Anil Parwani

Jeroen van der Laak

Jeroen van der Laak is professor of computational Pathology at the department of Pathology of the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, The Netherlands and guest professor at the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV) in Linköping, Sweden. His research focuses on the use of artificial intelligence for analysis of digitized histopathological images. His research group was among the first to show the large potential of so-called deep learning algorithms for analysis of whole slide images. Current research focuses on application and implementation of AI for various applications in pathology. He coordinated the CAMELYON, TIGER and MONKEY grand challenges, co-authored 200 peer-reviewed publications and is chair of the AI taskforce of the European Society of Pathology. Dr van der Laak is coordinator of the Bigpicture project, is USCAP Nathan Kaufman laureate and recipient of the AMMODO award for groundbreaking science. In 2021, he founded Aiosyn, for which he is CSO.

Olulanu Aina

Dr Olulanu Aina is a veterinary toxicologic pathologist with 10 years of Industry experience. As a Distinguished Scientist at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical company, she combines her passion for toxicology, oncology drug discovery and development with her love for digital pathology, image analysis and artificial intelligence to advance safety evaluations of novel drug therapies.

Beatrice Knudsen

Over the last 10 years, I built a program that integrates histopathology, multiplex tissue staining, digital image analysis and computational pathology for biomarker development. Advances in machine learning and high-performance computing permit the extraction of quantitative data from images of cancer tissues from patients and mouse models and to use images as molecular datasets. I am applying this approach to close the gap between laboratory research and clinical care and to develop novel algorithms for diagnosis, prognostication and treatment of cancer patients.

Joseph Gaut

Dr. Gaut is a Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is the Chief of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology and directs the Kidney, Genitourinary, and Organ Procurement pathology services. He led the efforts to establish digital pathology workflows for donor organ and remote frozen section evaluation at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. In collaboration with Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass, Dr. Gaut conducts research developing artificial intelligence techniques to assist pathologists with quantitative aspects of kidney biopsy examination using digitized slides. He also leads research efforts investigating the pathology of acute kidney injury and developing acute kidney injury biomarkers. He is a contributing pathologist for the Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) and the Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP).

Emily Johnson

Emily focuses her practice on matters for clients in the healthcare industry. She provides regulatory and compliance assistance on both a federal and state level. She has assisted clinical laboratories, hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, community hospitals, physician specialty groups, telehealth providers, surgery centers, healthcare associations, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers on regulatory, licensing, compliance, reimbursement, contractual, and corporate matters. She has assisted in navigating state professional licensure laws, CLIA standards and state and federal laboratory laws and regulations, government and private payor reimbursement, state and federal fraud and abuse rules, state telehealth laws, and state and federal pharmacy regulation. She also advises clients on direct to consumer testing issues and applicable state requirements. In addition, she has significant experience with HIPAA compliance, proactive privacy compliance, breach response and regulatory investigations.

Michael Montalto

Dr. Michael Montalto Ph.D., Vice President of Precision Medicine, Global Translational Development since February 2024.
Dr. Montalto is considered an industry leader in digital pathology and artificial intelligence applications for biomarker discovery, as well as translational and precision medicine more broadly.
Prior to Amgen, Dr. Montalto served as the Chief Scientific Officer of PathAI, and served as Vice President of Translational Sciences at Bristol Myers Squibb. During his career he has led teams to invent, develop and launch several digital pathology imaging and software products including AI-powered applications. In Pharma, he has led the development of flagship biomarker testing programs such as PharmDx 28-8 (PD-L1/Agilent) for drug programs Opdivo (Nivolumab), Yervoy (Ipililumab) and Opdualag (Relatlimab).
Dr. Montalto is currently serving on the editorial board of the Journal of AI in Precision Oncology and as a member of the Friends of Cancer Research Digital Pathology Working Group and FNIH Biomarker Consortium Steering Committee, as well as, serving on the Digital Pathology Association Executive Committee as President and was a long-standing member of their Board of Directors. He has served as a scientific advisor various established and start-up companies in the digital pathology sector and has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters and conference presentations, as well as holding 10 US patents. He received his PhD from Albany Medical College in tumor biology and post-doctoral fellowship training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Cardiovascular Anti-inflammatory drug discovery.

