The Institute for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (The Institute) is a recently developed department, formerly referred to as the Institute for Research and Development. The Institute focuses on grants and contracts to develop a portfolio of self-sustaining projects that are altruistic and that enhance laboratory services through education and training in the United States and international communities of need.

The Institute’s mission is to enhance the value of ASCP for membership; including:

• Enhancing laboratory services in under served communities in the international arena
• To identify and articulate the critical current and future needs and issues surrounding the practice of laboratory medicine in the US and abroad and to create initiatives responsive to those needs

One of the most exciting projects that the Institute is involved with is the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative. The American Society for Clinical Pathology received approximately $1.5 million in federal funds to continue providing laboratory training and quality improvement programs in African countries severely affected by HIV/AIDS.

The funding comes from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC). The money allows ASCP to continue its involvement in a cooperative agreement program with CDC. ASCP's role in the program is to provide laboratory training (in Hematology, Chemistry, CD4) and quality improvement programs for diagnosis and laboratory monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients in resource-limited countries.

The Emergency Plan is a $15 billion international relief effort. Targeted nations include Botswana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Guyana, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Viet Nam. ASCP is currently working in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Kenya, Guyana, Haiti, Zambia, Nigeria, Namibia and Rwanda.

The Institute is seeking ASCP members to serve as consultants for the ASCP- PEPFAR initiative. Jobs include participating in Work Groups to develop training materials, assessing and evaluating current situations in African nations, and serving as laboratory trainers specializing in Hematology, Chemistry or CD4 testing.