My guest today is Pathologist Dr Emily Volk. Mentorship played a significant role in her career, guiding her decisions and shaping her path. Dr. Volk became involved with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) through a mentor, who encouraged her to join the cytopathology committee. Dr. Volk was elected to the CAP Board of Governors and later became the president, serving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key accomplishments during her presidency included establishing the Council on...

Dr Allison Goldberg is a cytopathologist, and Director of the Cytopathology Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University.. What we discuss with Dr Goldberg: How her father's work in pharmaceutical industry on AIDS medications helped to inspire her career path How she found satisfaction in surgical procedures and the operating room environment initially Inspired by a conversation with a pathologist mom she made the transition to pathology How she tailors fellowship experiences based on...

Nathan Buchbinder from Proscia returns to discuss Proscia's Precision Medicine AI Portfolio. The portfolio includes leading AI applications available on the Concentriq platform. The portfolio streamlines the process of deploying, supporting, and using AI applications in pathology. The portfolio includes applications from Proscia and other developers, including Ibex, Visiopharm, Stratipath, DoMore Diagnostics, Mindpeak, Nucleai. Collaboration with other vendors and developers is...

Dr Denise Gemmellaro is a forensic entomologist, and my guest today.   We discuss how she initially pursued medical school but found it was not for her.   She found forensic entomology to be a complete and engaging field that allowed her to work on real cases and teach. Dr. Gemmellaro emphasized the importance of students realizing they can change their career path and explore different avenues. Forensic entomology involves the study of insects and arthropods in medico-legal...

Today Dr Ritcha Saxena returns to the podcast.   She integrated virtual teaching methods into her educational approach, including online lectures, Zoom discussions, and virtual microscopy. Dr. Saxena was involved in a study analyzing pathology education in medical schools in the U.S. and other countries, focusing on curriculum content, teaching methods, and instructional time allocation. The study showed differences in pathology education between the U.S. and other countries, with more...

Jacob Guggenheim is head of engineering at Vistapath.  Their innovative Sentinel is bringing AI to specimen grossing.  Jacob's background in bioengineering and robotics led him to join Vistapath Vistapath's mission is to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the histology process, inspired by a real-world incident The Sentinel is designed to augment human capabilities in grossing specimens, not replace humans An accomplishment Jacob is proud of is the impact of the Sentinel in...

My guests today are Dr Simone Arvisais-Anhalt and Dr Daniel Qazi.    We discussed the benefits of using LLMs in pathology, including creating outlines, data analysis, and translating reports for patients There are also challenges in the use LLMs, such as hallucinations and bias Dr. Arvisais-Anhalt and Dr. Qazi described their study on using LLMs in clinical practice They were some interesting findings from the study, including different use cases and limitations of the tool We talked about...

Jospeh Mossel co-founded Ibex in 2016. Since its inception, Ibex has remained committed to developing AI applications for clinical diagnostics. The company achieved its first milestone in 2018 by deploying its first algorithm for prostate cancer. This algorithm not only enhanced diagnostic efficiency but also detected a diagnostic error, demonstrating the value of AI in pathology. Over the years, IBEX has expanded its offerings to include algorithms for breast and gastric cancers, facing...

My guests today are Imogen Fitt from Signify Research and Nathan Buchbinder from Proscia.  We discuss emerging trends in pathology, including: The current technology with the most significant impact in the field of pathology has been artificial intelligence (AI). AI has stirred up imaginations about the future of pathology and has accelerated the timeline for seeing its impact. Return on investment in digital pathology has shifted from being a challenge to becoming an opportunity that...

Today my guest is Dr. Bronwyn Bryant, a pathologist and pathology educator. Dr. Bryant has been involved in the National EPA Working Group, focused on implementing Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in pathology residency programs. The group conducted a pilot study on EPAs and is now working on developing an electronic tool to facilitate the completion of EPAs in real-time. Dr. Bryant is passionate about using EPAs to provide more specific and actionable feedback to residents,...

Pathology observerships offer a unique opportunity for medical students and recent graduates to gain firsthand experience and insights into the dynamic field of pathology. These structured programs provide participants with the chance to observe experienced pathologists at work, learn about various laboratory techniques, and understand the diagnostic process involved in analyzing tissue specimens.  In this episode, we delve into the significance of pathology observerships and how they...

Pathologists' Assistant Marissa Spencer returns to the podcast and we take a deep dive into the concept of teaching "why" vs teaching "how." Understanding the Why: Marissa emphasized the significance of not just memorizing steps but truly understanding the rationale behind each action in pathology. By grasping the "why" behind the procedures, learners can apply their knowledge effectively to different cases, ensuring thorough and accurate work. Utilizing Specimen Photography: Marissa...