Elena Miranda

I hold a BSc and a Master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology, as well as a PhD in Molecular Medicine from the University of Milan, Italy. In 2014, following postdoctoral fellowships in Southampton and Milan, I joined MedImmune where I was responsible for profiling target expression in human samples and relevant pre-clinical models using histopathology and immunohistochemistry assays.
In 2017 I joined UCL Cancer Institute in London as Biobank and Pathology Core Facility Manager. Since 2020 I have been leading the Global Non-Clinical Histology team at GSK. I have extensive experience in histology, immunohistochemistry, In situ hybridization, laser capture microdissection, image analysis and multiplex staining, as they have been the subject of my work and studies for the last 20 years.

Alex Baras

Dr Baras completed his undergraduate degree at Georgetown University where he was a Howard Hughes Undergraduate Scholar. Dr Baras then went on to receive his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Virginia in the NIH MSTP program. Dr Baras then completed his residency training in Anatomical Pathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and subsequently therein joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology in 2014 with secondary appointments in Urology, Oncology, and Health Science Informatics.
Dr Baras embodies the intersection of a highly trained medical practitioner with expertise in the rapidly evolving and exciting field of data science. He serves as the Director of the Division of Computational Pathology and Informatics. Dr Baras’ work appears in high-impact journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering, Cell, and Nature Communications. Dr Baras is the inaugural Leon Troper Professorship in Computational Pathology, endowed by the philanthropy of Dennis and Susan Wojcicki.

Allison Eck

Allison Eck is the director of pathology and laboratory medicine at Doylestown Hospital. She has worked in the laboratory for over 20 years, with a focus on anatomic pathology, molecular pathology, and laboratory safety. As a certified histotechnologist, she has been responsible for many changes and growth in the pathology department over the past 2 decades. She holds both her masters and her doctorate in healthcare administration as well as degrees in biology and histotechnology.

Arvind Rao

Arvind Rao is a Professor in the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan. His group uses image analysis and machine learning methods to link image-derived phenotypes with genetic data, across biological scale (i.e. single cell, tissue and radiology data). Such methods have found application in radiogenomics, drug repurposing based on phenotypic screens and spatial profiling in tissue, as well as in spatial transcriptomics. Arvind received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Bioinformatics from the University of Michigan, specializing in transcriptional genomics, and was a Lane Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, specializing in bioimage informatics.

Carlos Cordon-Cardo

Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo earned his medical degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1980), and his PhD in Cell Biology and Genetics from Cornell University (1985). Prior to Mount Sinai, he was at Columbia University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he created the Division of Molecular Pathology and served as its first Director. A pioneer of oncologic molecular pathology discipline, he established a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of human cancers and new targets for cancer therapeutics, enhancing the vision of personalized medicine. He has developed and implemented a novel “systems pathology” platform, using digital pathology and artificial intelligence tools, generating highly accurate mathematical models of cancer thus optimizing treatment and improving patient outcome. He is one of the “Highly Influential Biomedical Researchers” (one of the top 400 over 15,153,100 author identifiers); one of the top “List of 500 Most Highly Cited Researchers Worldwide;” and a Google Scholar (126858; h-index 176; i10-index 587 – as of 09/20/2024). He has mentored over 80 investigators throughout his career. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including “Roll of Honour” of the International Union Against Cancer; Gold Medal of the Swedish Society of Physicians; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Weill-Cornell Graduate School of Medical Science, Cornell University; Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine, UK; Member, European Union Academy of Sciences; the Jacobi Medallion Award (ISMMS); Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society; Member, F1000 Faculty, World’s Leading Research, Biology & Medicine. Dr Cordon-Cardo was inducted in 2023 in the National Academy of Inventors of the United States

Cristina Magi-Galluzzi

Cristina Magi-Galluzzi, MD, PhD is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she currently holds the C. Bruce Alexander Endowed Professorship in Pathology.

