Digital Pathology Team

Dr. Tagmouti is a clinical pathologist from Casablanca, Morocco. She received her Medical Degree from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2015 and her certified pathologist title from Hospital del Mar in Barcelona (Universitat Pompeu Fabra).

Dr. Tagmouti worked as a surgical pathologist in a laboratory that offers pathology services in Wallonia and Brussels area. She has interests in breast pathology and gastrointestinal pathology.

Her work at CellCarta includes histopathological evaluations, study of biomarkers related to immune-oncology therapies, assay development, support of the validation of algorithms and digital image analyses.

Dr. Van Dam is a molecular pathologist who joined CellCarta in March 2018.

He received his medical degree from the University of Leuven in 2013 after which he obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Antwerp. His PhD research in Bioinformatics and Translational Oncology focused on the molecular, histopathological and radiologic profiling of the growth patterns of liver metastases in patients with metastatic cancer.

Dr. van Dam has strong interests in bioinformatics and data analysis, molecular diagnostics, translational oncology and data integration in the context of oncological clinical trials.
Apart from being molecular pathologist, Dr. van Dam also leads the bioinformatics team at CellCarta, supporting the genomics group and providing clinical data analysis capabilities.

Dr. Stanoeva came to CellCarta from the diagnostic pathology world challenged by the pathologist’s role and the impact of the pharmaceutical industry on the growing need of new responsibilities of pathologists in a field which links larger collaboration, provides feedback on pre-analytic factors, quality assurance, and develops testing algorithms.

It is a welcome work shift that allows her to play outside the routine pathology lab and inside oncology as a whole. She holds a PhD on placental changes in pathological pregnancies.

Dr. Peeters is a surgical pathologist who joined CellCarta in August 2018. He received his medical degree from the University of Antwerp in 2009 after which he obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences from the same university.

His PhD research focused on the isolation and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Peeters has strong interests in oncopathology, immuno-oncology, molecular pathology and digital pathology, including imaging analysis. Apart from his work at CellCarta, Dr. Peeters also works as a surgical pathologist for a clinical laboratory that provides pathology services for three hospitals in the wider Antwerp area.

Dr. Nakov works in CellCarta’s clinical pathology department. His area of expertise is in oncopathology, examining samples from the breast, the lung, and the urogenital and gastrointestinal systems.

He also specializes in neuroendocrine pathology. Previously, Dr. Nakov previously worked in the Department of Clinical Pathology in the Military Medical Academy of Bulgaria.
He has examined thousands of biopsy and cytology slides and regularly performed intraoperative express examinations and autopsies.

Dr. Fouad is an anatomic pathologist from Syria, working in CellCarta’s clinical pathology department since November 2017.

His areas of expertise include oncopathology, ENT pathology and hematopathology. Dr. Fouad previously worked from 2015-2017 at the UCL Saint-Luc University Hospital in Brussels.

He also has previous experience as chief of pathology in Saudi Arabia and assistant pathologist in Brugmann University Hospital in Brussels.

Dr. Gabriela Beniuga received in pathology certification in 2007 in Romania and has since been recognized for her work in Belgium.

She began her work in CellCarta in May 2022 and has experience in biomarker development for immuno-oncology.

Dr. Beniuga has further interests and expertise in gastrointestinal and uropathology.

Dr. Mitropoulou is a Surgical Pathologist who currently works in CellCarta’s pathology department with over 15 years of hospital-based experience.

She obtained her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Gr. T. Popa”, Iași, Romania (2002), and became a certified Pathologist in Athens, Greece (2016). She holds an MSc in Molecular and Applied Physiology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2015). In addition, she has pursued further professional development with specialized training in Health Services Organization and Management (2024) and Marketing Mix and Brand (2023), both through the Centre for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (K.E.DI.VI.M.) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Molecular Pathology practicum at Virginia Commonwealth University (2011), where she completed one year of specialized training.

Dr. Mitropoulou previously served as Chief Pathologist A at “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital in Athens for eight years. She has authored several scientific publications and actively participates in medical conferences, where she has presented her work and delivered lectures. She has also contributed as a trainer in postgraduate MSc programs.

Her areas of interest include digital, oncologic, and molecular pathology.

Dr. Djedaimi has been a recognized pathologist since 2015 and currently works in CellCarta’s pathology department. She has a strong background in skin and gynecological pathology.

Previously, she worked at UZ Brussel where she examined thousands of slides of breast and digestive pathology and regularly performed autopsies.

Dr. Ibrahim Kassem is a dedicated physician and pathologist with a strong passion for understanding human diseases. He obtained his medical degree from Lebanese University – Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) at Saint Luc Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, with a specialization in Pathology.

He enhanced his expertise through specialized training in soft tissue and bone pathology at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, affiliated with Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Dr. Kassem’s work integrates clinical practice with academic research, aiming to bridge the gap between scientific inquiry and patient care. His primary goal is to improve diagnostic accuracy and deepen the understanding of various diseases.

Dr. Avraam is a surgical pathologist from Greece who currently works in CellCarta’s pathology department.

Dr. Avraam attended the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) where he earned his medical degree in 2004 and received his title of certified pathologist in Athens (Greece) in 2011.

