This International Pathology Day, meet the StageBio pathologists turning complex tissue findings into insight that moves programs forward.

Each November, International Pathology Day recognizes the vital role pathology plays in advancing human and animal health. At StageBio, it’s a chance to celebrate the team at the heart of what we do.

Behind every safety decision is a pathologist. In nonclinical development, our pathologists turn tissue findings into the insight sponsors need to move their programs forward. Their expertise spans neuropathology, medical devices, molecular pathology, infectious disease, and toxicologic pathology across a wide range of animal models.

To celebrate, we asked several of our pathologists the same question:

What key challenges in tissue evaluation can your specialist expertise help sponsors manage, avoid, and de-risk?

	Dr. Olivia Patania, DVM, PhD, DACVP Senior Pathologist “A primary challenge in antibody development is ensuring specificity of intended targets. My work in optimizing molecular pathology assays such as IHC, IF, and ISH, provides validation and interpretation of critical study endpoints, and helps sponsors correlate microscopic findings with other complex data sets.”
	Dr. Joy Gary, DVM, PhD, DACVP Senior Pathologist, Neuropathology “One of the key challenges in neuropathology is distinguishing treatment-related findings from background changes or those associated with disease models. My experience with gene therapies, animal models, and advanced techniques such as immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization helps sponsors better characterize tissue responses, understand treatment distributions, and generate reliable data to support their development programs.”
	Dr. Serge Rousselle, DVM, DACVP Pathologist “In medical device evaluation, the critical risk lies in misinterpreting complex tissue-host responses or failing to isolate material-induced changes from routine healing. Leveraging advanced histopathology, digital pathology, and image analytics, I help sponsors resolve nuanced tissue reactions, de-risk safety profiles, and streamline regulatory submission packages."
	Dr. Jaime Paulin, DVM, MS, DACVP Director of Pathology Solutions “In nonclinical development, unmitigated protocol or sampling oversights early on can compound into major regulatory hurdles downstream. By aligning trial design, histology workflows, and specialized scoring criteria at the outset, I help sponsors eliminate procedural risks, safeguard study timelines, and ensure robust, audit-ready pathology data."
	Brett Saladino, DVM, DACVP Senior Pathologist “Safety assessment requires rigorous microscopic data collection and clear interpretation of that data. In nonclinical safety and vaccine studies, distinguishing background findings from test-article toxicity can be challenging. My extensive toxicologic pathology experience across diverse animal models allows me to more clearly differentiate target-organ toxicity from background findings and provide accurate interpretation of data to support critical GLP safety assessments.”
	Dr. Shannon Kirejczyk, DVM, MPH, PhD, DACVP Senior Pathologist “Navigating complex infectious disease and translational models requires a deep understanding of pathogen-host interactions to avoid data misinterpretation. My background in molecular pathogenesis and immune-response profiling enables sponsors to accurately evaluate localized tissue inflammation, verify therapeutic efficacy, and mitigate safety risks in high-consequence disease models."

Meet the Rest of Our Team

These pathologists are just a few of the 20+ pathologists on StageBio’s team. Together, they bring the depth and range of expertise sponsors need to interpret complex findings with confidence.

To our pathologists: thank you for the care, curiosity, and expertise you bring to every study. Happy International Pathology Day!

Meet our full pathology team, or explore our pathology services to learn how our pathologists can support your next study.