What are your main responsibilities? What does a typical week look like for you?
As a medical doctor, I am part of Team Pathology at Aignostics. We provide expert annotations and validation of histopathological slide images to help our machine learning teams train AI models to make medically accurate decisions. As specialized medical professionals in a predominantly technical company, my role is crucial in ensuring our AI solutions can effectively analyze tissue samples for clinical applications.
My typical day begins with walking my dog, then checking messages from colleagues in different time zones. Mornings involve project check-ins that generate my task list, while afternoons are dedicated to completing specialized work and connecting with my team. I handle essential in-house responsibilities that require pathology expertise, including annotations, model review and error identification. I also prepare client presentations and provide final sign-off on models before they advance to the next development stage. Our work involves collaborating with the team to help develop AI products that typically span several months from concept to completion. Client meetings typically occur in the afternoons to accommodate global time differences, often generating additional tasks that require medical expertise.
What is a recent challenge that your team overcame that you're particularly proud of?
I'm particularly proud of our ongoing effort to systematically organize the metadata associated with our slide images. In the past, we prioritized quick project setup, which meant our metadata systems evolved naturally over time as we added new slide collections but were never as standardized as we’d like them to be. Now, we're establishing a structured framework for the diverse medical information accompanying our images - including organ sources, cancer types, tumor characteristics, and patient demographics.
A significant challenge has been the inconsistent level of detail we have on the pathology metadata for samples sourced from our network. To address this, we've developed standardized anatomical reference lists by cataloging all possible tissue sources in the human body and are implementing the International Code of Diseases as a universal classification system that works across languages and regions. This metadata standardization represents a significant advancement in how we organize and utilize our medical image database, which will ultimately improve our AI model development process.
What is an impactful skill that you developed since joining the team that you did not expect?
Coming from a hospital environment, my interactions with engineering teams were limited. I really only interacted with IT when I had an issue. Whether my computer wouldn't start, my software crashed, or the internet was slow, there was one magical phone number that I could call and all my problems were solved.
When starting my work at Aignostics, I realized that there is so much more to engineering than just IT. There is infrastructure, front end, back end, product, data scientists, machine learners and probably much more. When collaborating with teams across Aignostics, I had to learn to diagnose the issue and determine which team was the right one to work with. I guess you could say I’m expanding my diagnostic skills from medicine to computer science as well.
This process of technical troubleshooting and knowing who to contact for what type of problem was completely unexpected but has become essential for working effectively in such a tech-focused environment.
What is your favorite part about working at Aignostics?
Flexibility and team spirit. Having served in a hospital where work starts early, on-site, and doesn’t allow for extended breaks, I enjoy having flexible times and working locations. I can walk my dog in the morning or at noon depending on our needs, and I actually have time to eat lunch - something that wasn't always possible in a hospital setting.
Yet even though we are a company of hybrid and flexible workers, it does not result in feeling isolated. Because of the team culture, I feel like I am part of a great community with helpful, respectful, and dedicated colleagues. This incredibly diverse team environment is especially meaningful to me. Coming from a traditional medical setting where most colleagues shared similar backgrounds and we all spoke the same medical language, I find the multidisciplinary nature of Aignostics particularly enriching. Here, there's a vibrant culture of people with different training, backgrounds from various countries, diverse upbringings, cultures, professions, and specialties. This creates a melting pot that I find genuinely fulfilling.
The combination of work flexibility and this rich diversity of colleagues makes for a work environment that I truly value and enjoy.
How would you describe your team in just three emojis?
🔬🕵️😊
The microscope represents our profession's foundation - while we don't actually use traditional microscopes in our digital work anymore, it still symbolizes the investigative nature of pathology and what we're known for.
The detective captures how we're constantly searching for patterns and anomalies, especially when training AI models to identify medical conditions in tissue images. This investigative mindset is central to everything we do.
Finally, the smiley face reflects our team spirit and culture. Despite working with complex technical challenges, we maintain an enjoyable, collaborative environment where people genuinely like working together.
These three together represent both our professional expertise in medical investigation and the human qualities that make our team supportive and successful.