Beyond the Scope Scott Blakely, 2026 DPA President & Hamamatsu
Feb 16, 2026
Scott Blakely, Product Development and Marketing Manager at Hamamatsu and incoming 2026 DPA president, brings expertise in quantitative microscopy and standards. He talks about engaging diverse stakeholders across healthcare, AI’s transformative role, the urgent need for standardization and interoperability, and a vision for global access to pathology expertise.
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From Microscopy To Leading A Scanner Product
- Scott Blakely transitioned from quantitative light microscopy into digital pathology after Hamamatsu introduced the NanoZoomer slide scanner.
- He led the product line, learned regulatory and standards work, and found the shift from academic microscopy to medical workflow a steep but rewarding learning curve.
Stakeholder Diversity Is An Ongoing Requirement
- The DPA must continuously expand stakeholder engagement because digital pathology is rapidly evolving and new critical voices keep emerging.
- Scott called out missing perspectives like oncologists and EMR/LIS companies as essential to integrate for holistic personalized medicine workflows.
Use AI To Augment Not Replace Practice
- Treat AI (including generative AI) as a tool to extend pathologists' capabilities rather than a replacement for jobs.
- Scott urges professionals to rethink workflows and use new tools to become better than they were yesterday, not fear obsolescence.