In the true spirit of 2.0,  I felt it was important to blog about the wonderful webinar presented today by Dr. Keith Kaplan, titled Pathology 2.0.  Pathology 2.0 is a phrase created by Dr. Kaplan to illustrate the convergence of social media and Web 2.0 into Pathology, and his webinar discusses the impact and/or disruption Pathology 2.0 can have on surgical pathology.

Pathology 2.0

• Biomarkers, targeted therapies, dedicated chemotherapy
• Allows for the sharing of images, collaborative diagnoses, educational forums, tumor boards, etc
• The “tissue is the issue”- remains at the center
• Convergence of improved pathology and advanced communication

On a personal note, thank you Keith for your contribution to this webinar series and for your support of my efforts to leverage Web 2.0 and social media to grow my company, especially through this blog. Your continued contributions to the pathology and digital pathology community make a difference; a difference that is appreciated and valued.

If you missed the webinar and would like to learn more, download the recorded presentation and make sure to read Dr. Kaplan’s blog at www.tissuepathology.com.  The presentation will require windows media player to view.  Thank you again to everyone who attended and please remember to register for our next webinar, Image Analysis In a Regulated Environment presented by Steve Potts, PhD, on September 23rd, 2010 at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST.

One week from today on August 10th at 12 PM EST / 9 AM PST, the second webinar in a new series titled “Pathology 2.0″ will be presented by Keith Kaplan, MD.

Topic Overview

This webinar is designed to enhance your knowledge of Pathology 2.0.  Dr. Kaplan  will Increase your knowledge of 2.0 tools and technologies, teach you how 2.0 will apply to the daily practice of surgical pathology, and give you an understanding of the long-term implications of 2.0 for our practices.  In addition, you’ll learn how to improve your services and showcase your specialty while providing information to patients that was once locked away.  To learn more about Pathology 2.0 read an article from CAP Today “Manifest destiny—Pathology 2.0 is here,and it’s clear. Time to climb aboard.”

About Keith J Kaplan, MD

Dr. Kaplan is a surgical pathologist and chief information officer for Carolinas Pathology Group and Celligent Diagnostics.  He was formerly associate professor of pathology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine where he served as Biospecimens Director for the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG).  He received his MD degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine followed by residency training in anatomic and clinical pathology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  While at Walter Reed, in conjunction with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology he founded and directed the Army Telepathology Program connecting 25 hospitals worldwide for consultation via telepathology.  He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific articles book chapters, editorials and scientific abstracts.  His subspecialty interests include gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology, cytopathology and pathology informatics and has presented at national and international meetings on those topics. Dr. Kaplan’s research interests involve gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathology, hyperspectral imaging, image analysis and the use of Web 2.0 tools in pathology.  He is active in many medical societies including the College of American Pathologists where he has chaired or served on several committees, serves as a reviewer for many scientific journals, serves on the editorial board for Human Pathology and blogs daily at www.tissuepathology.com.

REGISTER TODAY

This webinar is provided by www.thedigitalpathologywiki.com and it’s sponsors.

As I research and prepare to write this post, I refer to my 2.0 arsenal- Wikipedia, Twitter, RSS feed archives, and some old and new blog posts via Google Reader.  In my personal and professional life, I use 2.0 applications constantly to share information and collaborate on the web.

The hot topic of Web 2.0 recently came up when a white paper was published on Aurora MSC’s software, mScope, in collaboration with the Dark Daily titled “Digital Pathology: Pathology Innovators Use Web 2.0 to Boost Productivity and Create Clinical Value.” Although this was an interesting white paper, it specifically focused on the use of their software as a Web 2.0 tool in Pathology.  However, Web 2.0 for pathology is much more than just a Digital Pathology software interface; it’s an enabler to the advancement of personalized medicine.

On Wikipedia I found the following definition for Health 2.0, “…technology as an enabler for care collaboration.” Care collaboration between patients and their MDs is an essential component of personalized medicine, and digital pathology establishes the tools necessary to create a collaborative environment in pathology.   2.0 is empowering patient self care, and driving patients to become more informed and take responsibility for their own well being.  A perfect, yet rare example of collaborative care in pathology was described by Dr. Keith Kaplan in his blog post, “This is Your Cancer.” In this post Dr. Kaplan describes a memorable moment when a patient came to his office and asked to see his slides.  This patient was empowered and determined to become more informed about his cancer diagnosis.  Dr. Kaplan states, “These occurrences also remind me that every number is a life.  Every accession number, order number and slide is a life.”  What happened to Dr. Kaplan may start to occur more often, and to more pathologists.  But rather than waiting for a patient to knock on an office door, pathology departments need to embrace transparency and deploy tools that support better collaboration with their physicians and their patients.  The role of a physician is evolving, and being a care collaborator will make the transition to personalized medicine easier.

Not sure where to start?  Check and see what other hospitals or laboratories are doing.  Many healthcare institutions, like Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, have created Facebook pages, blogs, patient forums, and Twitter accounts to interact and communicate with the healthcare community.  Become a “friend”, “fan”, or “follow” when you find something interesting, then think about how to bring these types of tools to your practice or laboratory. And of course, there is always the Digital Pathology community which offers blogs like Digital Pathology Blog and The Daily Scan, Digital Pathology groups on LinkedIn, and even social networking with PathXchange.org- a vendor-neutral, not-for-profit professional networking portal for the global pathology community, promoting digital pathology.

Interested in collaborating with me 2.0 style, click on one or more of the tools below.  I welcome the opportunity to network and collaborate with you!

• Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/digitalpathology

• Twitter: DPConsultant or http://twibes.com/DigitalPathology

• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajlowe

• Subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed at feed://digitalpathologyconsultants.com/DPCblog/