She received her MD at the University of Ancona, School of Medicine, Italy and her PhD in Oncologic Human Pathology at the University of Verona, Italy. She has completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Rush University Medical Center and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, followed by a fellowship in Urologic Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University. After her fellowship training, Dr. Magi-Galluzzi was recruited as staff Pathologist at the Cleveland Clinic, where she was Director of Genitourinary pathology from 2004 to 2018. In 2014, she was promoted to Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM). In October 2018, Dr. Magi-Galluzzi joined the Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as Division Director of Anatomic Pathology.

Her clinical expertise is the pathological diagnosis of genitourinary diseases, including prostate, bladder, testicular, adrenal and kidney malignancies. Her research interest focuses on prostate carcinogenesis and in the discovery and validation of tumor markers and genomic tests of value in furthering the goals of successful treatment and understanding of the pathogenesis of genitourinary disease. She is the author of more than 270 peer-reviewed publications, dozens of book chapters, as well as the editor of four books on Genitourinary Pathology. She has also recently co-authored few chapters in the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Urinary and Male Genital Tumours. She has presented and lectured extensively at national and international meetings and has conducted numerous courses, workshops and slide seminars in urological pathology. She is a founding member of the Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS), has served on the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) Board of Directors, and as secretary of the Arthur Purdy Stout Society (APSS). She is currently the President-Elect of GUPS and Vice-President of USCAP.

On March 4, 2024, Dr. Magi-Galluzzi has been appointed Chair of the UAB Department of Pathology.

Drew Williamson

Drew Williamson completed a BA in Mathematics at Oberlin College, MD at Case Western Reserve University, residency in Anatomic Pathology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and fellowships in Molecular Genetic Pathology and Clinical Informatics at Mass General Brigham. This training was followed by postdoctoral research in the lab of Faisal Mahmood, PhD at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A board certified pathologist, Drew’s research focuses on the applications of deep learning-based methods to pathology data, from histology images to genomics to, most recently, natural language. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Emory University.

Elizabeth Sullivan

Liz Chairs the McDonald Hopkins National Healthcare Practice Group and has served as in-house counsel for The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Her experience includes advising a range of health care clients, including clinical laboratories and pathology groups, on regulatory, compliance, business, and transactional matters. She supports healthcare providers navigating federal and state fraud and abuse rules and regulations in business arrangements as well as providing support during government investigations. Liz also provides assistance relating to CLIA standards, state professional and licensure laws, government and private payor reimbursement policies and billing rules, telehealth laws and requirements, and HIPAA rules and regulations.

Greg Baker

I am a cancer systems immunologist at Harvard Medical School with a multidisciplinary background in experimental and computational biomedical research. My primary research goal is to better understand how immune and metabolic changes within the tumor microenvironment correlate with peripheral immune status. My current work focuses on research strategies for correlative studies in clinical and preclinical cancer immunology. Notable tools I have developed include SYLARAS, an experimental method for assessing peripheral immune responses (Cell Systems, 2020); CyLinter, a quality control program for multiplex immunofluorescence imaging of tissue (Nature Methods, 2024); and MORPHӔUS, a deep learning framework for pixel-level analysis of high-plex bioimaging data, which will be the focus of my presentation.

Guangyu Wang

Dr. Guangyu Wang is an Assistant Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences at Houston Methodist and Computational Biology at Weill Cornell Medical College. His research focuses on leveraging AI and deep learning to integrate multi-omics data, including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and epigenetics, to uncover cellular dynamics and regulatory mechanisms in development and disease. Dr. Wang’s lab has pioneered computational tools that combine histopathology and genomics, pushing the boundaries of AI-driven applications in biology and medicine. Notably, his lab developed foundation models for tissue image analysis and transcriptomics, enabling breakthroughs in cancer diagnostics and cell type annotation. With a strong foundation in mathematics and bioinformatics, Dr. Wang’s innovative approaches aim to decode the molecular mechanisms driving cell fate transitions. His work, published in top journals such as Nature Biotechnology and Nature Methods, is advancing precision medicine and revolutionizing the understanding of complex biological systems through AI-powered insights.

