People of Pathology Podcast
Episodes
Episode 198: Razik Yousfi – Innovating at the Intersection of AI and Pathology
My guest today is Razik Yousfi, CEO of Paige.
What we discuss with Razik:
- Joined Paige in 2019 as Head of Engineering
- Transitioned to CEO to lead the organization in focusing on AI strengths
- Shift from a technical focus to overall company accountability.
- Increased responsibility in setting vision, strategy, and external representation.
- Importance of Data in AI
- AI models depend heavily on the quality of training data.
- Paige emphasizes diverse datasets to improve model performance.
- Access to a rich dataset from over 800 institutions in 45 countries.
- Foundation models enhance the ability to analyze rare cancers and biomarkers.
- Models trained on large datasets improve application development speed.
- Microsoft partnership including working with Microsoft Research and Azure.
- Potential for AI to improve patient care and outcomes through better data integration.
- Alba Introduction: Launched as a clinical-grade AI co-pilot for pathologists.
- Some foundation models, like Virchow, have been open-sourced for research.
- Open-sourcing aims to build trust, encourage benchmarking, and boost the ecosystem.
- Encourages collaboration and faster application development in pathology
Links for this episode:
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 197: Angie Dowell – Exploring Standardizing Grossing Data With AI
Today my guest is Angie Dowell from Vistapath.
What we discuss with Angie:
- Her start in microbiology as a tech in a hospital.
- Transition to Pathologists’ Assistant
- Her belief AI can improve efficiency by handling repetitive tasks, allowing focus on higher-level thinking.
- Standardization in Grossing
- Advantages of Standardized Templates
- Her role at Vistapath as a Customer Success Manager
- Impact of AI on Pathology
- Future of Pathology with AI
Links for this episode:
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Episode 196: Bami Farinre – The Mentor’s Journey: From Learning To Leading
Bami Farinre returns to the podcast for an in depth discussion of her new book The Mentor’s Journey – From Learning to Leading.
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The book has been a long time coming, inspired by the Bami’s early career experiences in STEM as a biomedical scientist and the need for mentorship.
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She guest grew up in a community where mentorship was intrinsic and not formally defined, with a strong emphasis on education and support from the community.
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Bami believes mentorship is crucial for developing future leaders and emphasizes the importance of passing on knowledge.
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The book is part instructional and part autobiographical, using personal experiences to make it relatable.
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Emotional Intelligence is essential for managing expectations and emotions in mentorship relationships, fostering trust and open dialogue.
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Allyship is advocating for inclusion and standing in solidarity with someone, while sponsorship involves actively using influence to create opportunities for someone else.
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Mentors gain fresh perspectives, sharpen leadership skills, and experience fulfillment from their mentees’ successes.
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Reverse Mentorship: Younger mentees can teach mentors about new technologies and perspectives, enriching the mentor’s experience.
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Bami emphasized the importance of passing on knowledge and creating a legacy through mentorship.
Links for this episode:
The Mentor’s Journey – From Learning to Leading on Amazon
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 195: Anna Dhody Part 2 – From Curator To Creator: Building The Dhody Research Institute
Anna Dhody is back for Part 2 of our conversation.
What we discuss in Part 2:
- How the pandemic prompted the Mutter Museum to increase its online presence, leading to a virtual tour that garnered over a million views.
- A significant event during this time was the donation of a human heart from a living donor, Rob, who wanted to contribute to the museum after receiving a heart transplant.
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Anna filmed an unboxing video of the heart, which unexpectedly went viral, attracting a wide audience and generating interest in the museum.
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The success of the heart unboxing led to a series of educational videos about the preservation and display of biological specimens.
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Anna’s videos fostered a community where viewers shared personal stories and experiences related to medical conditions, leading to increased awareness and support.
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After leaving the museum, Anna founded the Dhody Research Institute to continue her work in science communication and education.
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The institute aims to increase accessibility to medical and scientific information and inspire young people to explore STEM careers.
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Anna is developing new video series, including “What’s That For?” which invites viewers to guess the purpose of medical objects and learn their stories.
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The Dhody Research Institute is running a fundraising campaign to support the production of more educational content.
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Anna emphasized the importance of educating young people to become informed citizens and critical thinkers in today’s world.
Links for this episode:
Former Mütter Museum forensic anthropologist launches research institute
Dhody Research Institute on Instagram
Dhody Research Institute on YouTube
Former Curator Anna Dhody has launched the Dhody Research Institute! (and you can help)
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 194: Anna Dhody Part 1 – Bones, Museums, And Seizing Opportunities
My guest today is Forensic Anthropologist Anna Dhody.
What we talk about with Anna in part 1:
- Anna initially studied archaeology, influenced by visits to the Penn Museum in Philadelphia as a child.
- She developed a passion for archaeology at a young age, around 9 or 10 years old.
- Chose Boston University for its separate archaeology department, which offered more opportunities than those combined with anthropology departments.
- After attending an excavation in Belize during her sophomore year, she became interested in biological anthropology, focusing on human bones and their stories.
- She realized the competitive nature of academia and planned to pursue a master’s in forensic science instead of a PhD.
- Anna wrote a thesis manual titled “The Underground Crime Scene” for law enforcement on how to excavate buried crime scenes, which gained unexpected international circulation.
- Applied for jobs after graduation and was scouted by the CIA but ultimately accepted a position at Harvard’s Peabody Museum due to the need for osteologists for a NAGPRA project.
- Worked at the Peabody Museum for four years, taking advantage of free classes and gaining valuable experience.
- Became involved with a United Nations project in Peru to train local medical personnel in forensic anthropology, which turned into a significant teaching role.
- Returned from Peru and took a temporary position at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. What was initially meant to last five months ended up lasting nearly 20 years.
- Anna’s career path was shaped by a combination of luck and the challenges faced in the museum world, emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities.
Links for this episode:
Former Mütter Museum forensic anthropologist launches research institute
Dhody Research Institute on Instagram
Former Curator Anna Dhody has launched the Dhody Research Institute (and you can help)
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 193: Dr Matt Cecchini – Advancing Pathology Education With Artificial Intelligence
Today my guest is Dr Matt Cecchini.
What we discuss with Dr Cecchini:
- His journey into pathology
- Initiatives to engage students in pathology
- His use of novel teaching methods like YouTube
- Application of large language models (LLMs) in pathology education
- Synthetic data and how it can be used in education
- Agentic AI and its role in pathology education
- Ethical concerns with LLMs
- The future of LLMs in education
Links for this episode:
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