I agree —but I also expect more from the World Health Organization.
To me, this isn’t just an oversight. It feels anti-diversity, anti-equity, and anti-inclusion. I am particularly shocked by the complete lack of representation from the Global South in the Female Genital Tumours volume—not a single expert.
And then we wonder how we arrive, through no direct fault of the WHO, at staging systems (like FIGO) that require molecular diagnostics. What message does this send? That women in the Global South don’t matter? Is there no competent pathologist in those regions? Are these challenges not relevant?
We are unlikely to change the status quo until we include pathologists from the Global South as expert contributors, not just token participants or observers. These individuals need a seat at the table and a voice in the recommendations. Otherwise, the perspectives and needs of most of the world will remain invisible.
I was born in the Global South and have worked in both the Global South and the developed world. I know the challenges, and I know the talent. The lack of representation in these volumes is not due to a lack of qualified experts but to a lack of inclusive processes.
These conversations matter. We must keep them going. Change only happens when inequities are named, confronted, and addressed. The WHO can—and must—do better.
Exactly, you actually need to live there and practice for a while to get a feeling that sometimes you only have H&E and a cytokeratin stain …. I’ve been in a place where there were only 5 stains or so for lymphoma classification and would take time to get the results…