About Andres Restrepo

What gaps in technology/training/processes concern you most, and how are you addressing them via innovation?

Artificial intelligence is often described as the next revolution in pathology. I agree, but not because it will replace pathologists. Its greatest opportunity is something far more important: democratizing expertise.

Our specialty has faced this challenge before. More than two decades ago, digital pathology promised to transform diagnosis, consultation, education, and collaboration. The technology was remarkable, but widespread adoption never matched its potential. Whole-slide scanners, proprietary software, storage requirements, and implementation costs placed digital pathology beyond the reach of many laboratories. Institutions with limited resources, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, were often excluded from a technology that could have benefited them the most.

We now stand at a similar crossroads with artificial intelligence.

If AI follows the same path, we will repeat history. The wealthiest institutions will move forward while others are left behind. Innovation should never widen disparities. It should narrow them.

Unlike the early years of digital pathology, many AI tools are already widely available through cloud-based platforms and require little infrastructure. For the first time, a pathologist in a community hospital may have access to educational resources, scientific literature, language support, and decision assistance that were once available only in major academic centers. That opportunity should not be wasted.

This belief has shaped my approach to leadership. Rather than focusing only on adopting AI, I focus on helping others use it responsibly. In my teaching and professional interactions, I encourage students and colleagues to view AI as an assistant, not an authority. Every output deserves critical evaluation, scientific verification, and clinical context. Technology should strengthen medical reasoning, never replace it.

I also believe that innovation becomes meaningful only when it is shared. Throughout my career in different healthcare systems, I have tried to bridge the gap between technology and education by promoting practical, accessible approaches that can be implemented regardless of institutional resources. My goal is to help future physicians and pathologists become thoughtful users of AI, capable of recognizing both its extraordinary potential and its important limitations.

Having practiced pathology in both resource-rich and resource-limited environments, I have learned that expertise is universal, but access is not. Outstanding pathologists can be found anywhere in the world. Too often, what limits them is not knowledge or commitment, but the availability of modern tools. We have an ethical responsibility to ensure that AI does not become another technology reserved for a privileged minority.

Leadership is not measured by who adopts the newest technology first. It is measured by who ensures that innovation reaches the people who need it most. Digital pathology taught us an important lesson. Transformative technology alone is not enough. Accessibility matters just as much.

AI gives pathology a second chance. We should use it to build a future in which geography and resources no longer determine who benefits from innovation. If we succeed, AI will not simply make excellent laboratories more efficient. It will help pathologists everywhere deliver better care. That, to me, is the true measure of innovation.