Dr. Diamandis develops network to help pathologists interface with AI computational scientists

A neuropathology colleague in Toronto (Dr. Phedias Diamandis) is developing some amazing AI-based tools for pathology and academia. He helped recently launch a site called "CODIDO" (https://www.codido.co/) which is a cloud-based network that allows computational scientists to share AI and machine learning algorithms with general users/academics who are keen on using AI but may not know how to code sufficiently well to implement them. It's a great way to allow people to "Demo" code and will hopefully become a central place for pathologists to access a variety of pathology-related algorithms for image analysis projects. They have a few algorithms up already, but they are hoping to expand this by having additional people in the computational pathology space contribute. If you or your residents are passionate about AI and it's potential in our field but do not have a computational background, his team also recently launched a companion site called "PHARAOH" (pathologyreports.ai) that places histology experts in the driver's seat and allows them to to use their skills to design custom models of intertest and share them with the community. This all can be done without any coding expertise or specialized hardware or software. Phedias is hoping to develop a snowball effect to populate the tools further to create an inter-active and growing online network of community tools. He shared a relevant lecture decribing these tools in case you want to learn more about the motivation behind both initiatives (https://youtu.be/HaHiCfhMLOU) Check it out and feel free to contact Dr. Diamandis for more details at p.diamandis@mail.utoronto.ca

Glioma diagnostics and research in JoVE

I recently received an email from Chun-Chieh (Paul) Lin and George Zanazzi at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. They were invited as editors for a new Methods Collection in JoVE focusing on "Glioma diagnostics and research". Dr. Lin and Zanazzi write: "We intend to highlight techniques used in the diagnostic classification of glial neoplasms and also in vivo or in vitro glioma research models. We welcome a variety of submissions covering these challenging but interesting neoplasms." Please feel free to contact Paul (Chun-Chieh.Lin@hitchcock.org) and George (George.J.Zanazzi@hitchcock.org) for details!

Dr. Paul Lin

Dr. George Zanazzi

J. Hume Adams has passed away

J. Hume Adams in 1972

J. Hume Adams, Professor of Neuropathology in Glasgow, has died. With David Graham, Adams edited the fourth and fifth editions of Greenfield's Neuropathology. During his career, Adams made great advances in the study of neurotrauma.

Neuropathologist Matija Snuderl featured in major journal discussing the use of artificial intelligence in cancer diagnostics

Matija Snuderl, MD

Dr. Matija Snuderl, neuropathologist and molecular pathologist at  New York University Langone Health, was featured in a recent article appearing in Nature (March 26, 2020, Vol 579, p S14-S16). The article, which addresses the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer diagnostics, opens with Dr. Snuderl experiencing a moment that many of us neuropathologists have had wherein we hesitate before signing out a case because of a feeling that something might be just a bit different about a particular specimen. That feeling prompts us to do something else (run more ancillary testing, get a consult, sleep on it and take another look the next day, etc.). In Dr. Snuderl's case, he was looking at a case which was thought to be a recurrence of a medulloblastoma in a young girl. Some of the histologic features didn't quite fit with medulloblastoma. "So, to help him make up his mind, Snuderl turned to a computer. He arranged for the girl to have a full-genome methylation analysis," writes Neil Savage, author of the article. Snuderl relays the result of this investigation: "The tumor came back as a glioblastoma...  If I had finalized the case just on pathology, I would have been terribly wrong." The AI system Snuderl used involved a database of thousands of tumor methylation profiles at the German Cancer Research Center. NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center is applying AI to the classification of tumors of all sorts, not only using pathologic samples, but also MR imaging, mammograms, and other means of diagnosis.

Thanks to Dr Snuderl for representing the important role neuropathologists play in cancer diagnostics in the age of molecular medicine and article intelligence. Thanks also to Dr. Michael Lawlor, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, for alerting me to this article!

George Perry, former AANP president, granted meritorious award by the American Society for Investigative Pathology

George Perry, PhD

It was recently announced that Dr. George Perry has been given the Rous-Whipple Award by the American Society for Investigative Pathology.  According to the ASIP website, the Rous-Whipple Award "is presented to a senior scientist with a distinguished career in research who has advanced the understanding of disease and has continued productivity at the time of the award."

Congratulations, Dr. Perry. And thanks to Dr. Charles White for sharing this news.

David Solomon and Gregory Fuller garner prestigious awards at USCAP annual meeting

David Solomon, MD, PhD

Dr. David A. Solomon, assistant professor at UCSF, has been awarded the Ramzi S. Cotran Young Investigator Award at the recent annual meeting of the United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) for his work on diciphering the molecular pathogenesis of various brain neoplasms.