Hakima Ibaroudene

With 20 years of experience in basic and applied research, Hakima Ibaroudene has a strong track record of leading cutting-edge projects at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). She currently manages the Bioinformatics section within the Artificial Intelligence Department and leads the Medical AI program area in the Intelligent Systems Division. The Medical AI program is focused on leveraging artificial intelligence to address complex challenges in the medical domain.
In addition to her leadership at SwRI, Ms. Ibaroudene is an adjunct faculty member at both the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), where she collaborates with domain experts to extend SwRI’s healthcare initiatives, and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where she contributes to research in electrical engineering. Her extensive expertise bridges AI, bioinformatics, and medical research, driving innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration across the field.

Harsh Thaker

Harsh Thaker is the Director of Anatomic Pathology and Vice Chair for Digital & Integrative Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. At UTMB he led one of the earliest and most successful implementations of Digital Pathology in the US, with 100% digital primary diagnosis of surgical pathology and routine incorporation of AI-assistance tools for diagnosis of prostate and breast cancer. He is now collaborating with colleagues in Clinical Pathology, Radiology and Informatics to develop and implement AI-driven integrative diagnostic reports to guide patient management and deliver greater value to the health system. Dr. Thaker is board-certified in Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Informatics. He holds an MD from India and a PhD from Yale University.

Jeffrey Chuang

I am a Professor at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine (JAX-GM) and the University of Connecticut Health Center, with training in statistical physics and computational biology. I lead a computational group focused on the understanding of tumors from genomics and imaging data. Our recent projects involve studies on H&E, multiplex protein, and spatial transcriptomics data using deep learning, mechanistic, and morphological analysis. My current projects include roles as PI for the NCI PDXNet Data Commons and Coordination Center U24, co-PI for the PIVOT Pediatric Cancer In Vivo Testing Coordination Center U24, and co-lead of the Data Analysis Core for the NIH Kapp-Sen Cellular Senescence Network U54. I am Deputy Director of the JAX Cancer Center (JAXCC) and lead its Cancer Advanced Technology (CATch) program, in which we have built multi-PI teams to catalyze development of spatial-based approaches for studies of cancer treatment resistance and susceptibility.

Prateek Prasanna

Prateek Prasanna is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Stony Brook University and directs the Imaging Informatics for Precision Medicine (IMAGINE) Lab. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA. Prior to that, he obtained his master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University and bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Calicut, India. Dr. Prasanna’s research focuses on building clinically translatable machine learning tools that leverage multiple data streams of imaging, pathology, and genomics to derive actionable insights for enabling better treatment decisions. His research involving development of companion diagnostic tools for thoracic, neuro, and breast imaging applications has been published in venues such as MICCAI, CVPR, ECCV, NeurIPS, Radiology, Medical Image Analysis, etc, and has won several innovation awards. One of the core focuses of his lab is to integrate machine generated inferences with expert clinical reads to make clinical workflows more efficient and effective. His team has been actively working on the advancement of interpretable machine learning and xAI techniques to facilitate the discovery of computational biomarkers, particularly in situations where data is limited or missing.

Publications:https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uyA1Q18AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Priti Lal

Dr Lal is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of GU subdivision. Dr Lal’s primary research work is on prostate cancer. She is pathology PI on multiple grants that are focused on developing a deeper understanding of prostate cancer including its 3D morphology, native immune microenvironment, causes of treatment resistance, CAR-T treatment associated changes in tumor immune microenvironment, and development of contemporary AI models for diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. In addition to her research work Dr manages a busy clinical practice and teaches extensively at national and international meetings. She is an active member of the executive committees for USCAP and GUPS and has contributed to the development of national guideline white papers for prostate cancer. Dr Lal finds great joy in mentoring medical students, residents, fellows and post docs and has successfully published with students at each level.

