People of Pathology Podcast
Episodes
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:
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 192: Julianna Ianni – A Crash Course In Foundation Models And Concentriq Embeddings
Julianna Ianni from Proscia joins me today. What we discuss with Julianna:
- Her background in biomedical engineering and biomedical imaging.
- Transition from radiology to pathology and the overlap between the two fields.
- Role as VP of AI Research and Development at Proscia, focusing on AI applications in digital pathology.
- An overview of foundation models
- Embeddings and their role in feature extraction from data
- Concentriq Embeddings by Proscia:
- The importance of data diversity in training AI models
- Importance of collaboration with other companies in developing AI solutions.
- Future possibilities for foundation models in pathology, including multimodal applications.
Links for this episode:
Concentriq Embeddings Overview
Foundation Models For Pathology AI Development At Your Fingertips
Accelerating Tumor Segmentation Model Development with Concentriq Embeddings
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 191: Jon Odle – Revolutionizing Pathology With Pramana’s Digital Pathology As A Service
My guest today is Jon Odle from Pramana.
What we discuss with Jon:
- Overview of Pramana and its scanning technology
- Importance of QA/QC in digital pathology
- Challenges in scaling digital pathology, including labor costs
- The role of AI in digital pathology and its potential as a diagnostic aid
- The concept of Digital Pathology as a Service (DPAAS)
- Advantages of DPAAS, including cost-effectiveness and reduced labor
- The Mayo Clinic project to digitize 12 million slides
- Challenges faced during the Mayo project, including slide quality issues
- The importance of interoperability and standardization in digital pathology
- Future plans for Pramana
Links for this episode:
Inside the Digitization of Mayo Clinic’s Tissue Registry Archive
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 190: Dr Emily Volk – Bringing Pathologist Leadership and Patient Advocacy to the Forefront
My guest today is Pathologist Dr Emily Volk.
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Mentorship played a significant role in her career, guiding her decisions and shaping her path.
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Dr. Volk became involved with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) through a mentor, who encouraged her to join the cytopathology committee.
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Dr. Volk was elected to the CAP Board of Governors and later became the president, serving during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Key accomplishments during her presidency included establishing the Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation (CIPI) and navigating the implications of the Dobbs decision on pathology practice.
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She emphasizes the importance of pathologists as advocates for patients and the need to communicate effectively about pathology reports.
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Dr. Volk has started creating short videos on social media to educate patients and share leadership insights, inspired by a friend in the business world.
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She discusses the concept of “first do no harm” in leadership, advocating for thoughtful responses rather than rushing to action.
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Dr. Volk shares a personal story about her father’s reaction to her language in one instance, emphasizing the importance of treating patients with respect and dignity.
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She addresses concerns about a study linking tattoos to lymphoma, highlighting the difference between association and causation in medical research.
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Dr. Volk believes it is crucial for pathologists to continue promoting their field and educating patients about the role of pathologists in their care.
Links for this episode:
Dr Emily Volk on Instagram
College of American Pathologists
Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation
People of Pathology Podcast:
Episode 189: Dr Allison Goldberg – The Impact Of Curiosity In The Career Of A Cytopathologist
Dr Allison Goldberg is a cytopathologist, and Director of the Cytopathology Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University.. What we discuss with Dr Goldberg:
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How her father’s work in pharmaceutical industry on AIDS medications helped to inspire her career path
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How she found satisfaction in surgical procedures and the operating room environment initially
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Inspired by a conversation with a pathologist mom she made the transition to pathology
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How she tailors fellowship experiences based on goals and backgrounds of individual fellows
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Impact of AI in Pathology, including assisting in tasks like identifying specific cells and estimating percentages
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AI may not replace pathologists but can enhance certain aspects of pathology
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Importance of Leadership Roles in Pathology
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Pathologists should advocate for patient care and be involved in decision-making processes
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Personalized medicine and molecular testing advancements
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Emphasizing lifelong learning and curiosity to adapt to upcoming changes in the field
Links for this episode:
LabVine Laboratory Transformation Seasonal School
Thomas Jefferson University Cytopathology Fellowship Program
People of Pathology Podcast:
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