OPINION

​As we enter a new chapter in British politics with the recent Labour government taking office, a new agenda of the day is being set out. New Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting’s aim to make ‘the UK a life sciences and medical technology superpower’ emphasises the importance of leveraging technology and data to improve healthcare.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications hold the promise to transform the detection and diagnosis of diseases. Offering the potential for increased efficiency, accuracy, and faster screening for conditions such as breast, bowel and cervical cancer. As pathology departments across the country explore the digitisation of slides, integrating AI into their workflows offers the chance to rapidly enrich and improve diagnostics.

In May 2024, the UK released its second Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Action Plan. Created by the health agencies of England and the devolved administrations, along with DEFRA and DEARA (NI), the plan aspires to set out “ambitions and actions for the next five years in support of the 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)”.

Dr John Tyson is head of the North East Innovation Lab. With a PhD in molecular genetics, John started his career in academic research and has ten years’ experience in the development of molecular assays and medical devices. He has led the development of in-vitro diagnostic tests on a novel point-of-care platform as well as the development of underlying technologies. John has also established and managed the delivery of a range of molecular testing services in a commercial laboratory.

We should be proud of the NHS’s position as a research powerhouse. As a nation we have built one of the richest datasets in the world, representing our diverse population and underpinned by a national cradle-to-grave model. Couple this with clinical and academic expertise in genomics, medical imaging, and digital pathology, the future potential is astounding.

Academic careers can be tricky to navigate as the path, although laid out in theory, can take many twists and turns. Jobs, opportunities and progression may be less guaranteed than in the world of clinical histopathology.

Barbara De la Salle PhD is a consultant clinical scientist and Director of the UK NEQAS Haematology external quality assessment scheme.

Rahul Kapoor is Director of MedTech at CPI. Rahul’s experience has seen him hold senior positions at Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, Unilever, and digital health SME, Medic Spot Ltd. Rahul is an alumnus of the London Business School and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Dr (hc) Neil Bentley OBE is an experienced biomedical scientist with over 40 years of science, management, and leadership experience within the field of pathology and public health.

Tony Cambridge is Lead Biomedical Scientist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and Managing Director of Thornhill Healthcare Events and Consultancy. He frequently speaks at national and international healthcare events and is a key opinion leader for point-of-care testing, organising his own national events throughout the year

Richard Stubbs is Chief Executive of the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and Vice-Chair of the AHSN Network; he has been an NHS Assembly member since March 2019. Amy Lochtie has been an NHS Assembly member since January 2019 and is West Yorkshire Innovation Hub Director for the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network and West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Thomas Hughes-Waage is Head of Partnership Development at NHS England, having held the same role at Health Education England since 2020, up until April 2023 when HEE was merged with NHS England. He has worked in the NHS in policy positions since 2016, prior to which he was at the Department of Health, where he rose to the position of Private Secretary to the Secretary of State.

Bethany Williams is the Lead for Training and Education at the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) based in Leeds. A pathologist by background, she has spent the last eight years working exclusively in the field of digital pathology deployment and research.