The American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) is a society of biomedical scientists who investigate mechanisms of disease.[1] ASIP membership includes scientists in the academic, government, hospital, and pharmaceutical arenas that focus their research on the pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis and manifestations of disease. Research findings are ultimately used in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The word pathology is derived from the Greek word "pathos" meaning "disease."
ASIP traces its earliest beginnings to the Boston Society of Medical Sciences that was begun in 1869 by a group of faculty from Harvard Medical School. In 1901 the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists (AAPB) was established. In 1976 the AAPB and the American Society for Experimental Pathology (ASEP) joined to form the American Association of Pathologists (AAP), which in 1992 became ASIP.[2]
ASIP is a member of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a coalition of 27 independent societies that includes over 125,000 biomedical scientists from around the world. FASEB plays an active role in lobbying for the interests of its constituents.
The oldest award and most meritorious award of this society is the "gold-headed cane award", which was first granted in 1919 to Harold C. Ernst. It is presented each year at the annual meeting of the ASIP.[3][4]