On Sunday, July 19th, PathAI hosted our inaugural Digital Diagnostics Leadership Forum in Boston, MA, convening 40+ leading voices in the pathology industry on the eve of the Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath) annual meeting. The afternoon featured keynote presentations from reference lab, AMC, and cancer center leaders who have successfully navigated digital transformation at scale, alongside peer discussions where established programs shared lessons with organizations beginning their transition from glass slides to digital workflows.
Joshua Rivera, Pathology Business Operations Director at Moffitt Cancer Center, walked through Moffitt’s digital transformation journey, a turning point that delivered measurable results. In their first month live, the team achieved a 1.5-day average reduction in case turnaround time and began scanning nearly 50% of prospective volume. Behind those metrics was a cross-organizational effort of over 100 contributors working in concert. Drawing on his deep personal connection with the facility and decades of experience, Rivera walked through the project's critical lessons: the importance of building a strong foundation in digital infrastructure, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to forecast the true cost of digital transformation for proactive financial planning. His insights gave attendees a practical blueprint for their own deployments.
Dr. Darren Wheeler, Vice President of Pathology & Medical Services at Quest Diagnostics, brought the dual perspective of a practicing pathologist in Las Vegas and an institutional leader managing digital transformation across a national footprint. Dr. Wheeler shared how, over 15 years of profound industry shifts, his digital pathology strategy has evolved to address the complexities of scaling across multiple sites. His presentation covered the critical challenges: coordinating operations across state lines, navigating licensure requirements, designing workstations for remote teams, and leveraging work-from-home programs to recruit and retain talent. The result was a practical roadmap for institutions operating at scale, grounded in lessons from a leader who has adapted his strategy through years of change.
The panel brought speakers and industry experts together for an in-depth discussion on the trends and challenges shaping digital pathology's future. Here are some of our favorite highlights.
On Patient Care & Experience
“Anyone who got a biopsy with a surgeon who told them this is highly suspicious for something, they will be very anxious. And if you can really compress the turnaround time to less than 24 hours, that's a big relief on their mind no matter if it's benign or malignant." Dr. Yihe Yang
On Pathologist Collaboration
“The most exciting thing for me in this digitized process is probably seeing the collaboration in our department.” Dr. Yihe Yang
"It's actually going to help you be connected, expand your practice, you know, build a virtual network. If you don't have a dermatopathologist in your group, you can get a virtual dermatopathologist who might be shared between four practices." Dr. Anil Parwani
Throughout the day, several themes resonated with attendees:
Breaking Down Geographic Barriers. Digital images and built-in collaboration tools enable pathologists to consult across distances in real time. Specialists can now advise colleagues at other facilities instantly, sharing high-quality images and annotations rather than waiting for conferences or relying on lower-quality video calls. For multi-site systems, this unlocks the ability to leverage fellowship-trained experts across the entire network, improving case quality and diagnostic consistency while reducing turnaround time.
The Future Is AI. Digital pathology generates the rich datasets required to implement AI-enabled solutions that increase efficiency and quality of patient care. The competitive advantage will go to those who embrace this foundation early.
Reimbursement Pressure. Anatomic pathology reimbursement continues to shrink year-over-year, squeezing margins and forcing labs to seek new revenue streams. The path forward requires a laser focus on clinical efficiency, operational excellence, and data stewardship.
The Pathologist Shortage. Hiring pathologists is becoming harder as workloads rise and the talent pool shrinks. Innovation in workflow, staffing models, and burnout prevention is no longer optional; it's essential for survival.
Work-From-Home as a Retention Tool. Many organizations are cautiously exploring remote work arrangements as a way to prevent burnout, reduce commute burden or navigate on-site bandwidth constraints.
Resident Training and Digital Engagement. Residents and fellows increasingly prioritize programs offering hands-on experience with digital pathology and AI. For institutions, investing in these tools is critical for attracting top talent. When used thoughtfully, AI becomes a powerful consistency benchmark for trainees, building confidence and reducing unnecessary testing.
As the pathology field continues its digital evolution, the insights shared at our Leadership Forum provide a valuable playbook for institutions at any stage of transformation. Whether you're just beginning your digital journey or scaling across multiple departments, the lessons from our speakers and panelists offer actionable guidance grounded in real-world experience.
For more digital diagnostics insights, request access to the presentations and panel discussion.
PathAI is committed to supporting pathology leaders through this transformation, providing AI-enabled tools and insights that help institutions deliver more accurate, efficient, and patient-centered care.