2021 CAP Lifetime Achievement Award

The College of American Pathologists presents David Nathaniel Alter, MD, DABCC, FCAP, with the CAP Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions and service to the CAP Laboratory Improvement Programs (LIP) while serving as chair of the Clinical Chemistry Committee.

Dr. Alter started serving on CAP committees during his residency as a junior member on the Publications Committee. Later he served as a member of the Point of Care Committee. During his tenure as chair of the Clinical Chemistry Committee, he assisted with introducing many additional proficiency testing (PT) programs, served as a resource to answer questions regarding the Chemistry and Toxicology Checklist, and contributed to the advancement of the clinical chemistry field through PT discussions, educational activities, and other publications.

Dr. Alter also served on the Council on Scientific Affairs as a representative of the Chemistry Cluster and was a strong proponent of collaborations between committees. Dr. Alter’s expertise in the clinical chemistry area included participation in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s Lab Tests Online Editorial Review Board as the CAP’s outbound liaison.

Dr. Alter is an associate professor of pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at Emory University School of Medicine.

The College of American Pathologists presents Christine Noga Booth, MD, with the CAP Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize her outstanding contributions as an outspoken advocate for the early detection and prevention of cancer, quality patient care, and the pathology profession.

Dr. Booth served as junior member of the Cytopathology Committee and as the chair from 2017–2020; she currently serves as a committee advisor. She has served on the Council on Scientific Affairs as the Anatomic Pathology Cluster chair, and now is serving as a full member.

She is committed to advancing the role of the pathologist as well as the field of cytopathology and has demonstrated her leadership by participating in the Food and Drug Administration public workshop on self-collection devices for Pap testing and as one of the lead editors for the revision of the CAP publication Gynecologic Cytopathology Morphology, Management, and Molecular Methods. Dr. Booth has been at the forefront in representing the CAP’s interests in dealing with sensitive issues with the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Dr. Booth is a professor of pathology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She is also section head of cytopathology at the Cleveland Clinic’s Institute of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

The College of American Pathologists presents Andrew J. Evans, MD, PhD, FCAP, with the 2021 CAP Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the advancement of digital pathology, particularly whole slide imaging, and for providing artificial intelligence tools to CAP members through the development of quality assessment tools and guidelines.

Dr. Evans is the co-chair of the Digital and Computational Pathology Committee and was an innovator in the design and development of the Histotechnology Whole Slide Image Quality Improvement Program. He was also an early leader of CAP digital pathology initiatives and was one of the authors of the Digital Pathology Resource Guide, which provided guidance for early adopters of whole slide imaging in clinical practice.

In 2020, with the rapid emergence of COVID-19, Dr. Evans was a leader in the development of CAP recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for modifications of remote sign-out to allow for the continuity of anatomic pathology services disrupted by the pandemic. Dr. Evans currently serves as the Council on Scientific Affairs representative on the Information Technology Leadership Committee and is a member of the newly created Artificial Intelligence Committee.

Dr. Evans is currently the chief of pathology and director of laboratory medicine at Mackenzie Health in Toronto and is also an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. He served as a staff pathologist and consultant in genitourinary pathology at the University Health Network in Toronto from 2001–2020.

The College of American Pathologists presents David A. Novis, MD, FCAP, with the 2021 CAP Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his long history of advocacy for political action and the profession, as well as for his dedicated service to the CAP in various roles including mentor, advisor, member, and chair of multiple committees. Additionally, he is recognized for his involvement with the New Hampshire Society of Pathologists (NHSP) and the CAP House of Delegates (HOD).

Dr. Novis has served as the New Hampshire delegate chair and as an officer for the NHSP; he’s also served as the CAP House of Delegates Speaker of the House. He has been a strong advocate for political action for the profession. During advocacy meetings in Washington, DC, Dr. Novis has shown himself to be inclusive, kind, and passionate about key issues that pathologists face.

In a recent visit to the US House of Representatives and Senate, Dr. Novis demonstrated how he built relationships with the political staff through his faithful presence each year. The staff in the House and Senate knew him, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) had been waiting for his visit so that she could discuss and solicit his opinion on a few issues. A highly professional colleague, he spent years building credible relationships with New Hampshire politicians.

He transformed the CAP House of Delegates into the “voice of the College” to serve all members and other parts of the CAP in HOD initiatives.

Dr. Novis is retired from active pathology practice. He is now working as a consultant in health care management.

The College of American Pathologists presents John D. Olson, MD, PhD, FCAP, with the 2021 CAP Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize Dr. Olson’s more than 40 years of service to the CAP and his dedication to pathology through his professional activities.

Dr. Olson has served in many capacities at the CAP. His academic interest is laboratory hemostasis, and he served several terms on the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Committee (HaTC) as a member and chair. He served on both the Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) and the Council on Accreditation (COA), as well as on the Commission on Clinical & Anatomic Pathology Leadership, CSA Leadership Committee, Point of Care Testing Committee, Internet Editorial Board Committee, Electronic Media Coordinating Committee, International Accreditation Committee, Continuous Compliance Committee, and the International Accreditation and Quality Practices Committee.

Currently, he is a member of the COA and Hemostasis and Thrombosis Committee. In 2002, when he was chair of the HaTC, he led the CAP Consensus Conference XXXVI on Diagnostic Issues in Thrombophilia. The results were published in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. The conference included national and international leaders in the field. In 1998, he and others from the CAP Coagulation Resource Committee published the results of a consensus conference, Guidance on Anticoagulant Therapy—information that is still referenced in the literature today. He also authored at least four book chapters in An Algorithmic Approach to Hemostasis Testing, a successful CAP Press Publication.

As a long-term CAP supporter, Dr. Olson has participated in an extensive list of educational conferences and meetings and more than 30 domestic and international inspections, as well as in local ground level efforts to improve CAP processes. On a personal level, he is a true academician, with ethical principles and the will to pursue change. He is personable and has forged a wide-reaching network of colleagues at the CAP, both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Olson assisted with the development of educational resources such as troubleshooting toolboxes and a compilation of frequently asked questions and answers on avoiding proficiency testing (PT) referral, as well as resources on resolving PT compliance issues and on laboratory communications. He has contributed to more than 20 CAP TODAY articles and Q&As aimed at laboratory hemostasis and compliance.

Dr. Olson is retired and is currently professor emeritus in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio.

The College of American Pathologists presents Robert Ross Reichard, MD, FCAP, with the 2021 CAP Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his outstanding contributions and service to the CAP Forensic Pathology Committee over the years.

Dr. Reichard has provided his expertise and leadership as a member and chair of the Forensic Pathology Committee and as the CAP liaison to the National Association of Medical Examiners. A trusted advocate for the forensic sciences and the pathology profession, with a special interest in neuropathology, he advances medicine and science through education and advocacy. Dr. Reichard is an internationally recognized expert in forensic pathology and neuropathology; he has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and contributed to the CAP Informatics Resource Guide.

Dr. Reichard’s accomplishments include his efforts to establish advocacy/forensic subgroup meetings to discuss the shortage of forensic pathologists. When Dr. Reichard was chair of the Forensic Pathology Committee, he implemented checklist revisions for forensic autopsies and initiated a new revision of the forensic handbook.

Dr. Reichard is the chief medical examiner of the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, the vice-chair of quality in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, and an associate professor of pathology at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.

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