A Tribute to Dr. Juan Rosai, a Surgical Pathology Legend Known for his Excellence in Research and Education

Juan Rosai, M.D. (August 20, 1940 – July 7, 2020) was an iconic figure who greatly contributed to clinical research and education in the specialty of surgical pathology. He authored textbooks, characterized novel medical conditions, and performed countless seminars. He is well-known for making his research available for all via the Rosai Collection, which comprises digital images from nearly 20,000 cases presented at 1500 pathology seminars.

Juan Rosai was a strong believer in the value of microscope-based diagnosis, and viewed the microscope analysis as the gold-standard by which any claims of new technology should be measured.

Dr. Juan Rosai was of the opinion that no available technique provides so much information so abundantly, so quickly and as inexpensively to surgical pathology as conventional microscopy.

 In 2007, Dr. Rosai authored a paper titled “Why Microscopy will Remain a Cornerstone of Surgical Pathology”.

“It stands to reason that morphologic analysis by skilled observers, that is, well-trained surgical pathologists, will be with us for many years to come.”

“Any new technique must provide information of prognostic or therapeutic significance beyond that provided by the current gold standard”

Juan Rosai on Microscopy and Surgical Pathology

“The amount of information that the (microscope) examination of these (H&E) samples has provided is staggering. This should not be too surprising. After all, the microscopic appearance of a tumor as seen in an H&E slide represents the grand synthesis of thousands of genes working in concert and sometimes in opposition. In addition, there is probably no single gene that plays an important role in the neoplastic process whose expression is not manifest in one way or another as a morphologic finding that can be detected by those with the proper training and ability. Therefore, from a practical clinical standpoint, the challenge of any new technique is to demonstrate that it can provide information of prognostic or therapeutic significance beyond that provided by the current gold standard.

It is my impression that this does not happen as often as some claim.”

About Augmentiqs

Augmentiqs is a microscope-centric approach to digital pathology, providing pathologists a cost-efficient and low-data method for realizing clinical and workflow enhancements. By connecting the analog microscope to the computer, Augmentiqs maintains the advantages of the microscope for workflow and primary diagnosis, while improving efficiency with the introduction of pathology software applications directly from the microscope.

By functioning as a platform for real-time software deployment within the microscope, Augmentiqs allows pathologists immediate access to imaging, analytical software, telepathology, LIMS integration and other digital pathology applications.

For more information about Augmentiqs, please visit www.augmentiqs.com or contact sales@augmentiqs.com

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