The problem
Pathology already contributes to prevention and surveillance in meaningful ways—
but these efforts are often fragmented, reactive, and under-leveraged. Today,
we still primarily use pathology to diagnose disease rather than systematically
prevent it, even though the signals are already present in the tissues we examine every day.
We are changing that
The Preventive Pathology Program is building a more intentional and integrated
model of care—one that elevates and connects these existing capabilities to use
tissue-based insights to:
- Identify patients at risk before cancer develops
- Detect hereditary cancer syndromes earlier
- Guide smarter, more precise surveillance
This is a moment of opportunity
We now have the technology to digitize and analyze tissue at scale.
We have decades of archived material waiting to be unlocked.
We have the tools to transform routine pathology into predictive insight.
What we need is the vision to bring it together.
Why it matters
Because the greatest opportunity in cancer care is not earlier detection, but true
prevention. Pathology is uniquely positioned to anchor that shift—if we fully realize
and organize its potential.
Focus areas
- Gastrointestinal precancer & early neoplasia
- Hereditary cancer syndromes
- Breast & gynecologic precursor lesions
- AI-based biomarker discovery from routine histology
Join us
Help lead a shift in medicine—
from reacting to disease to stopping
it before it begins. We welcome
partners across clinical, computational,
and translational domains.
Contact: Monika Vyas, MD,
Director, Digital Pathology, BIDMC
[contact info]