Shachi Mittal

Shrey Sukhadia

In my role as Assistant Director of Bioinformatics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, I fuse the power of AI, bioinformatics, and clinical insights to reshape how we predict and treat cancer. I championed the development of a pioneering platform for whole-slide image annotation and biomarker prediction, and engineered a parallel solution for radiographic imaging feature analysis—both designed to elevate diagnostic precision and guide personalized therapies.

A major milestone has been our seamless integration of clinical somatic whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing data with electronic health records—an achievement that propels personalized medicine from concept to practice. By uniting bioinformatics innovation with real-world healthcare impact, my team and I are reimagining prognostic tools and therapeutic strategies to deliver more targeted, life-saving interventions. Driven by curiosity, anchored in collaboration, and fueled by a commitment to better patient outcomes, I’m dedicated to translating cutting-edge research into tangible solutions that redefine the future of oncology.

Sunil Singhal

A computer scientist by training, Sunil Singhal is an entrepreneur, product builder and management consultant. He is a broad thinker who excels at finding elegant collaborative solutions to problems that enhance human experience. He has over 30 years of c-suite management consulting experience in multiple industries.

Sunil serves as Principal Consultant at Synergess. Prior to this he served as Chief of Digital Pathology Transformation at Baylor College of Medicine. He has experience in formulating and implementing Digital Pathology strategy to support clinical, research and education missions. He has managed successful implementation of digital pathology programs at The Ohio State University, West Virginia University, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is interested in digital pathology workflow, image analysis, data analytics and computational pathology.

Sunil has bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India, and a master’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Netherlands.

Syed Hoda

I am a subspecialized bone and soft tissue pathologist and director of the Bone & Soft Tissue pathology service here at NYU Langone Health. I have been interested in Digital Pathology since attending a Futurescape conference in 2009/2010 and have since been observing the very slow adoption in the United States of this excellent technology that will change the way Pathology is practiced, in my opinion. I am fortunate to be heading one of the most complete and rapid digital pathology transformations in this country at the moment. I live in Brooklyn and spend my free time collecting vinyl records and strange italian jackets.

Thomas Pearce

Dr. Pearce is a practicing, board-certified surgical and autopsy neuropathologist with a background in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and brain-computer interface development. He has a long-standing interest in digital and computational pathology for research, education, and clinical use-cases, with a passion for creating improved software tools for human-machine interactions in the digital pathology space. He is an Assistant Professor of Pathology in the Division of Neuropathology at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, and leads the image analytics division of the newly-formed Computational Pathology and AI Center (CPACE) at Pitt.

Zaibo Li

Zaibo Li, MD, Ph.D, MBA is a Professor of Pathology, Director of Cytopathology, Associate Director of Digital and Computational Pathology at The Ohio State University. He holds an Endowed University Pathology Services Professorship. His practice and academic interests are breast/gynecological pathology, cytopathology, and digital pathology. He has published more than 180 scientific articles and many book chapters. He is currently served as section or associate editor/editorial board for several Pathology Journals and served in multiple national society committees. He has presented lectures on many national/international pathology conferences and teaching courses.

Mahul Amin

Dr. Mahul Amin is an internationally recognized pathologist with over 33 years of experience in genitourinary pathology. His influential work has significantly shaped prostate cancer classification, grading, and staging for over two decades. Dr. Amin has authored key consensus papers on Gleason grading and has been instrumental in leading updates to the seventh and eighth editions of the AJCC TNM staging system. He also played a critical role in the WHO classification systems for genitourinary malignancies for over two decades, standardizing diagnostic nomenclature worldwide. Dr. Amin’s efforts extend to integrating precision medicine and AI into clinical practice, particularly in prostate cancer. With more than 435 publications and 16 books to his credit, an H Index of 133, over 114,000 citations, and lectureships in around 33 countries, Dr. Amin’s research and educational efforts have profoundly impacted genitourinary diagnostics and global patient care strategies.

