October 22, 2026
The Path to AI-Aided Parasitology – CAP TODAY
Transcript
Elizabeth McMahon
Coming up, an AI fairy tale comes true at the Cleveland Clinic during the Cyclospora outbreak. Plus, take a pause before you hit send on that email response. Why a delay can be a sign of leadership. Welcome to CAP News for Thursday, October 22nd. I'm Elizabeth McMahon of the College of American Pathologists. Here's what's making news in pathology and laboratory medicine. How can AI help during a parasitic outbreak? A novel artificial intelligence tool helped Cleveland Clinic's parasitology lab when the cyclosporisis outbreak swept through Ohio and other states this summer, according to a new article in CAP Today. The lab had already been testing and training an AI-driven digital platform for OVA and parasite testing. When the Cyclospora outbreak happened, the lab team used the AI screening tool to quickly test more than 3,000 samples, nearly 40% of which were positive. Quote, this is truly the fairy tale of AI, said Dr. Anisha Misra, a Cleveland clinic parasitologist and mycologist. The article also explores how the team trained and validated the model, including many of the unexpected challenges they faced in AI analysis. It's a moment that can raise your blood pressure. A colleague criticizes your work or says something false. You want to respond immediately, but should you? In his latest leadership podcast, Dr. Aaron Auerbach has an emphatic answer. Take a pause.
Dr. Aaron Auerbach
When someone is confrontational and you remain calm, the contrast is obvious. The pause communicates something before you even speak. I'm listening, I'm thinking, and I'm not threatened by the question. That is leadership.
Elizabeth McMahon
Dr. Auerbach says that knowing when not to respond is one of the hardest leadership skills to master, but it can be very effective. He's a director of medical education and senior pathologist at the Joint Pathology Center in Maryland. He also sits on the CAP Board of Governors. Dr. Auerbach says he learned four effective types of pauses: a five-second pause, an overnight pause, a listening pause, and a permanent pause when you don't respond at all. To illustrate the overnight pause, Dr. Auerbach uses the example of writing a heated response to a critical email.
Dr. Aaron Auerbach
At that moment, the most important button on your computer is not the send button. It's save draft. Come back tomorrow. I found that something interesting happens overnight. The facts haven't changed, but the email does. Six paragraphs become three, three paragraphs become one, and occasionally you realize you don't need to send anything at all.
Elizabeth McMahon
Use your CAP login to access Cap on Demand, where you'll find Dr. Auerbach's podcast and hundreds of other videos to fit your professional interests. That's the label patient advocate Michele Mitchell gives pathologists. Mitchell is a breast cancer survivor and co-chair of the University of Michigan Department of Pathology's Patient and Family Advisory Council. She's a longtime proponent of strengthening communication between patients and pathologists. In an essay in the Pathologist magazine, Mitchell says that seeing her cancer on a digital slide, quote, transformed how I understood what was happening inside my body. It gave me a sense of connection, empowerment, and peace I never expected. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mitchell also recognizes the laboratory professionals who work with pathologists, hailing the team effort that makes precision care for breast cancer patients possible. And finally, if you're a microbiologist, lab scientist, manager, or director, you won't want to miss a webinar on antifungal susceptibility testing just one week from today. Okay, maybe you do, but you shouldn't because fungal resistance to treatment is increasing. The session at 1 p.m. Eastern will provide the latest information on emerging resistance trends, evolving fungal taxonomy, and practical approaches to testing. Join experts from the CAP and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute for an hour-long discussion that includes case examples and guidance on reporting considerations and pitfalls. Attendees can earn one pace credit. That's all for today. Be sure to check the show notes for more information on today's stories. Got a story you'd like to hear on the podcast? Write to us at stories at CAP.org. We're back at 5 AM Eastern for another episode of CAP News. I'm Elizabeth McMahon. Have a great day.