The idea for the Society arose during the 1949 Biological Stain Commission meeting at which a symposia encompassing anatomy, cytology, pathology and biochemistry was proposed by Lillie, Charles Leblond and Edward Dempsey.
HCS's mission[4] is the development and use of visual techniques that provide biochemical and molecular information about the structure and function of cells, tissues and organs and for the dissemination of this knowledge through education and outreach.
Although HCS annual meetings are frequently held as part of the broader Experimental Biology Conference,[7] the 2023 HCS annual meeting on "Tissue, Matrix, and Pathobiology" was held in partnership with the American Society for Matrix Biology and the American Society for Investigative Pathology, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The course emphasizes in-depth theory, didactic lectures, small group discussions, troubleshooting, and informal interactions among faculty and participants.
The IHCM course prepares participants to independently carry out immunohistochemistry and imaging in their own laboratories and to critically evaluate and troubleshoot problems that arise when using these techniques.