In August 1988, Frances A. Pitlick was appointed as Executive Officer of the American Association of Pathologists (AAP) and oversaw its transition to the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) in the early 1990s. Her resignation as Executive Officer of ASIP, effective March 1, 2001, marks the end of an important chapter in the organization’s history.
Dr. Pitlick’s years of leadership were rich in events with significant impact on the field of Pathology, affecting individual scientists, departments, and public policy. Overall, these years of accomplishment have secured a prominent place for Pathology in the biomedical community. Several Past Presidents of ASIP recently reflected on these achievements and the relationships they enjoyed with Dr. Pitlick during their tenures. Their sometimes poignant, always informative comments are presented here.
“Dr. Pitlick’s distinguished service to the Society resulted in an extremely broad range of accomplishments. Among others, ASIP began self-publishing The American Journal of Pathology, giving the Society full governance of the Journal’s operations. This gave ASIP the ability to make important and immediate decisions such as increasing the number of pages published and harnessing technological advances including online publication.”
Dorothy F. Bainton, President, 1990
“With the authority of self-publishing came the power to create The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, which in less than a year-and-a-half achieved indexing status in Index Medicus/MEDLINE and acceptance for ranking by the Institute for Scientific Information. That journal, co-published with the Association for Molecular Pathology, is an example of the work that Dr. Pitlick is so highly regarded for: bringing together resources, people, and organizations to accomplish mutually beneficial goals.”
Vinay Kumar, President, 1998
“Fran Pitlick guided the AAP to its true identity and reorganization as the ASIP. This transition was the result of examination of evolution of the field and of the Society. Recognition of the Society’s members as primarily academic investigators and of the need to focus the Society’s agenda on the investigative aspects of Pathology, namely pathogenesis and modern molecular cell biology of pathological processes, was progressively realized and agreed to by the Council.”
“Fran was Executive Officer of ASIP during the reorganization of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a period of considerable turmoil. The success of bringing FASEB forward as a federation of independent societies and the refocusing of FASEB on the issues it could best address, such as public affairs and political action, were aided by the steady contributions of Fran Pitlick.”
Thomas S. Edgington, President, 1989
“We sought to define the intellectual scope of ‘investigative’ pathology in a way that would attract the participation of basic scientists as well as clinician-scientists in multiple disciplines, at all levels of inquiry from the molecule to the whole organism. In addition to defining our own organization’s ‘identity’, we also were embroiled in the bigger issue of the restructuring of FASEB. These were challenging times for all concerned; throughout them, Dr. Pitlick provided outstanding service as ASIP’s senior resident representative in Bethesda, actively collaborating with her colleagues in the other FASEB societies to bring action out of chaos, always with a resourceful and positive attitude that was reassuring to those around her.
“Beyond these internal challenges, she had a sound appreciation of the opportunities that geographic proximity could afford in the realm of national politics. She charted the shortest path between the ASIP/FASEB offices in Bethesda and the corridors of Capitol Hill, and encouraged many of our membership to make that pilgrimage in the name of biomedical research funding.”
Michael A. Gimbrone, Jr., President, 1992
“There was reason for concern that National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections, which were focused on mechanisms and experimental models of disease, could regularly be dominated by reviewers who were neither pathologists nor members of Pathology departments. Dr. Pitlick quickly identified the appropriate NIH contacts and obtained the relevant data for selected study sections. From the data that she assembled, it was easy to substantiate that experimental pathologists were not always represented on study sections that are key to our discipline. In pursuing this project, Dr. Pitlick demonstrated the qualities that made her so effective. Above all, she has excellent judgment. She knew or quickly found the people who could solve the problem at hand. She was willing and able to work with the right balance of independence so that she spared the president and council from work she could handle by herself, yet kept them informed as the work proceeded.”
Michael E. Lamm, President, 1991
“The National Center for Human Genome Research at NIH, directed by Dr. Francis Collins, had an active committee charged with recommending policy for genetic research that involved the use of human tissues. This group was designated as The Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Working Group (ELSI). The ELSI Working Group consisted of members from the fields of law, social work, ethics, pediatrics, and genetic disease advocacy groups, but no representatives from Pathology, the custodians of human tissue archives. In a very short period of time, it became clear that a great deal of momentum had developed to adopt policies that had tremendous implications for Pathology, yet pathologists had not been involved in any of the discussions or actions. Articles began to appear in press expressing the opinions of some members of ELSI that, if adopted, would create barriers to important research and would inadvertently undermine the quality of patient care. Language began to appear in the Congressional Record along a similar vein, and statutes began to be proposed by some state legislatures that would impose restrictions on the use of human tissues. All of this had tremendous implications for Pathology and for pathologists. Fran Pitlick was among the first to recognize the perilous situation and was responsible for initiating, organizing, and coordinating the response of the Pathology community. Fran was the catalyst who brought together the many professional societies that represented the spectrum of pathologists: the researchers, the clinical practitioners, the educators, and the community hospital pathologists. She was on the phone getting people and Pathology societies involved. Wherever there was activity connected with regulation of genetic research, Fran seemed to always know about it and to see that Pathology was represented and the views of pathologists were heard.”
Richard G. Lynch, President, 1995
“Through her exceptional understanding of the issues and the people involved, Dr. Pitlick cultivated a hub of Pathology activities at 9650 Rockville Pike. She was instrumental in attracting a number of organizations to the ASIP headquarters, including the Association for Molecular Pathology, the Intersociety Committee of Pathology Information, the Association of Pathology Informatics, and the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories. In addition, she directed the Association for Pathology Chairs and Universities Affiliated for Research in Experimental Pathology, thus creating a uniquely cooperative and collaborative atmosphere among these Pathology-related groups. In all of her endeavors, she has acted selflessly and has exemplified the highest standards of integrity.”
Mark E. Sobel, President, 1999
Each of the Past Presidents, alternately described Dr. Pitlick as never complaining, always willing to help, gentle and effective, exceptionally attentive to detail, wise, dependable, steady, unflappable, and, above all, exhibiting tremendous dedication to research and education in Pathology.
The American Society for Investigative Pathology, her staff, colleagues, and fellow scientists are grateful for her many contributions and trust that her substantial legacy will be maintained and strengthened by her successors.
Priscilla Smith Markwood, Publications Manager, ASIP
Bethesda, Maryland