Also at this year's USCAP meeting, Gregory N. Fuller, MD, PhD was awarded the Harvey Goldman Teaching Award. Among his many contributions to pathology education is authoring the CNS chapter of the latest edition of the textbook Histology for Pathologists (2019).

First evidence of immune response targeting brain cells in autism

Dr. Matt Anderson

In a paper published in Annals of Neurology, Harvard neuropathologist Matthew Anderson, MD, PhD, and colleagues, report the presence of cellular features consistent with an immune response targeting specialized brain cells in more than two-thirds of autistic brains analyzed postmortem.

These cellular characteristics—not previously observed in autism—lend critical new insight into autism’s origins and could pave the way to improved diagnosis and treatment for people with this disorder.

Read more here.

Featured Neuropathologist: Eddie Lee, MD, PhD

Edward B. Lee, MD, PhD

From time to time on Neuropathology Blog, we profile a prominent neuropathologist. In the past, we've featured the likes of Craig Horbinski, Roger McLendon, Jan Leestma, Karra Jones, Areli Cuevas-Ocampo, Michael Punsoni, and PJ Cimino, among others. Today we feature Eddie Lee, MD, PhD. Dr. Lee is an assistant professor in the pathology department at the University of Pennsylvania. Here's a Q&A with the illustrious Dr. Lee:

1. Why did you decide to become a neuropathologist?

The three major topics that dominate Alzheimer’s disease research are amyloid, tau, and neuroinflammation.  The discovery of genetic mutations that cause AD or related dementias, and more recent GWAS studies support the idea that these three are perhaps the most important factors that drive AD pathophysiology.  However, it is sometimes forgotten that these were first and foremost neuropathologic observations discovered by studying human tissues using histology and/or biochemistry by George Glenner and the McGeers.  Genetics came later and was made possible by the neuropathology.  The same can be said regarding TDP-43.  This taught me that neuropathology can be a rock solid foundation for building a research career.  I have always been drawn to basic biomedical research but think that clinical training provides a sort of “compass” by which you can guide your research program.  To this day, the foundation of my research is neuropathology because it grounds me towards studying the disease itself.

2. Name a couple of important professional mentors. Why were they important to you?

I did my PhD with Virginia Lee at University of Pennsylvania.  She has been doing research for decades together wither her life partner, John Trojanowski.  Together, I saw the two of them seamlessly integrate neurodegenerative disease neuropathology with basic science.  In terms of neuropathology, I point to many with whom I have been privileged to train, including Nicholas Gonatas, Bill Schlaepfer, John Trojanowski, Zissimos Mourelatos, Lucy Rorke-Adams, Jeff Golden and Alex Judkins. 


3. What advice would you give to a pathology resident interested in doing a neuropathology fellowship?

Get to know what neuropathologists do.  There is a wide variation of career paths available for neuropathologist, and the most important thing for you to figure out is what kind of neuropathologist you might want to become.  This is key because this should be what is guiding your choice in neuropathology fellowship.  So figure out what your ‘local’ neuropathologist does, and look nationally for what other neuropathologists are doing.

For those who are interested in a more basic science track neuropathology career, here is a historical perspective.  Since the beginning of academic medicine, there has been a tension between the reductionist approach where medicine is a branch of science (supported by people like Flexner and Welch) versus a more humanistic approach where medicine is an art (supported by people like Peabody and Osler).  For Peabody and Osler, clinical observation and pathologic correlation was tantamount.  In contrast, the reductionists thought that “by the end of the [19^th] century, clinicopathologic correlation was reaching the limits of its explanatory possibilities.”  I will say that this sentiment is still very much alive in many corners of biomedical research. I urge you to try to think mechanistically as much as possible, to strive to understand not only pathology but pathophysiology.

4. What city would you like a future American Association of Neuropathologists meeting to be held and why?

Interesting question for me as I am currently the Assistant Secretary Treasurer for AANP and so I help identify and select the AANP meeting sites.  There is a lot that goes into the decision.  We have done our best to maintain a reasonable cost for attendees.  There are many sites that are excluded, often from more popular locations, because the cost for attendees would be significantly higher not only for AANP but for people booking rooms.  We also look at whether anyone in the US can fly to the site with at most one layover, whether there are sufficient restaurants close by, etc.  These factors greatly reduce the number of sites that are possible.  I helped pick Monterey, CA for the 2020 meeting for which I am super psyched.  A big question that it would be good to ask everyone is where to have the 2024 meeting which will be the 100^th AANP meeting.  We will be choosing the site in the next year or so.  One thought is to go expensive/luxurious (Hawaii anyone?) vs. traditional/historic (Atlantic City, NJ which is where the original AANP meetings were held).  

