Overview of the Consortium
The goal of this consortium is to foster a community of practice around computational pathology in the Midwest and beyond. The scarcity of well-trained pathologists in the US, especially given the growing demand posed by aging populations, negatively impacts patient care, particularly in resource-poor urban and rural areas. Concurrently, the practice of pathology is rapidly undergoing a transformation in which multiple tools such as digital imaging, advanced algorithms, and computer-aided diagnostic techniques are being linked with molecular pathology resulting in increased diagnostic power and better outcomes for patients. Thus, the challenges posed by a shortage of pathologists, the sheer volume and velocity of data (huge data) that must be harvested and managed, and the strong demand for better and faster diagnostics have created an enormous opportunity for the application of innovative human-machine teaming, deep learning, machine learning and AI technologies. This consortium brings together experts from pathology, data science and computer science, from academia, government laboratories and industry, and aims to position the Midwest at the cutting edge of this new age of digital pathology. This consortium is established through the Midwest Big Data Hub (MBDH).
The Vision of the Consortium is given below.
Goals and Objectives of the Consortium
The primary goals of the MCCP are to collaborate on technology applications and resource development, best practices and knowledge sharing, and proposals for funding.
Specific objectives are to:
- Under the auspices of the MBDH, organize information exchanges (workshops, hackathons) to create closely coordinated working groups
- Define the agenda and goals of the community to establish working groups with specific team-science, convergent research (specific internal-disciplinary thrusts), educational (short courses, programs) and outreach purposes (community engagement)
- Create data and computing assets including data commons and tools for the consortium and larger MBDH community
- Outline clear and tangible value propositions and outputs - data collections, computational tools, educational offerings - to stakeholders in academia, industry and healthcare organizations
- In the Midwest and beyond, form engagements possibly through the creation of a formal consortia involving academic institutions, companies dedicated to pathology and biotechnology; and medical and health facilities, including those in resource-poor areas
Joining the Consortium
New members may join the consortium by submitting a request here.