News & Announcements

Two Is Better Than One… At Least When It Comes to Measures of Central Tendency

By Ashley Stewart posted 10 days ago
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Warning: This blog contains extra nerdy feelings about data. Do not read while driving — it could make you drowsy! In grade school, I was taught the basics of mean, median, and mode. As the years went by, my favorite of the three — and the one I used the most — became mean, or the arithmetic average. The average class grade, the average SAT score, earned run averages, the average height and weight of my kid… mean became the baseline for how I judged data sets. And don’t get me wrong — mean is still helpful in gauging general direction when trying to answer questions. But since those early years, I’ve discovered that just a handful of outliers (very large ...
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Garbage In, Garbage Out: The Fixation Rule We Can’t Ignore

By Ashley Stewart posted 24 days ago
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Histologists know this proverb by heart: “Tissues that didn’t fix well will not process well, will not section well, and will not stain well.” Everything in histology begins with proper fixation. When fixation is compromised, it creates a cascade effect through every subsequent step — processing, embedding, sectioning, staining, and ultimately interpretation. There’s another universal truth that is harder to digest but just as accurate: “Garbage in, garbage out.” We know this. We live this. And yet, fixation is often the one step we have the least control over. When the Fixation Didn’t Go Well Recently, our lab received several large pieces of swine heart ...
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How to Promote Quality Standards Through Effective Communication

By Ashley Stewart posted 04-17-2026
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Revamping the way your team works in the lab can be extremely challenging. Shortfalls in processes need to be identified. New standards must be developed. Goals should be created. Consistency has to be monitored. Updates should be made when necessary. Even with all that, the success of this quality improvement pursuit depends on how well leaders are able to communicate—especially when team members are resistant to change. During the NSH webinar The Pursuit of Quality: It’s Not the Beast You Think It Is , Elizabeth Krauth, HTL(ASCP) CM MBA, of Emory University Hospital describes her experience trying to make change when confronted with dissatisfied ...
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Understanding Multiplex IHC

By Ashley Stewart posted 04-03-2026
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IHC is an important tool that histology scientists use to obtain information on protein expressions needed for diagnostics and treatments. With multiplex IHC stains, more than one primary antibody is used on a single slide, so more information can be extracted during one test. In the NSH webinar, Multiplex IHC: The Advantages of Doubling Up , Christine Easson, Applications and Workflow Specialist/Canadian Marketing Coordinator at Agilent Technologies goes into detail about how multiplex IHC works and why it’s worth incorporating into your lab. Pros and Cons of Multiplex IHC Techniques Like any other technique that histologists use in the lab, IHC methods ...
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A New Approach to Bladder Cancer Detection

By Ashley Stewart posted 03-19-2026
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Bladder cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to diagnose and monitor. Patients often undergo repeated invasive procedures, such as cystoscopy, which are uncomfortable, costly, and resource intensive. While urine cytology offers a non-invasive alternative, traditional methods have well-known limitations, especially in detecting low-grade disease and producing consistent, reliable results. A recent study published in the Journal of Histotechnology , titled “ Novel Liquid Immunocytochemistry with Machine Learning Analysis for Bladder Cancer Detection, ” presents a promising approach to overcoming long-standing challenges in bladder cancer ...
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Understanding the Tools of Embedding

By Ashley Stewart posted 03-06-2026
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Embedding is an instrumental part of histotechnologists’ work, since the process of enclosing tissues or specimens so they solidify to make blocks is important for tissue orientation. “Many tissues do require specific orientation at embedding, so that way we can see an area of interest within the specimen when we look at it under the microscope,” explained Shana Splawn, MBA, HTL (ASCP) CM , Supervisory Histotechnologist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Embedding is also used to provide resistance, so we can create those nice, thin sections at microtomy.” This is possible because of the tools histologists use during embedding. In ...
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The High Cost of Johne’s Disease

