Digital Pathology Association Announces Addition of Three Eminent Pathologists to Board of Directors

I am honored to serve on the DPA board and thank the board for the opportunity to participate with such an esteemed group of industry and pathology colleagues.  Looking forward to the collaborative effort to foster the digital pathology marketplace.

Vista, CA – March 22, 2010 – The Digital Pathology Association (DPA), a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of digital pathology applications in healthcare, announced the recent addition of three practicing pathologists to the Board of Directors, adding to the existing roster of influential leaders from the digital pathology industry. The Board meets regularly to provide strategic direction and guidance as the DPA accelerates its membership, ongoing programs, and educational focus. 

 “We are honored to welcome three esteemed pathologists whose varied backgrounds and experiences allow them to bring disparate and valuable perspectives to the Board,” said DPA president Dirk G. Soenksen. “The DPA will benefit from their experience and stewardship as the DPA continues to promote the emergence of digital pathology in the global healthcare market.”

The new pathologist Board members are:

· Keith J. Kaplan, MD

Kaplan is a pathologist, most recently at Mayo Clinic, with interests in general surgical pathology, cytology, gastrointestinal pathology, and pathology informatics.  He is a graduate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed his pathology training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  He blogs daily on digital pathology issues at www.tissuepathology.com.

· Sam V. Machotka, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Senior Investigator, Merck & Co.

Machotka’s current work includes veterinary pathology of pharmaceuticals and bio-pharmaceuticals in safety studies in rodents, dogs, and non-human primates. He was the lead investigator for the use of digital images in the evaluation of safety studies.

Dr. Machotka received his DVM from Texas A&M University (1969) and his PhD from George Washington University Medical School (1995). In addition, he holds Diplomate status in the ACVP and ABT. He was previously a clinical veterinarian and pathologist in the US Army Veterinary Corps from 1969-1978 and a Veterinary Pathologist at Hazleton Labs/Covance Labs from 1978-1998.

· Marcial Garcia-Rojo, MD, Pathology Department, Hospital General de Ciudad Real

Rojo is staff pathologist and coordinator of information systems at Hospital General de Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain. His main research areas are medical informatics, immunohistochemistry, and molecular pathology. He is currently chair of the European project EURO-TELEPATH, Anatomic Telepathology Network, Action IC0604 of the European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST). Dr. Rojo is the medical coordinator of the regional project on digital pathology of the Health Services of Castilla-la Mancha (SESCAM), “Serendipia” project, aimed to create a regional pathology information system and telepathology services connecting fully digitized pathology departments of 15 public hospitals in Castilla-La Mancha.

Existing members of the DPA Board of Directors include:

• Richard Atkin, President and CEO, Sunquest Information Systems, Inc.
• Brad Burklow, Director of Business Development, Olympus America
• Gene Cartwright, CEO, Omnyx
• Elizabeth Chlipala BS, HTL (ASCP), Founder, Premier Laboratory LLC
• Dirk G. Soenksen, MS, MBA, Founder and CEO, Aperio
• Mohan Uttarwar, Chief Strategy Officer, BioImagene
• Henry Waters, Group Technology Director, Leica Microsystems 

Goals of the DPA include supporting digital pathology education initiatives, defining best practices, influencing standards and interfaces, organizing an annual conference that addresses diverse needs within the industry, and more.   

The DPA’s next Board meeting and Industry Council meeting will be held during the USCAP conference, March 20-26, 2010, in Washington, DC.

For additional information about sponsorship and membership opportunities, visit the association’s website at:  www.digitalpathologyassociation.org.

About the DPA

The mission of the Digital Pathology Association is to facilitate education and awareness of digital pathology applications in healthcare. Members will be encouraged to share best practices and promote the use of the technology among colleagues in order to demonstrate efficiencies, awareness, and its ultimate benefits to patient care.

Contact:

Mike Miller

Executive Director

Digital Pathology Association

info@digitalpathologyassociation.org