My guests today are Elizabeth Wingard and Dr Dave Wilbur from Corista. Liz and Dr. Wilbur discussed the evolution of digital pathology and the need for open systems in the field. This goal was realized with Corista's Digital Pathology Processing Platform (DP3). They shared insights into their backgrounds and how they got involved in healthcare technology and pathology. The conversation touched on the importance of collaboration between radiology and pathology, leading to the partnership...

Mateo Lopez is Director of Customer Success at Vistapath. In this episode we discuss the future of AI in pathology grossing.  Mateo shares his journey from PA to industry, the founding story of Vistapath, and the innovative Sentinel grossing station. We talk about how the Sentinel uses AI to streamline grossing, improve accuracy, and enhance the pathology workflow.  Finally, we discuss how PAs and others can best prepare for using AI tools to augment their skills.     Links for this...

In this episode, David West discusses Proscia's recent 510K clearance for Concentric AP-Dx software. The conversation delves into the significance of 510 k clearance, explaining its role in regulatory approval for medical devices. David highlights the company's global success and previous clearances in Europe, offering insights into the journey of bringing innovative software to laboratories worldwide. We discuss not only the importance of this clearance to Proscia, but also to digital...

Dr. Aleksandra Zuraw returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Digital Pathology 101: All You Need to Know to Start and Continue Your Digital Pathology Journey. The book is not only meant as an introduction to digital pathology, but also as a valuable resource for those who already have some knowledge of the field. It covers a wide range of topics, from digital pathology milestones and the basics of digital pathology, to advanced computer vision principles and image analysis techniques....

On this episode Dr Rodney Rohde discusses his involvement with the ASCP's Blueprint for Action to address workforce shortages in the laboratory. He highlights the efforts of various organizations to create solutions and improve the situation, emphasizing that the workforce challenges existed prior to COVID-19 but were exacerbated by the pandemic.  Dr. Rohde explains the importance of aligning titles and credentials across different organizations and programs to create a unified identity for...

Jeff Rhude is the VP of Technical Operations at Proscia.  Today we discuss the use of cloud-based technologies in digital pathology. Cloud-based storage offers significant advantages over traditional on-premises solutions in the field of digital pathology. The episode highlights several key benefits that make cloud storage a compelling choice for storing sensitive patient data and large image files in pathology. Cloud-based storage offers superior data durability, security, and recovery...

The MyPathologyReport website was created by Dr. Jason Wasserman, a pathologist, with the goal of providing patients with a better understanding of their pathology reports. Dr. Wasserman recognized the need for patients to have access to clear and concise information about their diagnosis. Initially, the website started with a glossary of common pathology terms, such as atypia, dysplasia, and margins. It then expanded to include diagnostic articles that break down the different elements of a...

In this episode, Olivia Josephsen and I take you step by step through how to get shadowing opportunities. While this is about pathologists assistants, these tips can be used in any laboratory profession.   We explain how to find someone to shadow, and how to contact them.  While shadowing, it is important to ask questions, and we tell you why.   After shadowing you should follow up with the person you shadowed, especially if you intend to ask them for a letter of recommendation. Shadowing...

In this podcast episode, I speak with Katie Maloney, a principal at DeciBio, a precision medicine consulting company. We discuss the importance of partnerships in driving innovation and adoption in the field of digital pathology. Katie explains that partnerships are crucial in addressing the complexity and interoperability challenges in digital pathology, as well as meeting the needs of different stakeholders, including healthcare organizations, biopharma companies, and clinical labs. She...

Amanda Coble is a pathologists' assistant with a diverse career path. After completing her education, she worked as a pathologists' assistant and also took on management activities, such as designing a new anatomic pathology laboratory space and participating in the selection and implementation of a new laboratory information system (LIS). Her experience in managing the LIS led her to explore a career in product management, gaining experience in understanding customer needs, working with...

Susan Stillman recently became the program director of the new Pathologist Assistant Program at Carroll University. In this episode, we discuss Susan's background and how she became interested in the field of pathology. We also talk about her transition into teaching and the process of starting a pathologist assistant program. Susan shares her thoughts on the future of the field and the importance of effective communication in the medical profession. We also discuss the use of technology in...

Dr Lisa Monetti is a Forensic Anthropologist and Bioarcaeologist specializing in the analysis of burned and cremated remains.  Today we talk about some of the overlap of methods between these two fields.  Dr Monetti tries to make these methods more accessible, in order to create a more diverse field.  She discusses the importance of collaboration, and gives some examples of this from her own career.     Links for this episode: Pathology 101 for Tissue Image Analysis  Health Podcast...