Mark Gustavson

Mark Gustavson is in Translational Medicine Oncology at AstraZeneca where he leads biomarker development and translational medicine strategy within the Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) program. Before moving to Translational Medicine, he was part of the Precision Medicine group at AstraZeneca leading development of Companion Diagnostics. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, he was with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he served as both scientific reviewer and member of the Personalized Medicine Group reviewing and developing policy for companion diagnostic devices including digital pathology and next-generation sequencing. Prior to the FDA, he was Vice President of Diagnostics for MetaStat, Inc. developing cutting edge quantitative pathology-based diagnostics; and before MetaStat, he worked with Genoptix and HistoRx developing quantitative pathology technologies and applications (e.g. AQUA Technology). Mark received his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Vanderbilt University and did his post-doctoral fellowship under Dr. David Rimm at Yale University.

Melissa Gonzalez Edick

Sarah Vargas

Sarah Vargas is a Senior Image Analysis and Electron Microscopy Scientist in the Digital Pathology and Image Analysis group within the Global Pathology line of Pfizer Drug Safety R&D.  She conducts quantitative and qualitative image analysis of histologic tissue sections to characterize pathology endpoints for animal model development, investigative studies and pharmaceutical pipeline progression, as well as statistical analysis, AI model validation and data-mining. Her image analysis experience began at the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab at Frederick National Labs for Cancer Research. Sarah holds an MBA from the University of Rhode Island, as well as a Master of Science in Biomedical Science from Hood College. She also earned two BSs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Financial Economics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Stefan Hamann

Stefan Hamann is the Head of Image Analysis at the Translational Neuropathology department at Biogen in Cambridge, MA. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Hamburg, Germany. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, he joined Aureon Biosciences, the first biotech startup to commercialize clinical prognostic tests based on the Systems Pathology approach. During his time at Aureon he developed multiplex biomarker detection and quantification technologies for the first commercial prognostic prostate cancer test launched in 2006. Subsequently, he joined the Translational Neuropathology group at Biogen. His current research is focused on the application of whole slide imaging and image analysis in drug development with a special emphasis on high-throughput image processing and AI integration.

Wei-Ju Tseng

Wei-Ju Tseng, currently the Associate Director-Digital Histology of the Global Non-Clinical Histology team at GSK, holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His diverse background encompasses various fields, including animal models, multi-modality imaging, biomechanics, spatial biology, materials characterization, image analysis, histology and digital pathology. In his current role, Wei-Ju’s primary focus is on establishing lab automation processes, developing methods for studying spatial biology, and leveraging imaging data to build AI models. Prior to joining GSK, he held a micro-CT imaging core manager position at the University of Pennsylvania and conducted research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Thomas Jefferson University.

Mark Zarella

Dr. Zarella’s focus is on the deployment of digital pathology in clinical practice and the development and analysis of novel techniques in AI. He recently joined the University of Pennsylvania after previously serving as Scientific Director in the Division of Computational Pathology & AI at the Mayo Clinic. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Digital Pathology Association and a member of the CAP Digital and Computational Pathology Committee.

Lorcan Sherry

Lorcan is an image analysis expert who previously spent 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a group leader (Organon, Schering-Plough, Merck & Co.). He led a group responsible for performing histology, immunohistochemistry / image analysis and he has considerable experience in developing translational biomarker strategies for projects across various therapeutic areas.

As co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at OracleBio, Lorcan has helped establish the company as a market leader within its field, supporting the digital pathology programmes of major Pharma and Biotech companies around the globe. Day to day, Lorcan oversees a team of image analysis scientists and pathologists responsible for the execution of Client image analysis R&D studies, while further driving the adoption of innovative techniques and processes to improve the quality and efficiency of our services.

