Congresswoman Nikema Williams Visits the Emory University Hospital Laboratories

posted: June 16, 2021

by Lara Harik, MD

Congresswoman Nikema Williams toured the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Laboratories at Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, GA on June 3rd, 2021.

The event was organized following the College of American Pathology "Pathologist Leadership Summit" and "Hill Day", where Dr. Dean Joelson (President of GAP) and Dr. Lara Harik (Secretary/Treasurer of GAP) met with representatives from her office and extended an invitation for her to tour the laboratories.

We toured the molecular laboratory and discussed the integral role the laboratory played in the pandemic. About a year and a half ago, our laboratories did not test for Covid19. Within a few weeks, the laboratory established COVID19 diagnostic tests and maintained a turnaround time of less than 48 hours ever since. We plowed through reagent and supply shortages, focusing on providing quality and timely patient care.

We also toured the grossing room and immunohistochemistry laboratory which are essential for our fight against cancer. Cancer did not take a break during the pandemic, and cancer patients continued to receive care. Moreover, we, as pathologists, continued to render diagnoses and report prognostic parameters and tumor staging to our clinicians.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams appreciated our efforts and was interested in learning more about the Medicare reimbursement cuts which will affect non-evaluation and management services in January 2022.

We hope this is the start of a long-term relationship with Congresswoman Williams and her team as we collaborate on healthcare related issues that are dear to both our hearts.