DEIA Committee Member Spotlight: Angela Lapus, MD, MPH, FCAP

Where do you practice pathology and what is your role?

I’m in a community-based, anatomic/clinical pathology practice in Victoria, TX, covering both our main/regional hospital and several smaller, rural-area hospitals.  At our main hospital, I also serve on the Infectious Control Committee and Pharmacy/Antibiotic Stewardship Committee. I also serve as medical director for several of our rural-area hospitals.  

What prompted you to apply for the CAP's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee (DEIAC)?

I applied because – systemically – there is limited LGBTQIA+ representation and membership within CAP committee and other leadership roles.  In particular, when I was applying at the inception of this committee in 2021, I felt there was an opportunity and responsibility to bring some of these perspectives, including a personal, lived experience as a member of the transgender community, to the CAP, and through this, force thoughtful consideration of how laboratory medicine can impact our patients generally, and my community in particular.

What would you like to accomplish as a committee member?

I would like to help showcase how DEIA initiatives are beneficial to the communities we serve and organizations we work within.  There is some misunderstanding and misinformation about 'what DEIA is,' and as a committee member, I would like to help dispel some of that misinformation in support of our patients, our communities, and the CAP, and help support our allies and advocates within this space.  

How do you believe this work impacts the patients you care for?

Numerous studies have shown how DEIA initiatives improve health and healthcare outcomes among patients, including through representation of physician members from a specific community or through the broader ethos of cultural humility to expand our understanding of how better to serve our patients.  The patient community is diverse – DEIA initiatives can leverage talents and insights from our own diverse pathology community to more holistically understand - and respond to the needs of our patients.

Who inspires you in the DEIA space?

Everyone else on this committee – the pathologists and staff.  Bringing, and maybe risking, their name, their subject matter expertise, lived experiences, and unique lens in pathology to positively impact patient care – these are the people who inspire me within this space.