In recognition of her work as an educator and in the field of health disparities, Lois Rockson, assistant professor of Diagnostic Cytopathology at Rutgers School of Health Professions has been nominated and named a Hero of Pathology on the Pathologist Magazine’s Power List for 2024.

The Power List annually highlights professionals in pathology and laboratory medicine that inspire through leadership, innovation, principles, and drive. The Heroes of Pathology category specifically recognizes individuals who excel as problem-solvers and are on the front lines of expanding the field of pathology in their communities and delivering services to underserved populations.

Rockson sees this honor as an opportunity for the SHP Diagnostic Cytopathology program to enjoy some important public visibility infield that sometimes faces challenges in recruitment. “We’re the only program in New Jersey that trains cytologists for practice,” she said. “Pathologists, cytologists and other laboratorians provide the data that informs the majority of healthcare decisions, but we’re not the nurses and doctors people see on TV or interact with every day, so the profession is just not very well known.”

Raising awareness of cytology sometimes means encouraging people she meets in daily life to pursue the program, if they seem like a good fit. Sitting and diligently looking through hundreds of thousands of cells takes a unique personality, but those people can be found from all backgrounds and walks of life, said Rockson, who also serves as vice president of the Society of Black Pathology.

“It’s really crucial to draw from a diverse spectrum of students to bring in new ideas and ways of problem solving,” Rockson said. “And this carries on as they move into practice. I have my students do implicit bias testing, because they’re not just here to learn to identify cancer cells but challenge their assumptions and expand their worldview.”

Beyond the classroom, this diverse and global perspective drives her research goals as well. Focused on cancer screening among immigrant populations, Rockson brings that international awareness to approach her work at Rutgers.

“The pandemic showed us that what happens in one part of the world has an impact on all of us,” she said. “We’re seeing migration and refugee populations due to global unrest, and that impacts everything from our education down to lab work. By remaining outward facing, we can include what’s happening globally in our decision making.”

This same forward-thinking view that makes her a Hero of Pathology has Rockson excited about the future of the field. “Telepathology is already facilitating collaboration across thousands of miles and allowing us to do interpretation and diagnosis for people in rural areas or even other countries,” she concluded. “As we continue to innovate, our ability to reduce the burden of disease and improve and extend lives, especially in underserved communities, will only grow.”