Ever wondered if pathology cases would make good theater? Case Encounters, a podcast introduced by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), aims to bring the laboratory to the creative arts. This eight-episode project transforms real pathology cases into an immersive radio-drama, showcasing investigative work performed by CAP pathologists in their laboratories. We connected with Jason Scapa, CAP Digital Content Committee Chair, to learn more about this initiative.
What inspired you to create Case Encounters, and what gap did you feel existed in how pathology stories are typically told?
Pathologists are often stereotyped in mass media as working in isolation and focusing primarily on forensics or autopsy. In early 2025, the CAP Digital Content Committee set out to explore ways to challenge these portrayals and highlight how integral pathologists are to patient care, even if their work occurs largely behind the scenes in clinical settings.
Pathologists have increasingly used social media to share histologic images and educational insights that patients and the public can access directly. However, our committee wanted to think more broadly about how to reach a general audience and share the stories of our diverse specialty.
We felt that the growing popularity of podcasts offered an accessible digital medium with broad appeal that could effectively communicate the critical role pathologists play in patient care.
How does narrative storytelling help bring the pathologist’s role into clearer view?
When I go to the hospital each day, I am constantly communicating with patient-facing colleagues – whether discussing the nuances of a diagnostic comment or explaining images during a multidisciplinary tumor board. For that reason, we made sure the scripts accurately reflected the pathologist’s true role in communicating findings that guide patient care.
In the podcast, listeners will hear pathologists on the phone with clinical colleagues or teaching residents. Alongside examining slides at the microscope and producing diagnostic reports, these are the activities that shape our daily work. We also placed the pathologist at the center of each case narrative. This allowed us to highlight how the diagnostic mystery – built from a constellation of clinical details – is ultimately resolved through the pathologist’s interpretation.
It was also enjoyable to translate histologic imagery into an auditory experience so that listeners without a pathology background could visualize what the pathologist sees under the microscope and become immersed in the story.
How do you transform a complex diagnostic case into a compelling story while maintaining scientific rigor?
We began by sourcing cases from members of the CAP Digital Content Committee as well as other CAP committees. Some of the cases had previously been published by committee members in the scientific literature, while others were interesting cases drawn from years of general practice. I even contributed a case that ultimately became one of the podcast episodes.
Once we had selected the cases, the biggest challenge was determining how to tell compelling audio-only stories in a field that is fundamentally visual, particularly in anatomic pathology. To address this, we worked closely with our creative team within CAP staff and with media consultants Natalie Gregory and Studio North, who helped develop characters, dialog, and narrative arcs for each case.
After draft scripts were written, we conducted table read-throughs. During these sessions, I served as the technical consultant, providing a pathologist’s perspective to help the writers refine the scripts for accuracy. In some instances, I also consulted subspecialized colleagues to review more technical areas outside my everyday general pathology practice, such as microbiology or forensic pathology.
One especially unique feature of the podcast is that every voice you hear is performed by a CAP member pathologist. This collaborative review process ensured that a pathologist was involved at every stage of script development, including the recording sessions.
Have you found that storytelling changes how trainees, clinicians, or the public understand the value of pathology?
When I was in medical school and deciding whether to pursue pathology, there were very few meaningful role models for pathologists in the broader media. Most people have a clear idea of what an emergency medicine physician or surgeon does because those specialties have countless media portrayals. Pathology, however, has rarely been represented in the same way.
During my residency, the film Concussion was released, chronicling Bennet Omalu’s discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Although I was not planning to go into forensic pathology, that was the first depiction in popular media that I felt genuinely portrayed the work of a pathologist.
Medical and health-focused media are more popular than ever. There are countless health and wellness podcasts, and medical television dramas continue to attract large audiences. For example, recent medical drama The Pitt won a Golden Globe for best dramatic television series. In this environment, it is more important than ever for pathologists to engage with media – whether by pitching stories to journalists and content creators or by developing our own media platforms – to reach a broader audience.
As a specialty, we have an opportunity to highlight the essential role pathologists play in healthcare. Rather than waiting for others to define our work, we should take the initiative to explain and showcase our field on our own terms.
What misconceptions about pathology surface most often, and how do you address them through the podcast?
Pathologists are often portrayed as aloof individuals working alone on an autopsy in a dim hospital basement. In reality, we are among the most collaborative physicians. Much of our work involves interacting with clinical colleagues through phone calls, tumor boards, and interdepartmental meetings.
On a typical day, I likely spend more time communicating with patient-facing physicians, laboratory staff, and fellow pathologists than I do sitting alone at the microscope writing reports. That collaborative aspect of the profession is something we wanted to capture in the podcast.
Throughout the series, listeners will hear pathologists calling treating providers to discuss microscopic findings or teaching residents about the key features of a disease process. In these stories, the pathologist serves as the communicator – translating what is seen under the microscope into information that guides patient care.
Do you see narrative case-based media as a meaningful tool for education and professional advocacy within pathology?
Digital media allows information to be shared quickly and widely, extending beyond a single medical school or residency program. With case-based learning already a cornerstone of medical education, narrative storytelling can serve as a powerful complement. Stories can inspire learners, provide context, and help illustrate key concepts in a memorable way.
One of our goals is that these stories will encourage high school and college students to consider a career in pathology by helping them better understand the role pathologists play in healthcare. By hearing these narratives, they can begin to envision what the specialty looks like in practice.
Storytelling is also valuable for advocacy. The easiest way to help people understand your perspective is to meet them at their level of familiarity. Physicians spend years studying anatomy, physiology, and clinical medicine, learning thousands of complex terms and diagnostic patterns. It is unrealistic to expect those without medical training to fully grasp the nuances of pathology.
What we can do, however, is communicate through stories that translate our work into terms that are accessible and meaningful. By doing so, we can help the public appreciate the importance of pathology and understand why policies that support access, affordability, and quality in laboratory medicine ultimately benefit patients and the broader healthcare system.
What advice would you give to pathologists who want to engage in science communication without compromising accuracy or credibility?
Our field is uniquely positioned at the intersection of basic science and clinical medicine. As a result, pathologists are well suited to communicate about advances across that entire spectrum – from discoveries at the laboratory bench to developments in clinical trials. For this reason, it is important that we find avenues to demonstrate our expertise in understanding disease processes.
Case Encounters was our effort to share this combined scientific and clinical knowledge through narrative storytelling in an accessible and engaging format. At the same time, many colleagues are reaching audiences through other forms of media. For example, Benjamin Mazer writes op-eds for The Atlantic, and Kimberly Lally provides interviews on her local television news station during blood product shortages.
As a specialty, we need to meet audiences where they are and communicate in ways that resonate with them. By doing so, we can demonstrate how the integrated knowledge of science and medicine that defines pathology ultimately serves patients and improves their health.
Looking ahead, what role should pathologists play in shaping how their specialty is represented in digital and public-facing platforms?
Pathologists should have a stronger presence in public conversations – advocating for policy, consulting on media development, and participating in interviews on television, podcasts, and radio. However, those avenues often come with a higher barrier to entry. Today, digital media offers an unprecedented opportunity for pathologists to communicate directly with patients and the public.
Never before has it been easier for individual pathologists to share their perspective and expertise. I would encourage my colleagues to post histologic images or #PathArt on social media, record short videos on their phones, or even produce podcasts using a simple home or office microphone to showcase what they do and the role they play in patient care.
If we collectively take advantage of these tools and actively contribute to digital platforms, we can begin to shape how the public perceives our field – meeting audiences where they already consume information and demonstrating the importance of pathology in healthcare.
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