John Joseph

Dr. Joseph is an experienced pathologist specializing in hematopathology and digital pathology. At Baylor College of Medicine, he has led the implementation and clinical validation of whole slide imaging for primary diagnosis and the integration of remote intraoperative consultation across multiple affiliate locations. His work has been instrumental in advancing digital pathology, improving diagnostic accuracy, optimizing workflows, and expanding access to expert pathology services.
With a strong foundation in hematopathology and surgical pathology, Dr. Joseph integrates morphologic, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic, and molecular data to provide precise diagnoses that guide patient management. His leadership in digital pathology has driven innovations in laboratory efficiency, quality assurance, and the adoption of cutting-edge imaging technologies.
Beyond diagnostics, Dr. Joseph is committed to education, research, and the ongoing evolution of pathology practices. He actively contributes to the advancement of digital pathology, ensuring its successful implementation in clinical settings and shaping the future of modern pathology.

Abhishek Aggarwal

Abhishek Aggarwal leads the Tissue based Emerging Technologies function within the Research Pathobiology group at Gilead Sciences in Foster City, California. Before joining Gilead Sciences, Dr. Aggarwal received his Master’s degree from Newcastle University (UK) in Medical Genetics, his PhD from Medical University of Vienna (Austria) in Cancer Biology and completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University (USA) studying deregulated pathways that have implications in obesity and cancer. He has since worked in the pharmaceutical industry with OncoMed Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Inc. overseeing tissue-based biomarker strategies. At Gilead Sciences, he leads a group focused on digital pathology using emerging and multiplexing technologies across diverse therapeutic areas spanning virology, inflammation, and oncology.

Alexandria Gonzales

Alexandria, a software and optics expert with a graduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specializes in advancing optical systems and software engineering. Before joining the Mopec Group, she worked in software development at NASA, contributing to space exploration and telescope imaging. She played a key role in designing advanced optical systems for satellite missions focused on exoplanetary research, mission control, and data analysis. Now, Alexandria leads innovation at the intersection of imaging and software design, driving digital advancements in pathology applications.

Roseann Vitale

As Product Manager for the Mopec Group, Ms. Vitale guides the sales and internal teams in the practical application of Mopec products within pathology settings, empowering them to convey our products’ value and address workflow needs e@ectively. By identifying industry pain points and aligning product features with market demands, Ms. Vitale shapes Mopec’s commercial strategy to drive product adoption and customer satisfaction. Additionally, Ms. Vitale produces scholarly work to reinforce Mopec’s commitment to workplace safety and industry leadership. Ms. Vitale is the Pediatric Section Author for the American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants Grossing Guidelines. The Grossing Guidelines follow CAP protocols and provide information for accurate cancer specimen handling instructions. Prior to joining Mopec in May of 2024, Ms. Vitale worked primarily at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, where she developed a simulated anatomic pathology lab for pathologists’ assistant students. Concurrently, she worked per diem at Children’s Wisconsin, where she developed a deep interest in pediatric pathology

James Thackeray

James Thackeray is a seasoned leader in cancer diagnostics and digital pathology, dedicated to advancing healthcare through cutting-edge technology and innovation. With over 25 years of experience, he has been instrumental in shaping commercial strategy and operations to drive progress in the fight against cancer.
James holds an MBA with honors from the David Eccles School of Business. Throughout his career, he has played pivotal roles in commercial strategy and growth at industry-leading organizations such as Johnson & Johnson, Genzyme Corporation, and Clarient Diagnostics.
For the past nine years, James has led the commercial strategy and team at Lumea, a trailblazer in digital pathology and diagnostics. Under his leadership, Lumea has solidified its market-leading position, spearheading transformative solutions that are revolutionizing the field.

Yajing Xu

Yajing Xu is a Scientist in Digital Pathology at Genmab, specializing in image analysis of IHC and multiplexed fluorescent images to explore drug mechanisms of action and patient response in clinical trials. She applies advanced spatial analysis techniques to extract quantitative insights that bridge pathology, immunology, and oncology research. Previously, she worked as a neuroscientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and University College London, where she developed expertise in advanced microscopy and open-source image analysis tools like Fiji, QuPath, and Python.