He obtained his PhD from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2012. Dr. Avraam received his postgraduate training in dermatopathology in 2016 at the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens where he also completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology.

His areas of expertise include oncopathology examining samples from the gastrointestinal, gynecological, and central nervous system and mainly from skin tumors especially melanoma Dr. Avraam previously worked as a military doctor in the Department of Pathology in the 251 Hellenic Air Force hospital where he examined thousands of biopsy slides of different organs.

Dr. Chintinne is a clinical pathologist based in Brussels, Belgium. She obtained her medical degree and board certification in Pathology from Free University of Brussels (VUB) and University Hospital of Brussels (UZB) in 2012, where she also completed a PhD in Medical Sciences.

Dr. Chintinne has a particular interest in breast, gynecological, and urological pathology. She further developed her subspecialty expertise at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels. She currently practices at the CMP-Cerbapath pathology laboratory in Anderlecht and serves as a consultant at the UZB, where she is involved in general surgical pathology and contributes to the education and supervision of pathology residents.

Dr. López is a surgical pathologist from Colombia who currently works in CellCarta’s pathology department.

She attended the Caldas University of Manizales (Colombia) where she received her medical degree in 2005 and her certified pathologist title from Cauca University (Popayan – Colombia) in 2012.

Dr. López received her master’s degree in molecular oncology from CEB Madrid in 2017. She has strong interests in oncopathology, molecular pathology, and digital pathology and has expertise in gastrointestinal biopsies.

Dr. Mark Kockx, co-founder of HistoGeneX Laboratories, was an internationally recognized pathologist-scientist whose pioneering work in biomarker analysis and personalized medicine helped shape the scientific mission that guides CellCarta today, and his contributions to cancer research have left a lasting mark on the field. As a devoted mentor and generous collaborator, Mark placed his colleagues, students, and patients at the heart of everything he did.

Dr. Zhang completed her medical education at Beijing Medical University and Capital Medical University.

She entered the pharmaceutical industry 12 years ago when a central lab set up the first anatomic pathology (AP) department in China.

Dr. Zhang’s oncology drug development journey began with a breast cancer study, followed by various tumor studies including NSCLC, GC, CRC, UC, DLBCL, etc. as well as many companion diagnostic studies.

The customers were top-30 global pharmaceutical companies with a gradual increasing presence of domestic Chinese companies.

Zheng Yuan is a surgical pathologist and joined CellCarta in June 2020. He completed his medical education from Baotou Medical College and obtained a PhD in Pathology from Peking University.

He worked as a pathologist in hospitals for 12 years, including 7 years in Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, engaged in diagnostic pathology and research, mainly solid tumor disease including lung, breast, thyroid, urinary, digestive tract and lymphoma etc. In addition, before joining CellCarta, he worked for 6 years in the Anatomical Pathology (AP) laboratory of global CRO, focusing on biomarker detection.

During this period, he was mainly responsible for establishing laboratory methodology, including analysis/verification various of IHC, ISH, and real-time PCR biomarkers used in targeted therapy and immunotherapy projects.

At the same time, he also participated in the evaluation of tumor markers for global and local clinical trials, including dozens of Companion Diagnostic studies.

Dr. Thompson is a surgical and hematopathologist who is board certified in anatomic pathology.

Dr. Thompson’s previous experience includes faculty positions at UC Irvine Medical School, Medical and Laboratory Director of Meyer Pharmaceuticals, Medical Director/Vice President of Technology Development at Impath, Medical Director of Oncotech, President and Medical Director of Pathogenesys, Medical Director of US LABS, Medical Director of Ambry Genetics, and Director of Hematopathology at Genoptix.

Dr. Thompson obtained his undergraduate degree from University of California Irvine with his medical degree and doctorate in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from University of California Irvine School of Medicine.

He completed his pathology residency at the Stanford, with additional fellowship training in molecular pathology at Stanford and hematopathology at University of California Schools of Medicine.

Dr. Bannykh is a board certified Anatomic and Clinical Pathologist.

She completed her post-graduate medical training in combined Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of California, San Diego, where she served as Chief Resident and went on to complete fellowship in surgical pathology.

Subsequently, she completed her oncologic pathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and has contributed to several publications.

Dr. Bannykh’s previous experiences include pharma services at NeoGenomics, staff pathologist at San Diego Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, senior staff pathologist, and surgical pathologist at Integrated Oncology/Labcorp.

Dr. Askren is a pathologist board certified in forensic, anatomic, and clinical pathology.

Dr. Askren’s previous experience includes being a Forensic Pathologist for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Dr. Askren received her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, Riverside. She graduated from the biomedical sciences program with an M.D. degree from UCLA.

She did a year of family medicine internship at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana. She completed her pathology residency at USC and her forensic pathology fellowship at the Los Angeles Department of Coroner.

After leaving forensic pathology, she completed a surgical pathology fellowship at Olive View – UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Gamez is board-certified in hematopathology, anatomics and clinical pathology.

Dr. Gamez’s previous experience includes Staff Hematopathologist and Assistant Laboratory Director for Plus Diagnostics, Staff Hematopathologist and Co-Laboratory Director at Specialty Laboratories, and Staff Pathologist at Georgetown University Hospital.