By Ashley Stewart posted 02-20-2026
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Johne’s Disease, which is caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), is not just a disease that’s potentially devastating for the cattle, sheep, and goats that contract it. It can be a costly nightmare for farmers and may even have health impacts on humans. In the NSH webinar, Jonesing For Johne’s - AFB Control Tissue , presenters Kathryn Stoll, AS, HT (ASCP) CM of Newcomer Supply and Tori Smith, HT (ASCP) CM of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory give us a comprehensive look at the various effects of Johne’s Disease, as well as how histotechnologists use their expertise to confirm it. The Toll Johne’s Disease Can Take Since Johne’s ...
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Top 5 Traits of a Great Histotechnologist

By Ashley Stewart posted 02-06-2026
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Listen to Article Whether you’re trying to fill vacancies in your lab—or wondering if a career in histology might be right for you—consider this: ask any two histology professionals how they entered the field, and you’ll likely hear wildly different stories. There’s no single path into histology, but no matter who you talk to, you’ll notice strong common threads in personality that define a great histotech. Here are the top five traits nearly all successful histotechnologists share. Patient-Focused Mindset (Behind-the-Scenes Helping) You care about helping people, even if you’re not providing hands-on patient care. Every tissue slide you prepare ...
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Are Multiple GMS-Stained Levels Needed? Not Necessarily, According to Study

By Ashley Stewart posted 01-09-2026
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Listen to Article Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) stains are commonly used for esophageal biopsies in order to determine if a sample has fungal esophagitis. During this process, many labs require two GMS-stained levels, but is it necessary and cost effective? In an article published in the Journal of Histotechnology , researchers Michael Occidental from The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine; Andrew Dunn of Hattiesburg Clinic’s Department of Pathology and Dermatopathology; and Aaron R. Huber from the University of Rochester Medical Center tackled that question. In order to find the answer, the ...
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NSH Was Doing Distance Learning Before It Was Cool — Here’s Why It Still Works

By Ashley Stewart posted 12-12-2025
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Listen to Article NSH is the leading provider of histology education—from the NSH Annual Convention , to eLearn , our online learning center, to our online histology community, The Block . But there’s another NSH educational gem that’s been around since the days of kodachromes—one many members don’t even realize exists. The NSH Laboratory Webinar Series (formerly the Teleconference Series) has quietly delivered high-quality, histology-focused education for nearly thirty years, curated—and often taught—by NSH members themselves. Despite its long history, this program remains one of NSH’s best-kept secrets. Curious why ...
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The Hunt for the Perfect Slide

By Ashley Stewart posted 11-26-2025
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Listen to Article Every histologist has had some kind of adhesion slide mishap in the lab. Maybe you put a tissue on a slide and can’t keep it in place. Maybe you find a background stain on the slide as you’re working. Maybe some water gets trapped under the tissue and you can’t get a good scan when doing digital pathology. Whatever the case, you end up with a problem that means you have to start over—which will not make your colleagues happy. “Nobody wants to have an unhappy pathologist,” said Rachel Finn, MBA, HTL (ASCP)CM, Product Marketing Specialist at StatLab. “Nobody wants to take that extra time to have to repair that slide or to recut and restain ...
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From Professional to Patient: A Med Tech’s Organ Donation Journey

By Ashley Stewart posted 11-10-2025
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Listen to Article As a med tech with a medical laboratory science education, Natasha Leon, MLS(ASCP)SBB (sister in law of our 2025 Histotechnologist of the Year, Nicole Leon), of Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin feels very comfortable with healthcare procedures. She spent most of her career in a hospital setting doing transfusion service, and has since moved to the blood donor side of the field. However, when her personal and professional lives collided, she got a crash course in the organ donation area of healthcare, which Leon shares in the NSH When Worlds Collide Through Organ Donation webinar. While Leon understood what was happening when ...
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Dementia Demystified

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-31-2025
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Listen to Article According to the Alzheimer’s Association , there are currently over 7 million people around the country living with Alzheimer’s disease—and that amount is expected to skyrocket to 13 million by 2050. And as the number of people living with the condition increases, so does the price tag for their care. The organization also reports that the health and long-term care costs for dementia patients is currently $384 billion and by 2050, it will be $1 trillion. Despite this prevalence and cost, Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are not as understood as they could be. One example of the consequences of this ...
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So You Want To Be A Manager?

