New ethnographic film reveals the world of pathology and the role of artificial intelligence

On 10 May, the film Samples to Slides was screened during the Making Clinical Sense Fringe Festival. The day before, a short was presented at Lumière Cinema in Maastricht.

Samples to Slides

Samples to Slides follows various members of the pathology department at Radboudumc to gain insight into the knowledge, craft, and expertise required to do this work. This ethnographic film was developed by Megan Milota and Jojanneke Drogt. Milota is an university lecturer in Narrative Medicine at UMC Utrecht and a member of The New Utrecht School, an interdisciplinary platform for discussing the interaction between the health domain, the arts, and the sciences and humanities. Drogt is a PhD candidate at UMC Utrecht and is researching responsible implementation of AI in medical imaging specialisms.

The unknown world of pathology

Pathologists play a crucial role in diagnosing diseases, yet their labor remains largely invisible to most patients and even healthcare professionals. For example, how are tissue samples processed into images? How does a pathologist make a diagnosis? And what are the possible roles of new technologies such as artificial intelligence in these diagnostic processes?

To shed light on the daily work of pathologists and explore the potential role of AI in diagnostic processes, Samples to Slides takes viewers inside a Dutch pathology lab. The film showcases the intricate actions and behaviors of pathologists, highlighting the complex integration of skill, knowledge, and craftsmanship in practice. In addition to offering an eye-opening glimpse into the field of pathology, Samples to Slides also serves as a tool to stimulate meaningful debates and reflection about the uses of artificial intelligence in healthcare.