i3S researcher elected president of ESDIP

Catarina Eloy, director of the Pathological Anatomy Laboratory at Ipatimup Diagnostics, professor at FMUP, and i3S researcher, has been elected president of ESDIP - Sociedade European Institute of Digital and Integrative Pathology on the 9th of July.

For the pathologist, who was elected for a three-year term, presiding over this scientific society “means being able to participate actively in one of the most exciting moments in the history of Pathology, the digital revolution”. Digital evolution in Medicine, says Catarina Eloy, “has had a fundamental effect on Pathological Anatomy in recent years. In the so-called Digital Pathology, cells and tissues are no longer observed under the microscope and are observed on digital screens, after complete digitization of the slides. The digital image thus obtained can be analyzed using computational, integrative techniques, opening doors to the use of artificial intelligence. Digital image processing is starting to allow the progressive automation of the practice of this medical specialty”.

“Blade scanners are increasingly efficient, as we can testify at the Ipatimup Pathological Anatomy Laboratory, where we have a completely digital workflow”, said the pathologist. It is essential, adds Catarina Eloy, “to support the use of digital images in the daily work of the pathologist and it is necessary to help the Portuguese Pathological Anatomy Laboratories to start this transition to the digital workflow”.

The newly elected pathologist has as main lines of action “to increase the number of members of society and their involvement in its actions, to establish a solid and properly publicized educational program, and to increase collaboration with the industry”. Founded in 2016 in Berlin, ESDIP’s main mission is to support pathologists in the Digital and Integrative Pathology initiatives, namely in the creation of protocols and standards, and in the dissemination and education of this concept.