Michael Rivers, Head of Roche Digital Pathology, named president of Digital Pathology Association

Nonprofit organization advances digital pathology field through awareness, education, collaboration and advocacy

Tucson, December 12, 2019 - Michael Rivers, Vice President, Roche Digital Pathology, has been named president of the Digital Pathology Association (DPA), effective Jan. 1, 2020.

The DPA is a nonprofit organization comprised of pathologists, scientists, technologists and industry representatives dedicated to advancing the field of digital pathology.

"Michael is very knowledgeable in digital pathology and dedicated to the Digital Pathology Association,"

said Dr. Marilyn Bui, outgoing DPA president and Scientific Director of Analytic Microscopy Core at Moffitt Cancer Center.

"The organization is fortunate to have such a dynamic and talented leader as its next president."

Digital pathology has the potential to transform tissue diagnostics by bringing new levels of workflow efficiency and new medical value insights for pathologists through image analysis, according to the DPA.

"Digital pathology is an essential technology, providing tools that will bring faster, higher quality and more accurate diagnoses to patients and physicians,"

Rivers said. 

"I am honored to work with this influential organization as we expand education and adoption of this important technology."

Rivers and the DPA board are focused on growing the organization outside of the United States.

"The goal of the DPA is to become the global driving force for digital pathology,"

he said. 

"I would like us to become the go-to organization for medical professionals that are interested in the adoption of digital pathology."

Digital pathology enables the interpretation, sharing and management of information generated from a digital slide. Digital slides are created when glass slides are captured with a scanning device and viewed as a digital image on a computer or other screen. This technology enables pathologists to collaborate and evaluate samples remotely to improve efficiency and productivity.

Rivers, who joined Roche Tissue Diagnostics in 2006, has headed Roche Digital Pathology since 2015. He leads the Digital Pathology teams in Santa Clara, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz., to develop and commercialize a portfolio of products and technologies for Roche.

More information on the Digital Pathology Association can be found at  digitalpathologyassociation.org.

Roche Tissue Diagnostics innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA products are used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories worldwide. The company's intuitive, integrated staining and workflow management platforms and digital pathology solutions optimize laboratory efficiencies to support diagnosis, help reduce errors and enable informed treatment decisions. Together with Roche, the company is driving personalized healthcare through accelerated drug discovery and the development of companion diagnostics to identify the patients most likely to respond favorably to specific therapies. Visit go.roche.com/about-RTD.

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the eleventh consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2018 employed about 94,000 people worldwide. In 2018, Roche invested CHF 11 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 56.8 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.