AAPA Student Non-Delegate Conference Travel Grant - American Association of Pathologists' Assistants

Call for Manuscripts Reporting on Macroscopic Dissection Techniques of Cancer Surgical or Autopsy Pathology Cases

Note: Rules and regulations are subject to change each time a travel grant is offered. Please review below carefully before submitting.

Submissions Closed

Eligibility

The first author must be an active student member of the AAPA.
Student members (non-delegates) who will be in their second year of training as of the Annual Conference (September 7-11, 2025) are eligible.
2026 Student Delegates are not eligible.
Manuscripts submitted for scholarship or grant at any other state and/or national pathology conference or which have been accepted for prior publication are not eligible.
The manuscript must be the original work of the author(s).
The first author may only submit one manuscript per annual travel grant.

Purpose

The purpose of this call for manuscripts is to receive contributions reporting on cases or techniques that would enhance the knowledge of the pathologists’ assistant at the anatomic pathology bench or at autopsy for Student Non-Delegate Conference Travel Grant.

Subject Matter (refer to Appendix I for suggested guidelines)

The manuscripts must report on cases or techniques that would enhance the knowledge of the pathologists’ assistant at the anatomic pathology bench or at autopsy. Topics for essay include, but are not limited to:

Macroscopic dissection techniques of cancer surgical pathology cases utilizing current cancer staging protocols, advancements in medical treatment supporting the patient safety initiative, and how these techniques ultimately impact quality patient care
Benign tumor cases
Infectious disease cases
Forensic cases
Other safety issues affecting patient care
These manuscripts may also include clinical presentation and discussion of the disease process.

CAUTION: Articles should stress the importance of the pathologists’ assistant (PA) in the diagnosis. It is not necessary to state everything the PA did (e.g., the PA took careful measurements, or during the autopsy, the PA collected the specimen using clean sterile tools). Include how the PA’s contribution to the case was important.

Format

Minimum word count of 1500; maximum word count of 3000 – not including title page or references.
Submit the manuscript as a Word document.
- Font – Arial, 11 pt.
All text must be double-spaced with left sided text alignment.
Add an extra return between paragraphs.
Do not indent the first line of the paragraph.
All pages should be numbered consecutively starting with the title page as page 1.
Abbreviations
- Except for units of measure, abbreviations are discouraged. Except for units of measure, the first time an abbreviation is used, it should be preceded by the words for which it stands.
If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer’s name and address (city, state, and country).
Do not include names of hospitals or clinics.
Please only use patient information truly relevant to the diagnosis or staging of the case. Follow HIPAA and CAP guidelines in regards to relevancy.
When using acronyms, spell out the full name on the first use followed by the acronym in parentheses.
In order to keep the review process anonymous, do not include the author’s name within the body of the manuscript.
The general format of the manuscript is as follows:
- Title Page – include:
  - Complete manuscript title
- Abstract
  - Separate page following the title page
  - Limit the abstract to 200 words or less
  - State the objectives, methods, results obtained, and conclusions drawn
  - List 3 to 5 key words or phrases
- Text – organize the manuscript into four sections:
  - Introduction
  - Pertinent Patient History
  - Pathologic Findings
  - Discussion
- References
- Titles and legends to figures

Images and Figures

Minimum of one photomicrograph and one gross photograph will be required to complement the macroscopic examination of cancer cases; maximum of four total images.
Important: Images should be submitted as separate files (do not embed the photo[s] within the Word document).
JPEG and TIFF files are standard format.
Resolution should be at least 300 dpi.
Number the images according to the order in which they are referenced within the text.
Captions must be submitted.
Figures should be labeled sequentially, numbered, and cited in the text.
Figure legends should be printed and double-spaced on a separate page entitled “Titles and legends to figures”.
Figures should be referred to in the text of the paper but should not be embedded in the text. The format within the text should be bold, (Fig. X), with “X” being the image number.
It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that a patient’s anonymity be protected.
If photographs of patients are used, they should either not be identifiable, or the photograph should be accompanied by written permission to use them.

References

References are required (but do not count toward the total word count).
References must be cited within the text and at the end of the manuscript.
References within the text should be listed in the order of citation, using superscript Arabic numerals. Separate the numbers with a comma, but no space. Three or more consecutive references can be shortened to a range of numbers.
References are to be inserted after the sentence period (ex. … end of sentence.^5,8)
References at the end of the text should be listed in the order of citation in a separate section at the end of the manuscript.
References should be cited in accordance with the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual Style.
Consult the AMA Manual of Style for complete information.
References must be typed double-spaced and numbered in the order of citation in the text.

Use

The winning manuscript will be published in a future issue of The Cutting Edge.
The remaining submissions may be published in another format.

Student Non-Delegate Conference Travel Grant Details

The winning entry will receive a travel grant valued at up to $1,800 (registration to an upcoming Annual Conference, Spring Meeting, or Summer Meeting within the next two years + $1,000 to assist with travel expenses).
One Student Non-Delegate Conference Travel Grant will be awarded per year.
Winner will be chosen by the end of July 2026.

Note: Rules and regulations are subject to change each time a travel grant or scholarship is offered. Please review the above carefully before submitting.

Questions?