NYU Langone Health has launched a digital pathology program, transforming disease diagnosis from microscopes to high-definition images, shareable in real time across the hospital network. This change offers unprecedented clarity for viewing human tissue samples, shorter diagnosis time, and enhanced collaboration within a field that remains a vital but unseen engine of patient care. "Since the dawn of pathology, our work has involved being hunched over looking at slides in the microscope in our offices after they've been manually delivered to us," said Syed T.
Hoda, MD, director of Digital Pathology, Clinical and Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology at NYU Langone and one of roughly 100 bone and soft tissue pathologists in the country. "As of this week, images can get to the right pathologist in real time, no matter where a patient is being treated in our network." This technological advancement comes at a crucial time.
The nation is facing a pathologist shortage while disease rates are skyrocketing, with only a small number of pathologists confirming diagnoses that affect millions of patients. Allowing pathologists greater workload efficiency without the risks associated with physical slides—such as storage issues, slide degradation, and time delays—builds more sustainable healthcare infrastructure. Moreover, the initiative opens new job opportunities, with the hospital hiring 24 digital pathology coordinators, creating an entirely new career path in healthcare.
Joan F. Cangiar.
