Presented at the 1999 APIII Conference Return to 1999 Abstract Index
THE PATHO-L LISTSERVER: AN ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST FOR PATHOLOGY
Emory University
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Andrew N. Young, MD,
PhD
Andrew N. Young, MD, PhD and Vijay Varma, MD
PATHO-L is a large listserver (electronic mailing list) dedicated to pathology, founded in 1994 and hosted by Emory University. Since the inception of PATHO-L, membership has spread worldwide and currently includes over 600 individuals, mostly from the USA. Membership is free and open to the public. The number of messages on PATHO-L has increased steadily from 161 in 1994 to a projected 2,487 in 1999. Anatomic pathology is the most frequent topic of messages, followed by informatics, forensic pathology, clinical pathology and medicolegal/regulatory issues. Pathology education and job listings are also occasional discussion topics. PATHO-L messages are unedited.
To determine if PATHO-L's content reflects subscribers' practice and interests, a confidential survey was emailed to all members inquiring about job descriptions, geographic locations, practice environments and primary interests. Twenty-one percent of subscribers responded to the survey. Over 80% of respondents were pathologists. The geographic distribution of respondents was proportional to that of the total membership. The most common practice environments were academic medical centers; however, private practice, public health institutions, medical examiner offices and commercial laboratories were also represented. The topics of interest cited by respondents were largely reflected by the relative frequency of topics in PATHO-L messages; the most frequently cited primary interest was anatomic pathology, followed by informatics, clinical pathology, medicolegal/regulatory issues and forensic pathology.
As one of the largest electronic pathology forums, PATHO-L gives members a unique ability to send messages or consults to hundreds of interested readers simultaneously. Other advantages of PATHO-L include the freedom to read or reply to messages at one's convenience and the essential lack of monetary costs to members. A particularly useful feature is the continuously updated, Internet-based message archive. Archived messages can be searched by author, date or topic. Subscription to PATHO-L can also be accomplished online through this archive at the following Internet address: http://listserv.cc.emory.edu/archives/patho-l.html .
