Excellence Available Everywhere: The Virtual Pathology Grand Rounds Experience

Abstract

Introduction/ObjectiveGrand Rounds seminars are a cornerstone of scholarship in all academic departments. They provide education, stimulate discussion, and build faculty reputation. The COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellations in teaching conferences and lost opportunities for all of the above starting in March 2020. The social medial hashtag #VirtualPathGR and @VirtualPathGR Twitter (San Francisco, CA) accounts (VPGR) were created to address a need for continued engagement in academic pathology, during and after periods of physical distancing.Methods#VirtualPathGR was first used on March 21, 2020 to assess interest in a VPGR format. Six pathologists organized a social-media based platform, utilizing video conferencing. Zoom (San Jose, CA) was selected because it is free and easy to use. A committee developed criteria for inviting hosts and speakers, developed a logo and template for announcements and promoted VPGR. Potential speakers were selected initially via self-nomination and subsequently by selections from the VPGR board. Free pre-registration was required to minimize risk of disruption by malicious actors. Academic institutions served as “hosts” similar to traditional GR, and the speaker was introduced by one of the VPGR board members. Evaluations were sent to participants via the chat function in Zoom. Lectures were recorded and archived via YouTube (San Bruno, CA).ResultsAs of May 1, #VirtualPathGR has 2.6 million impressions and the Twitter account has 808 followers. From April 2 to May 1, five VPGR were held with 1,720 registrations (average 344 per event) and 829 Zoom attendees overall (average 165 per event). 4 separate academic host institutions were involved and speakers included Assistant to Full Professors. Participants from 16 different countries attended the live sessions. The archived talks have been viewed 954 times via YouTube. VPGR received support from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (Chicago, IL), leading to a partnership to provide CME credit.ConclusionVPGR serves as strong proof of concept of the ability and demand for high quality academic pathology talks to be given remotely. VPGR promotes academic engagement and provides career-building opportunities by partnering with host universities. While remote learning comes with challenges, VPGR shows that the pathology community can harness the power of remote technologies to enhance learning across the world, now and in the future.