Summary
The CAP Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation (CIPI) launched the CIPI Connections podcast, focusing on informatics in pathology. The podcast, featuring episodes on various topics, aims to educate and introduce listeners to pathology innovators and thought leaders. CIPI is also considering adding video to the podcast to enhance communication of complex concepts.
Editors: Raymond D. Aller, MD & Dennis Winsten
Path informatics podcast series covers array of topics
January 2026—Innovation and problem solving have always been strong suits of M. E. de Baca, MD, chair of the CAP Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation, or CIPI.
So it’s no surprise that in her role as CIPI chair, Dr. de Baca and some of her CAP colleagues developed the informatics-focused podcast CIPI Connections, which was launched last August and had featured four episodes as of CAP TODAY press time, with more on the way.
“We’re trying to be informative and practical, offering novelties that aren’t in the usual routine day job for most pathologists,” says Dr. de Baca, who is also vice president for medical affairs at Sysmex America. “These podcast episodes let people know of new things that are important, why they’re important, and the value they bring to medicine and patients. I hope it gives listeners an easy entrée to learn what we’re doing.”
The newest of the CAP’s six councils, CIPI was formed in November 2022 to, among other directives, “provide informatics domain information and expertise to the CAP in furtherance of its programs and mission.”
To that end, members of the five CIPI committees—Artificial Intelligence, Cancer, Digital and Computational Pathology, Informatics, and Pathology Electronic Reporting—are contributing to the podcast. The podcast episodes themselves are short—20 minutes at most—and are available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, and the CAP website. Podcast guests and hosts interact in a conversational setting. Air dates are fluid as the podcast gains traction, but episodes have been slated for release through 2026 thus far (box).
Each of CIPI’s five committees suggested at least two topics that connect listeners with the leaders and technology shaping the future of pathology, and additional subject matter has been proposed as well. “Everyone has a different experience and different needs, which we hope to accommodate,” Dr. de Baca says.
In the initial podcast episode, which aired in August, Dr. de Baca and her podcast co-host, Giovanni Lujan, MD, director of clinical informatics and director of the digital and computational pathology division at Ohio State University, introduced CIPI Connections and described the council’s mission. (Dr. Lujan was a member of the CAP Digital and Computational Pathology Committee at that time.)
In addition to educating CAP members, part of Dr. de Baca’s goal is to introduce them to pathology innovators and thought leaders, such as dermatopathologist Rajendra Singh, MD, founder of the pathology-focused image-sharing platform PathPresenter and a recipient of the CAP Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Singh was a guest on the second podcast episode, “Driving Innovation in Pathology.” “Sometimes it’s helpful hearing about what other professionals have experienced,” Dr. de Baca says.