Leadership Team| Aperio

LEADING THROUGH INSIGHT AND INNOVATION.

Aperio ePathology Solutions – Passion Meets Purpose

David L. Schlotterbeck

Leadership at Aperio involves the interplay between insight and technological innovation. From the onset, Aperio has continually demonstrated both. Aperio recognized the growing demand for pathology services and the global lack of access to expertise. Identifying analog processes as a major impediment to progress in both healthcare and life science, we were the first to develop the technology to transform microscopic glass slides into whole slide digital images, eSlides. This served as the catalyst for a series of Aperio firsts, technological advancements that optimize the management, sharing, and analysis of eSlides and their associated information, and led to the creation of ePathology Solutions, including eSlide Manager, NETWORK, and PRECISION. Our strategic partnerships with leading companies such as Dell, Defineins, and others ensure that our clients are equipped with the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art ePathology solutions available. It is all part of the Aperio mission to help organizations optimize their pathology operations for transparency, consistency, and efficiency to support patient care, personalized medicine, and research. Our journey from insight to innovation continues; keep pace with us.

An interview with Dave Schlotterbeck, Aperio Chairman and CEO

David L. Schlotterbeck has been the Chief Executive Officer of Aperio since November 2011.

Mr. Schlotterbeck served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CareFusion Corporation until January 29, 2011, when he officially announced his retirement.

Q. I understand that after your retirement, you were appointed to the Aperio Board of Directors in May of 2011. Why did you decide to come back into the business world as Chairman and CEO of Aperio?
A. As a Board Member, I learned about the importance of pathology, the challenges facing pathology, and developed a passion for being part of the solution. I stepped back into a full-time leadership role because of my excitement about the opportunity for Aperio to deliver ePathology solutions that can positively transform the practice of pathology.

Q. You have considerable operational experience building and leading successful organizations that provide innovative technology-based solutions to hospitals and other healthcare institutions. What makes Aperio unique to the marketplace?
A. For over a decade, Aperio has pioneered technology advances that made digital pathology possible, and have an impressive list of “firsts” in this industry. Aperio has transported pathology into the ePathology age. What makes us unique is that we are entirely focused on developing ePathology solutions that can automate and expedite pathology’s ability to play a central role in patient care.

Q. How will ePathology help pathologists be a part of the patient care team?
A. We’re bringing pathology from behind the scenes to center stage. We see this as a big need and think it is increasingly important for three reasons. First, while pathology has always played a critical role in identifying disease, we see the importance of pathology increasing steadily as new diagnostic methods and targeted therapies deliver on the promise of personalized medicine.

The second reason is that there is a significant global imbalance of skilled pathology resources. Pathologists everywhere are under pressure to accomplish more with fewer resources and without technology – they are not going to be able to meet the growing needs.

The third reason is that healthcare organizations are investing in the creation of patients’ electronic health records (EHR), and are recognizing the advantage of capturing electronic data and images in all areas, including pathology, which is often the foundation for patient treatment decisions.

Q. Do you think that the adoption of ePathology is on the horizon?
A. Just as has already happened in radiology, we believe technology can make a significant contribution to improving the current labor and time-intensive processes of current pathology practice and speed the process of reviewing and disseminating pathology findings to other members of the patient’s care team.

Q. What is the main focus for Aperio in the future?
A. From the onset our sole focus has been on pathology and this will continue to be our mission. Leveraging insights from our experiences working with customers, understanding the science, the processes, and the challenges that organizations and specific team members face, we will continue to advance our solutions to enable healthcare organizations to attain unprecedented levels of efficiency, productivity, and collaboration.