Dr. Gamez obtained both his undergraduate degree and M.D. from the University of Arizona.

He completed his pathology residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Phoenix, AZ), with additional fellowship training in hematopathology at Georgetown University Hospital and a Donald West King fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in pulmonary pathology.

Dr. Gamez also performed a rotation in lymph node pathology at the National Institute of Health /National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) under Dr. Elaine Jaffe.

Dr. Ehab A. ElGabry is a physician-executive with over 25 years of experience combining clinical practice, diagnostic medicine, and translational research in oncology and precision diagnostics. He holds board certification in pathology, with fellowship training in breast pathology and cytopathology at the University of Florida after completing residency training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Dr. ElGabry began his professional journey as a urologic oncology surgeon — a foundation that gave him first-hand insight into patient care and the critical need for precise diagnostics.

Over his career, he has held key leadership roles in diagnostic medicine:

• As Head of CDx Pathology and Senior Medical Director at Roche Tissue Diagnostics, he led the development of both digital and manual scoring algorithms and contributed to multiple FDA-approved companion diagnostics including PDL-1.
• He then served as Chief Medical Officer at Akoya Biosciences, where he guided translational research and clinical adoption strategies of spatial phenotyping technologies.
• Most recently, he led the U.S. Medical Affairs Diagnostics team at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. before joining CellCarta.

In addition to his corporate and clinical leadership, Dr. El-Gabry has been active in advancing the scientific community: he served on the ASCO/CAP Task Force for Predictive Immuno‑Oncology Biomarkers and is a co-author of the ICI Predictive Biomarker Summit proceedings. He also served on the board of the Digital Pathology Association. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and is a frequent speaker at national and international scientific workshops and conferences.

As CMO of CellCarta, Dr. El-Gabry brings his deep expertise in pathology, diagnostics, translational research, and biomarker-driven precision oncology to help steer CellCarta’s mission to support global biopharma partners in developing next-generation therapies with robust, clinically validated diagnostic and biomarker programs.

Dr. Vallera attended the University of Chicago, and earned a bachelor’s degree in the Biological Sciences.

He earned his medical degree at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also completed a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Following residency, he completed a Fellowship in Cytopathology and Fine Needle Aspiration pathology at the University of Illinois Medical Center with Dr. Richard Mac DeMay.

Dr. Vallera has been in private practice at AMITA Health Adventist Hinsdale and La Grange hospitals, Adventist Glen Oaks and Adventist Bolingbrook hospitals. He was the Regional Medical Director of the Adventist Midwest Laboratories from 2006 to 2019.

He has also served in many leadership roles for the Medical Staff and was President of the Medical Staff (Chief of Staff) for AMITA Health Adventist Hinsdale and La Grange hospitals. Dr. Vallera was the medical director of the Quintiles Westmont Illinois laboratory from 2005 to 2012. He has also been a hospital and laboratory surveyor for the Joint Commission International.

Dr. Garcia attended medical school in his home country Bogota, Colombia, and he completed his residency at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Dr. Garcia received his fellowships in clinical rheumatology and immunology at Tufts, in tumor pathology at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and in hematopathology at Stanford.

Dr. Garcia served as the chairman of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mercy Hospital, and he has worked with CellCarta since 2020 in general pathology and hematopathology.

His interests lie in pathology of bone marrow and lymphomas and their immune host reactions.

Dr. Dorothy Hayden obtained her medical doctorate at LSU Heath Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. She completed her pathology training at Ochsner Medical Foundation in New Orleans followed by a Surgical Pathology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Hayden has approximately 18 years of hospital-based pathology experience and has served as the Interim Medical Director of Ochsner Medical Foundation, Baton Rouge.

With a strong interest in cancer diagnosis and biology, Dr. Hayden took a position at Roche Molecular Solutions/Ventana in Tucson Arizona.

Dr. Hayden attained the level of Principal Pathologist and served as the franchise lead for PD-L1 SP263 as well as other biomarkers. She has experience in early assay development, scoring of clinical trial cases, scoring algorithm development, Companion Diagnostics, and FDA submissions.

She has a strong interest in digital pathology and has helped to pioneer the training platform used globally for clinical trials.

Impressed with CellCarta’s global presence and expertise in clinical trials, Dr. Hayden continued her interests in personalized healthcare by focusing on clinical trial scoring, assay development, and digital pathology.

Dr. Mary V. Schneck is an AP/CP Board certified pathologist (subspecialty board certified in cytopathology) with more than 31 years of diagnostic and applied research experience.

She attended the Perelman School of Medicine followed by residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also completed a fellowship in cytopathology.

She received her early training in immunohistochemistry as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute – NIH Research Scholar in the laboratory of Immunology and Tumor Biology at the NIH. Dr. Schneck went on to practice diagnostic surgical pathology and cytopathology for 27 years (with a special interest in gynecologic pathology) while maintaining a focus on biomarker analysis and molecular pathology.

Since 2016, she has dedicated her expertise to the discovery and validation of novel treatments as a CellCarta pathologist.