners?

Dr. Ehsan: I'd just definitely encourage everybody who would like to learn anything about the innovative technology and the learning in HemePath to go on our website, www.corepath.us. There is a tab there. Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We offer this opportunity all year round. Just give us your optional dates of coming over, and one of our assistants will be happy to get back to you.

Oncology Data Advisor: Fantastic. This is amazing to hear about. Thank you both so much for coming on and talking about it today.

Dr. Ehsan: Thank you.

Dr. Herschap: Thank you.

About Dr. Ehsan and Dr. Herschap

Aamir Ehsan, MD, is the Founder and CEO of CorePath Laboratories in San Antonio, Texas. He specializes in anatomic and clinical pathology, hematopathology, molecular genetics, and transfusion medicine. Over the years, Dr. Ehsan has continually contributed to research and science through peer-reviewed articles, textbook chapters, and presentations at national and international conferences.

Bridget Herschap, MD, is the Medical Director of Business Affairs at CorePath Laboratories in San Antonio, Texas. She specializes in anatomic and clinical pathology, clinical pathology, hematopathology, surgical pathology, and bone marrow procedures. Dr. Herschap has presented extensively at large conferences, including the Texas Society of Pathology Annual Meeting.

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Transcript edited for clarity. Any views expressed above are the speakers' own and do not necessarily reflect those of Oncology Data Advisor.