CONGRATULATIONS 2023
TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENTS!

Abdul Abid, MD

Cytopathology Fellow | University of Virginia Health System

(2023 DAPA Trainee)

I am a pathologist in training, with interest in cytopathology, gastrointestinal pathology, digital pathology and medical education. I completed my AP/CP residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas and a general surgical pathology fellowship with emphasis on GI pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. My current area of focus is the impact of artificial intelligence on the field of pathology.

Jing Di, MD, PhD

Resident | University of Kentucky Medical Center

From probing disease pathogenesis to a prominent role at a top medical school in China, my journey evolved. For a decade, I intertwined research and teaching, kindling curiosity in human anatomy. Amid a Ph.D. pursuit, challenges fortified me. US postdoctoral training yielded key publications, steering me toward clinical therapeutics. Residency at the University of Kentucky, crowned by accolades, reflects my tenacity. Pathology committees amplify my contributions. Amid it all, oil painting and gardening illuminate life's essence, enriching my medical appreciation. 

Catriona Dunn

PhD Student | National Pathology Imaging Co-operative

Catriona Dunn is a PhD student at the University of Leeds, and a digital pathology scientist working within the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK. Catriona studied Medical Sciences for her undergraduate degree and, shortly after completion, began working in digital pathology research. She started her PhD in 2019 and recently submitted her thesis describing the development of a novel H&E stain quantification technique, and investigating the effect of stain variation on image analysis.

A. Humeyra Dur Karasayar, MD

MSc Student | Koç University

I’m a pathology resident at Istanbul's leading hospital, distinguished for its case volume and infrastructure. My path was greatly influenced by two transformative years at Yale University, where I contributed to the Pediatric Genomic Discovery Program. This experience illuminated my passion for diverse research environments, prompting my pursuit of a Master's in Molecular Medicine at Koc University. With time I’ve come to appreciate the potential of digitalization and the urgency for digital pathology in response to growing healthcare demands. Therefore with my research, I aim to bridge molecular evaluation, digital pathology, and AI for enhanced diagnostics and improved patient care.

Amanda Dy

MASc Student | Toronto Metropolitan University

Amanda Dy, a master's candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University and engineer, is passionate about digital pathology and AI-aided diagnostics. Driven to enhance cancer diagnosis, she harnesses deep learning to improve assessments of the Ki67 biomarker, a crucial indicator of tumor aggression, and overcome the limitations and subjectivity of manual diagnostics. Collaborating with top Canadian medical institutions, Amanda develops robust and generalizable AI tools, ensuring accurate image interpretation and unbiased results. She recognizes the potential of these technologies and the synergy of digitization and AI, anticipating a future where personalized medicine and patient care are at the forefront of pathology.

Himani Kumar, MD

Resident | Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University

She is a second-year resident in Pathology at Wexner medical Center, Ohio state university. She was born and raised in India where she completed her medical schooling and residency in Pathology. Her deep-rooted passion for pathology lies in the belief that an early diagnosis can wield the power to drastically alter the course of a patient’s illness. She has 9 publications in peer- reviewed journals. She seeks to delve into advanced techniques such as molecular pathology as well as exploring the integration of artificial intelligence and digitalization into the realm of pathology. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking and spending time with family.

Lavisha Punjabi, MBBS

Resident | Singapore General Hospital (2023 DAPA Trainee)

Batchimeg Tsedenbal, MD, PhD

Fellow | National Center for Pathology

Dr.Batchimeg Tsedenbal is a pathologist, cytopathologist, and head of the Training and Research and Foreign Relations department at the National Center for Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She obtained her MD from the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences and completed an anatomic pathology residency. Therefore, she completed a Ph.D. program in cytopathology at the Medical Faculty of Gunma University, Japan. She is particularly interested in cell morphology, histo-pathology, digital pathology, and quality assurance in Pathology. Moreover, she has been working as a Secretary of the International Academy of Pathology, Mongolian Division, since 2019.

Ehsan Ullah, MBBS, MPhil, PhD

Operations Manager | Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand

Ehsan Ullah is physician turned biomedical scientist working towards his registration as physician and pathologist in New Zealand. Ehsan has recently taken up a management role with New Zealand’s largest Anatomical Pathology laboratories to influence growth in molecular testing and influence adoption of digital pathology. In his research work, Ehsan has explored the opportunities of the application of artificial intelligence and automation in clinical diagnoses in a variety of clinical and laboratory settings. Ehsan is exploring the use of Large Language Models (LLM) such as ChatGPT to improve histopathology workflow and is trialling LLM to help transcription of macroscopic and microscopic findings. Ehsan is a strong advocate of Digital and Computational Pathology and is contributing as a member of the Northern Regional Digital Pathology Working Group for New Zealand, tasked with planning an implementation roadmap for Digital Pathology in the Northern Region and then nationally within public health system of New Zealand.

Peter Wanes, MD

Cytopathology Fellow | Stanford University (2023 DAPA Trainee)

I am a pathologist in training, with interest in digital pathology, cytopathology, hematopathology and medical education. I completed my AP/CP residency at the University of Arizona. I will do a second fellowship next year in hemepath at MD Anderson, Texas. My goal is to use digital pathology and artificial intelligence in Cytopathology/hematopathology to better serve our patients in the United States and Africa as an ASCP global health fellow.

Leo Yenwongfai, MD, MS

Resident | University of Kentucky (2023 DAPA Trainee)

Leo Yenwongfai is an anatomic and clinical pathology resident at the University of Kentucky with a keen interest in hematopathology, molecular pathology, digital pathology, and artificial intelligence. His passion lies in understanding the utility and implementation of digital pathology and artificial intelligence in medicine. He is devoted to using whole slide images for teaching pathology. Leo plans to use digital pathology and artificial intelligence in hematopathology/molecular pathology to serve communities with a shortage of pathologists in the United States and his home country-Cameroon.

For a complete list of past travel award recipients, please click here.