Forensic neuropathologist featured in AMA’s “Shadow Me” Specialty Series

Michelle Jorden, MD

Dr.Mich​elle Jorden, chief medical examiner for the county of Santa Clara in California, was recently featured in the American Medical Association's "Shadow Me" Specialty Series. 

Dr. Jorden  has been employed in Santa Clara County since 2008. She obtained her medical degree from Northwestern, and did her anatomic and neuropathology training at Stanford. She did her fellowship in forensic pathology at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in Chicago.

In Memorium: Carol Petito, MD (1942-2018)

Carol Petito, MD

The current issue of the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology features a memorial of Dr. Carol Petito written by Dr. Michael Hart. An excerpt from Dr. Hart's article is reproduced here:

Carol Petito, a significant and distinctive member of the international neuropathology community, passed away on December 15, 2018 of a cancer she had been battling for 8 years.

Carol was born January 8, 1942 in Long Island, NY, the oldest of Charles and Marita Kaiser’s 3 children. She graduated with a BS from Tufts University and received her MD from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1967, one of 10 women in a graduating class of 116. An internship at Bellevue Hospital was followed by residency in Pathology at The New York Hospital Cornell University Medical College and fellowships in neuropathology at Newcastle General Hospital in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England and with Ken Earle at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC.

After spending 1973–1992 on the faculty at The New York Hospital of Cornell University Medical College, becoming Professor in 1984, Carol moved to Miami in 1992 following her marriage to Michael Norenberg, a well-known and respected neuropathologist whom Carol had known for many years. She was a Professor of Pathology at Jackson Memorial Hospital of the University of Miami School of Medicine until her death.

A “triple threat,” Carol was equally and excellently competent at research, teaching and diagnosis. Her diagnostic abilities were especially remarkable considering that she lost an eye in a childhood accident but was never hindered by this. Her research productivity was augmented by the 26 grants she received at various times in her career. And her success as a teacher is well documented by her heavy schedule of medical and graduate student lectures, course directorships and several teaching awards. She was also Director of the University of Miami’s Pathology Residency Program for 10 years.

Brown announces new director of neuropathology

Ivana Delalle, MD, PhD

The Brown University Department of Pathology in Providence, RI recently announced that a new director of neuropathology has been appointed to the faculty. Ivana Delalle, MD, PhD will replace long-time neuropathology director Edward Stopa, MD, who recently passed away.

After earning her MD and PhD from Zagreb University in Croatia, Dr. Delalle joined the developmental neurobiology laboratory directed by Verne Caviness at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She then completed her residency in anatomic pathology and fellowship in neuropathology at MGH, after which she joined the faculty at MGH. She subsequently moved on to Boston University. Dr. Delalle starts work at Brown on November 1, 2019.

Edward Stopa, long-time neuropathologist at Brown University, passes away

Edward Stopa, MD, 65, after a brief and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He touched many lives and served as mentor to many in neuropathology, including me. Since 1993, Ed was the director of neuropathology at Brown and led the division until his retirement earlier this year. I was a neuropathology fellow under his directorship from 2004-06 and fondly remember his sense of humor, curiosity, and joie de vivre.

Ed made many strides in the understanding of Alzheimer disease through close collaborations with basic and clinical neuroscientists. He contributed extensively to our knowledge of the hypothalamic mechanisms that are responsible for human reproduction and circadian rhythm.

We will miss you, Ed.

Dr. Hilary Nickols: neuropathologist and artist

Hilary Nickols, MD, PhD

From time to time, I feature neuropathologists who exhibit talents beyond the strict confines of neuropathology. For example, I recently features the inimitable Mark Cohen and his prodigious classical guitar skills. I discovered another neuropathologist/artist during the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Neuropathologists:  Hilary Nickols, MD, PhD, of Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Nickols shared with me her detailed drawing of a craniotomy surgical field which she recently witnessed during a visit to the operating room.

The scene in the operating room, including drains, reflected dura, etc.

