The RCPA founded the Faculty of Science to train and develop a career path for scientists working within the field of Pathology. Senior scientist Greg Ward is Head of Biochemistry at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology and is a Fellow of the RCPA’s Faculty of Science. He explains how he works closely with pathologists and that the production of timely and accurate results requires the collaborative efforts of all laboratory staff.

“On a day to day basis, I work with a number of chemical pathologists to help interpret unusual or abnormal results in order to advise the clinician. Pathologists are medical specialists, while I have expertise in the analytical and measurement side. This includes not only assay limitations, but also the knowledge of any current research relating to chemical forms of either proteins or small molecules such as steroids, drugs or catecholamines circulating in the blood.

“Throughout my whole working career, I have always been part of a collaborative environment in the laboratory. Regardless of which pathologist it is, we work together to interpret results and provide a diagnosis. I provide my expertise on the analytical side of things and the nature of the circulating forms, and then liaise with the pathologist and the physician to try and work out what’s going on. This is especially the case if the pathology results do not line up with what the clinician is seeing physically in the patient,” said Mr Ward.

Pathology laboratories are staffed by pathologists, senior scientists, scientists, technicians, technical assistants and other support staff. A senior scientist plays an important role in the functioning of a pathology laboratory and supports the clinical team with high-level specialist skills in their discipline, requiring sophisticated knowledge in areas such as method development, instrumentation, statistical analysis, quality management, and the business and regulatory aspects of laboratory testing.

Senior Scientists also understand technology and its limitations and bring together information from diverse sources to formulate patient-focused reports of high value clinical management.

“What you find is that you work as a team more and more. We all bring something else to the table and each provide a different kind of knowledge. You need all of those different angles to solve a problem, whether that be for a specific patient or for a broad range of tests. I have a lot to offer from the scientific side and this knowledge can be applied to the interpretation of results, or explaining to the clinician what I have observed with the pathologist,” said Mr Ward.

The RCPA’s Faculty of Science was established to advance knowledge in the field of science relating to pathology, and to promote translation of this knowledge into diagnostic pathology. The Faculty advocates for high ethical standards and collaboration between scientists, pathologists, other health professionals and professional bodies involved in pathology research and clinical practice.

The Faculty has four pathways to Fellowship; by Examination, by Published Works (Research), by Scientific Achievement, and by Pathology Informatics. For more information please visit: https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Trainees/Faculties/Faculty-of-Science