The UAB Department of Pathology has been strategically planning its digital pathology effort since well before its initial launch in 2024, but what is digital pathology? And why is this new initiative so important?
Digital pathology aims to modernize pathology services by enabling remote diagnosis, improving efficiency, and ensuring quality patient care through easier access to expertise. More specifically, it’s the process of pathology glass slides being captured with a scanning device to provide high-resolution digital and interactive images. Digital pathology also supports faculty recruitment and retention by providing greater flexibility and strengthens education programs with state-of-the-art infrastructure for trainees.
As the second installment in our three-part series highlighting digital pathology’s impact on UAB Pathology’s clinical, education, and research missions, we interviewed Brandi McCleskey, M.D., Vice Chair for Education, to explain how this effort will propel the department’s education mission forward.
How will digital pathology affect recruitment of new trainees?
"Digital pathology implementation is critical for a well-rounded program focused on training future pathologists. It allows for current trainees to gain experience in implementation of digital pathology technologies and infrastructure, and future trainees can be more involved in quality improvement, logistical efficiency and workflow, and further innovation projects. All of this will be beneficial to the broader tripartite mission of our department."
How will trainees be able to work alongside attendings integrated into using digital pathology?
"Virtual access to cases will allow for learners at multiples stages to participate in case evaluation which may not have been possible with learners around the scope. Often times we could not confirm a learner was actually “seeing” what we wanted them to see. With digital pathology, the educational points can be tagged and highlighted to ensure learners of today and in the future can benefit from the vast amount of expertise we have on faculty."
What has been the response from our trainees to the implementation of digital pathology?
"Overall, trainees are excited to see this come to fruition. Change management is always a journey, but our trainees have been anticipating digital pathology implementation for years. Regardless, the entire process is a unique experience for a trainee and something they can take with them into their future practice settings. Digital implementation is on the horizon all across the country so this knowledge and experience will be beneficial for every UAB Pathology trainee."
In five years, how do you expect the digital pathology effort will have shaped the education mission of the Department of Pathology?
"This will allow us to remain a strong training program but also move us into the top tier of elite programs focused on healthcare delivery of the future. Digital pathology implementation at UAB will ensure our residents, fellows, and medical students have access to expert-led education in an environment with wide case diversity and complexity. The opportunities for research in this area will be expanded, and our trainees and students will be able to collaborate on groundbreaking projects.
Education is a key pillar for our department and digital pathology implementation will allow us to remain as an elite training program for residents and fellows as well as a key participant in the Heersink School of Medicine curriculum. Staying on the forefront of technological innovation and integration of digital applications into our education philosophy will expand our reach to learners at all stages from community outreach with elementary students to advanced learners in medical school. Recruitment of students into pathology is a critical step to ensuring our workforce pipeline is sustained and learners have come to expect an innovative, accessible, and efficient “classroom” in the digital age. Applicants to residency have been asking about digital pathology for nearly 5 years now so it’s exciting to see our department’s successful implementation on the horizon."