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.