Season 3, Episode 9 - Ken Bloom, MD - "It Has to be Led by Somebody"

This episode with Dr. Ken Bloom of Nucleai, we examine the beginnings of telepathology, which led to what we now know as digital pathology in the 1980s. We trace the journey to now, focusing on seminal events in the industry, such as computational pathology, computer-assisted image analysis, the development of CPT codes, the importance of the TCPC split, particularly in the reference lab setting, We also discuss the democratization of immunohistochemistry in connection with digital pathology and touch on recent developments in the assessment of tumor heterogeneity, AI algorithms, and spatial analysis. Additionally, we explore the role of pathologists in the era of precision medicine, and the potential for integration of pathology with radiology. Dr. Kenneth J. Bloom is currently the head of pathology at Nucleai. He has more than 35 years of clinical experience in pathology, oncology, telemedicine, and bioinformatics. Dr. Bloom previously served as the Chief Medical Officer at Invicro and Ambry Genetics. He was also President and Head of Oncology and Immunotherapy for Human Longevity Inc. He played an instrumental role in designing the business strategy that grew Clarient from a startup with no revenue to its acquisition by GE. He oversaw the development of hundreds of laboratory-developed tests, including those using IHC, ISH, Flow Cytometry, and Molecular methods. Dr. Bloom spent 15 years at Rush Medical College, where he held various titles, including Director of Laboratory Operations and Chief Information Officer of the Rush Cancer Institute