Mark Cohen's hidden genius as a classical guitarist

The neuropathology community may be aware of the extraordinary musical talents of Dr. Arie Perry, but there is another among us who has hidden genius as a classical guitarist. I present to you the inimitable Dr. Mark Cohen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHfBmXbnKGA&feature=youtu.be

Case Western's Mark Cohen (right) with accompianist

Nota Bene: Since my original publication of this post, the inimitable Dr. Cohen emailed me the following: 

"Please credit my partner in crime (actually the brains behind the operation): Narayan Kumar (from Mumbai). We're both learning guitar online at Classical Guitar Corner Academy. Here's the backstory:

Introducing DuJu. DuJu in Mandarin has a few meanings, not all salutary. But it also means a special talent or insight, which we arrogated to ourselves, whether deserved or not -- although neither of us is Chinese. The preferred pronunciation is “Du-zhou”. Sounds and feels French. Which is always a good thing -- although neither of us is French. In a word, DuJu is American, French, Chinese and Indian. Hey, we are an international community here, right? We are probably pushing it when we suggest the name is also a combination of our origins – one born a HinDU and the other a JU, er, Jew. It signifies a welcome coming together of faiths in our troubled world through music -- although neither of us is religious. Whatever. DuJu it is. It’s been fun to do this and we have some bits of music under discussion for sharing with all of us. Barring soul-crushing, deafening silence from our illustrious colleagues here, DuJu hope to being continually fresh and entertaining. Performing around the world cannot be ruled out ;)"

Miller selected as division director of neuropathology at University of Alabama

C. Ryan Miller, MD, PhD

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pathology has recently named C. Ryan Miller, MD, PhD as director of the neuropathology division. He starts in that position on April 1.

Miller was most recently a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Miller also served as faculty director of the UNC Translational Pathology Laboratory in conjunction with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

“We are excited to have Dr. Miller back at UAB in the Department of Pathology, where his experience in research on tumors of the brain and work with proteomics will enhance the Neuropathology Division’s portfolio for future growth in this important area,” said department chair George Netto, MD.

In 1999, prior to medical school, Miller completed a Ph.D. in the department’s Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate Program. He earned his medical degree from the UAB School of Medicine in 2002 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the UAB Brain Treatment and Research Program. Miller then moved to Washington University School of Medicine, where he completed a residency in anatomic pathology in 2004 and a fellowship in neuropathology in 2006.

Primum non nocere

Dr. Edward Lee

Dr. Edward Lee is among several others who have authored an interesting commentary on CTE entitled: Primum non nocere: a call for balance when reporting on CTE. It's worth a read!

Neuropathologist Robert Corona named CEO of Upstate Medical University

Robert J. Corona, DO, MBA

Dr. Robert Corona has been named chief executive officer of Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY. Corona had been serving as the hospital’s interim CEO before his permanent appointment last month.

Corona did his neuropathology fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC (1990) and SUNY Health Sciences Center at Syracuse (1991).

At Upstate, Corona has served as chair of the pathology department, and medical director of neuropathology. He previously worked as a vice president at Welch Allyn in Skaneateles, NY.

Corona was on my 2016 list of neuropathologists who are department chairs.

Stanford neuropathologist Hannes Vogel featured on cover of the Palo Alto Weekly

A blog fan spotted this while walking his dog down a street in Palo Alto today:

The story about Dr. Vogel can be seen here.

Dr. Fausto Rodriguez to deliver live online presentation this Wednesday

Wednesday, November 14th  - 8 AM EST Topic: Surgical Neuropathology Pearls: Sellar Lesions Presented by Fausto Rodriguez, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology, JHUSOM This seminar can be accessed live through the following links at 8 AM on Wednesday: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pathCast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxosS9hPP3ikMQXAE9Pamw Website: http://pathologycast.com/ This hour-long PathCast seminar presented by Dr. Fausto Rodriguez will be broadcast live on both Facebook and YouTube. Live chat will be available for you to discuss the presentation with Dr. Rodriguez during the seminar. The PathCast will be archived after the live session at: http://pathology.jhu.edu/department/training/clinicians.cfm

Dr. Doug Miller named interim pathology chair at University of Missouri

Dr. Miller (note the "brain in a jar" lapel pin)

Douglas C. Miller, MD, PhD was recently named interim chair of pathology at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Dr. Miller joins several other department chairs who are neuropathologists:

Douglas Anthony at Brown (pathologist-in-chief at Rhode Island Hospital)

Dan Brat at Northwestern

Steven Carroll at Medical University of South Carolina

Robert Corona at SUNY Upstate

Jeffrey Golden at Brigham and Women's Hospital

Eyas Hattab at University of Louisville

Alex Judkins at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (pathologist-in-chief)

David Louis at Massachusetts General Hospital

Jenny Libien at SUNY Downstate

Thomas Montine Stanford

Edwin Monuki at the University of California Irvine

Robert Mrak at the University of Toledo

Dr. Miller should not be confused with
movie director Steven Spielberg

Amyn Rojiani at Augusta University

Kevin Roth at Columbia

John Schweitzer at East Tennessee State University