2025 CAP Advocate of the Year Award

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) Advocate of the Year Award, established in 2018, honors George F. Kwass, MD, FCAP, and recognizes outstanding accomplishments in advocacy on the CAP’s behalf in the legislative, regulatory, and/or political arenas. It is presented to a member who has made significant contributions to the CAP’s advocacy efforts and demonstrated dedication to helping achieve our advocacy goals. The recipient is a champion in the PathNET and PathPAC programs with involvement in advancing the CAP’s legislative and/or regulatory policy positions, engaging with elected officials at the federal and/or state level, regulatory agencies, and other entities to promote such policies, and/or participating in state pathology society or American Medical Association activities. 

The College of American Pathologists presents Theresa S. Emory, MD, FCAP, with the 2025 CAP Advocate of the Year Award in recognition of her leadership in advancing the CAP’s advocacy efforts and inspiring her colleagues to advocate for pathology and laboratory medicine.

Dr. Emory has demonstrated commitment to advocacy within the CAP for more than 15 years. Her service began on the CAP Federal and States Affairs Committee and has continued through her roles as a member and current vice chair of the CAP Economic Affairs Committee. She’s been a regular participant of the Pathologist Leadership Summit and Hill Day and a dedicated supporter of PathPAC. She has also served on the CAP Foundation Board and led a See, Test & Treat® event in 2017 in the rural Appalachian Mountains. She remains a proud supporter, advocating for pathologists and patients. Outside the CAP, Dr. Emory previously served as president of the Virginia Society of Pathologists.  

A key leader in the CAP’s efforts to engage private payers, Dr. Emory has worked to highlight critical issues affecting pathology practices. She’s been instrumental in educating insurers on the cost disparities between large national laboratories and smaller community-based practices, while strongly advocating for care coordination that includes local pathologists.

Dr. Emory also led the development of the CAP’s first report focused on private payer challenges, "Examining the State of Health Care’s Private Payers and the Adverse Impact of Insurance Interference." This publication has become a foundational advocacy tool, and she further championed it by leading a national media tour to share its findings.

Dr. Emory is a pathologist at Peninsula Pathology Associates in Newport News, Virginia.

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