by: Marilyn Bui, MD, PhD, DPA President

 

It is a special time of the year—the DPA celebrates its 10th anniversary and 2019 comes to a close. There is no better time to reach out to all of you, fellow members of the DPA, to reflect on what we have accomplished together.  

 

As the president of this great association, I am very proud of the leadership team and the members of DPA.  The talents, enthusiasm, collaborative spirit and effectiveness of such a young society are very impressive.  This year, we reached a record high of over 1,600 members. The DPA is known as the established leader of digital, computational and artificial intelligence pathology in advocacy for regulatory path clarity, education and awareness, interoperability, standard and collaboration. Pathology Visions 2019 (PV19) again attracted a record number of presenters, exhibitors and attendees from around the world. The following graphic, generated from a survey taken during this year’s strategic planning session, demonstrates just a few of the ways Pathology Visions is impacting the pathology community.

 

 

Through annual leadership strategic planning, committees & task forces carry out initiatives to expand membership, facilitate regulatory path clarity in computational pathology and artificial intelligence applications, facilitate interoperability and connectivity, partner with allied societies in education, and expand our education portfolio including Pathology Visions, publications, white papers, webinars, blogs, NSH-DPA digital pathology certificate program, whole slide imaging repository, Digital Anatomic Pathology Academy and PathologyOutlines collaboration. Every initiative is important, and I am grateful for each committee chairs, committee members and the volunteers for their dedication and valuable contribution.

 

A few key highlights from our most recent initiatives and collaborations include the Digital Anatomic Pathology Academy (DAPA), Alliance for Digital Pathology as well as additional white papers published by the Education Committee. The Digital Anatomic Pathology Academy (DAPA) is a web-based slide image teaching platform for pathology residents and fellows. It offers high-yield cases in various organ systems that trainees must know before their board certification exam. The slides can be used for unsupervised learning or incorporated into lectures. The Academy will prepare the next generation of pathologists for the era of precision medicine in digital health. This resource is free to all DPA members. The Alliance for Digital Pathology, a regulatory science initiative to harmonize and standardize digital pathology processes to speed up innovation to patients, seeks participation from all stakeholders to identify key elements necessary to move the field forward. Recent published DPA white papers include ‘computational pathology definitions, best practices, and recommendations for regulatory guidance’ (J Pathol. 2019 Jul.249 (3):286-294. Pubmedid: 31355445. Pmcid: PMC6852275.), ‘a practical guide to whole slide imaging’ (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2019 Feb.143(2):222-234. Pubmedid: 30307746.), and ‘introduction to digital image analysis in whole-slide imaging’ (J Pathol. 2019 Mar;10:9. Pubmedid: 30984469. Pmcid: PMC6437786.). More white papers are in the pipeline coming out in 2020.

 

It is a very exciting time to be a member of the DPA. Thanks to the great work of the membership committee and the Association, this year, we saw a 20% increase in membership. We are continually seeking more volunteers to join the various DPA committees, task forces and projects contributing to our future success. Please visit the DPA website for more information on how you can get involved.

It was truly a privilege and honor for me to have served as the President of DPA this year. My life has been enriched by this experience. Please join me in welcoming and congratulating Michael Rivers as the next President of DPA. Together we are making a difference in leveraging digital pathology and AI to advance health and life science.

 

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to you all for a Wonderful New Year!

 

Graciously yours,

 

 

Marilyn M. Bui, MD, PhD
President of the Digital Pathology Association