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article Sometimes management gets a bad reputation. The stress, the long hours, and the tough decisions are not for everyone, but there is so much positive if you do it right. Leadership isn’t just about meetings and managing tasks; it’s about teaching, influencing, and helping others find real satisfaction in their work. I’ve learned more about myself being a manager than I ever would have otherwise. Here are some truths about being a manager that no one told me when I started. Leadership is a Journey, Not a Destination Leadership never stops and that’s a good thing! Every day you must grow as a person to keep growing as a leader. You need ...
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Meet Nicole Leon, NSH’s 2025 Histotechnologist of the Year

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article It’s no surprise that Nicole Leon, BS, HTL(ASCP), ended up becoming the Senior Coordinator of the Histology Research Laboratory at the Versiti Blood Research Institute. Although when she was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, she was unsure about what career path she wanted to pursue, she always loved being in the lab. When her advisor mentioned histotechnology as a possible career, Nicole knew it was the right choice for her because she could sit behind a microscope and multitask other job duties. Since starting out as a bench histotechnologist in 1998, Nicole has gone on to move into managerial roles and now ...
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How Digital Image Analysis Strengthens H&E Staining Quality Control

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining underpins nearly every diagnostic and research decision made in histology laboratories. With thousands of slides processed daily, even small fluctuations in staining quality can compromise reproducibility, turnaround times, and ultimately patient care. Yet, most laboratories still rely on subjective visual checks to monitor reagent performance. A new study “ Utilizing image analysis by optical density to evaluate changes in hematoxylin and eosin staining quality after reagent overuse ” published in the Journal of Histotechnology demonstrates how digital image analysis can quantify subtle changes ...
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U.S. Cancer Research at a Breaking Point: NIH’s Grant Race Tightens Sharply

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article The United States has long been a global leader in cancer research, channeling billions of federal dollars into laboratories that have transformed once-fatal diagnoses into treatable or even curable conditions. Steady support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has underpinned landmark discoveries—from targeted therapies to cutting-edge immunotherapies—while training the next generation of investigators. That foundation is now under acute strain. With critical projects stalled, the funding crisis threatens not only laboratory progress but the trajectory of cancer care itself. In ...
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The Devil You Know: Common Reasons Change Doesn’t Happen in the Lab

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article Woodrow Wilson was famously quoted as saying, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” This bit of wisdom is not only true for politics; it’s also true in the lab. But, although we may be initially inclined to resist change, we have to remember that it has been an integral part of the histology profession since the beginning. The Godfather of Histology, Johannes Müller, would hardly recognize the scientific discipline he established in 1838. Since publishing On the Nature and Structural Characteristics of Cancer and of Those Morbid Growths Which May Be Confounded With It, we have seen the introduction of the use of microtomes ...
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Are You Making Time to Invest in Your Career?

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-27-2025
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Listen to Article When was the last time you prioritized learning something to help advance your career? If you're like most people, you probably can't remember. After all, work is busy, life is busy—and every day we're making decisions about how to spend our time. Should you pick up an extra shift or go grocery shopping? Stay late at work or keep your weekly date night? Carving out 30–60 minutes to learn a new career skill may not feel urgent today—but these are exactly the skills that can help elevate your role and your salary in the future. Even more importantly, the skills that make employees truly irreplaceable are often overlooked because they’re ...
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So You Want To Be A Manager?

By Ashley Stewart posted 10-17-2025
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Listen to Article Sometimes management gets a bad reputation. The stress, the long hours, and the tough decisions are not for everyone, but there is so much positive if you do it right. Leadership isn’t just about meetings and managing tasks; it’s about teaching, influencing, and helping others find real satisfaction in their work. I’ve learned more about myself being a manager than I ever would have otherwise. Here are some truths about being a manager that no one told me when I started. Leadership is a Journey, Not a Destination Leadership never stops and that’s a good thing! Every day you must grow as a person to keep growing as a leader. You need ...
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