2026 AAPath Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Scholarship Forum

OVERVIEW

The Residency Program Directors Section (PRODS) of AAPath is pleased to welcome submissions for the second annual Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Scholarship Forum. The Forum was established in 2023 to further residents’ and fellows’ participation and success in scholarship, while raising awareness among programs to the many ways that quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) values are being learned and applied. All accepted abstracts will be published in Academic Pathology. Selected abstracts will be presented in a virtual forum that will be held in April 2026. The virtual forum will be free and open to all pathology residents, fellows, program directors, and coordinators. This is an outstanding opportunity for residents and fellows to build their scholarship portfolios and showcase their work in QIPS to other trainees and programs.

2026 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Monday, December 1, 2025.

There is no limit on the number of abstracts per submitter. The first author must be a resident or fellow at the time of abstract submission. Abstracts should be written with the intent of improving patient safety and/or quality in the clinical environment. The Abstract Review Committee will review submissions and select abstracts via the criteria listed below.

Abstract Submission Criteria:
1. Abstract content submitted to the AAPath QIPS Scholarship Forum must not have been previously presented, submitted or accepted in publications that do not hold a Creative Commons license. Publication of an abstract in Academic Pathology does not preclude publication in another journal, consistent with CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
2. The abstract must be related to Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, evaluated rigorously with scientific methods, and should not contain previously published or commonly known information.
3. Abstract titles must be clear, concise, and accurately reflect content.
4. Abstract structure must clearly summarize the presentation, including:

Objectives: Clear statement of the challenge / problem / hypothesis
Methods: Sound and coherent details of how the study was performed
Results: Analysis of the data
Conclusions: Summary of the data’s implications on the challenge / problem / hypothesis
References: Resources or other literature used to formulate the hypothesis and study

5. Institutions and personal or institutional identifiers must not be referenced in the abstract.
6. All financial relationships in the past 24 months must be disclosed at the time of abstract submission and must not introduce bias in the study design. AAPath may query authors to resolve conflicts of interest, which must be mitigated by the authors prior to the abstract being accepted for publication or presentation.
7. The content must be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

Abstract Submission Instructions:
1. Abstracts must be submitted online using this submission portal. Emailed abstracts will not be accepted.
2. Abstract content must be related to Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) and not a specific proprietary business or financial interest.
3. Abstract text must not exceed 400 words, excluding references (if applicable).
4. Abstract submissions should not contain figures or tables.
5. By submitting an abstract, you agree to present your abstract at the virtual forum, if selected for presentation.
6. Please review your submission thoroughly before submitting.