Alina Ainbinder

Life sciences professional with over a decade of experience in digital pathology, image analysis, and biomarker discovery. I hold a B.Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering from Ort Braude College in Israel and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Rochester.
I began my career as a Scientist at the Broad Institute, studying genetic perturbations in type 2 diabetes and developing high-content microscopy assays for large-scale cellular profiling. I then worked at Ultivue Inc., focusing on product development and whole-slide image analysis tool development.
Currently, I am a Research Associate Director at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA, where I lead digital pathology initiatives for oncology drug development. My work includes developing AI-driven image analysis capabilities, overseeing vendor selection for spatial proteomics and digital pathology, and building cloud-based infrastructure for digital pathology. I focus on integrating advanced imaging technologies into clinical trials, bridging translational research with clinical applications to enhance biomarker discovery.

Orly Ardon

Orly Ardon is the Director of Digital Pathology Operations and an assistant member at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

She has expertise in microbiology, molecular, and digital pathology. Orly completed the degrees of BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. in Microbiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an Executive MBA from the University of Utah. Her postdoctoral training was in cell biology and virology at the University of Utah. Before joining MSKCC, Orly was heading the development of novel computer assisted diagnostic tools and the expansion of digital pathology collaborative initiatives at ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dr. Ardon career focuses on diagnostic test advancements and laboratory innovation. Her work in digital pathology is centered on operational aspects of the digital technologies and the clinical implementation of laboratory automation. Her interests also include process improvements and healthcare economics.

Chih-Hong Wang

Chih-Hong Wang, Operations Manager, Pathology at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., brings over a decade of expertise in histology, pathology, and preclinical drug development. With a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pathology from UNC-Chapel Hill (2010) and postdoctoral training at UC San Diego, he specializes in cardiovascular diseases and oncology, with 17 publications to his name. His skills span advanced imaging analysis, biomarker research, and digital pathology, honed through roles at Tulane University, UMICH, and TrueBinding Inc. Dr. Wang excels in pathology teams, integrating cutting-edge technology, and fostering collaboration. He leverages HALO-AI and machine learning to enhance biomarker and imaging analysis, delivering precise, impactful results. Motivated by a commitment to support scientists and pathologists, he drives innovation in critical research projects, ensuring excellence in study outcomes and scientific advancement.

Wenchao Han

Michael Staup

Michael Staup received his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Florida in 2008, investigating the ontogeny of supraspinal mechanisms of motor control. After that he spent several years as a postdoc as the University of California-San Diego exploring pharmacological disruption of the deleterious impact of stress on neurodegeneration using a transgenic mouse model of alzheimer’s disease. In 2012, he entered industry at Crown Bioscience, performing cardiovascular and metabolic research on aging Macaques. He joined Charles River laboratories in 2017 as an image analysis scientist, performing GLP-compliant, IND application-enabling work for clients of their Safety group. He now serves as the Associate Director of Digital Pathology for Charles River globally.

Kevin Coady

Kevin Coady has dedicated his career to men’s and women’s health by driving industry awareness and adoption of medical technology in the areas of interventional procedures, oncology, and digital pathology — with a focus on prostate and breast cancer. Currently serving as the North America Business Leader for Disease Management Solutions & Digital Pathology at Philips Health Care, Kevin built unique partnership and business models to help make hardware and software innovations more affordable, easier to access, and simpler to use for both large IDNs, labs, and small clinics alike. Under his leadership, Disease Management Solutions and Digital Pathology at Philips has produced double digit growth every year since 2019. Kevin was also instrumental in developing Philips’ first Men’s Health and Prostate program, integrating MRI, fusion biopsy, digital pathology, and AI.

Before joining Philips, Kevin was the owner and partner at MDC Consultants, L.L.C., and Absolute Medical Systems, L.L.C., where he built the business from the ground up and achieved remarkable growth and industry adoption. Additionally, his tenure at C.R. Bard, Inc. as National Sales Director saw numerous accolades, including multiple “Director of the Year” awards and substantial business sales performance.

His dedication to improving patient outcomes and driving technological advancements in healthcare makes him a distinguished leader in the medical industry. When not working, Kevin is active in the community, coaching youth lacrosse. He played lacrosse in college and was inducted into the Stevenson University Lacrosse Hall of Fame.