210: Why Partnerships Matter in Digital Pathology with Hamamatsu

 Why does digital pathology adoption move faster in some places than others? 

In this USCAP 2026 conversation, I sat down with Robert Moody and Fumiya Fuji from Hamamatsu to talk about what the conference theme, MAKING CONNECTIONS, really looks like in practice. This was not just a scanner conversation. It was a workflow conversation. 

We talked about why digital pathology has shifted from a scanner-first mindset to a solution-first one, and why that matters for labs trying to build workflows that actually work. Robert explained why partnerships now need to happen earlier, with software, hardware, and execution teams involved from the start. Fumiya added a global perspective, comparing adoption drivers across the US, Japan, Europe, and Canada, and explaining why local support systems, ROI, geography, and government backing can all change the pace of adoption.  

One point I especially liked was this: digital pathology is not one product. It is an ecosystem. And if one component fails, the whole workflow can break down. That is why connected thinking matters so much right now. This episode is really about how companies, labs, and partners are learning to work more like a team.  

Key highlights 

• [00:00] Why MAKING CONNECTIONS fits digital pathology so well 
• [01:37] Why partnerships matter beyond the scanner 
• [04:29] The shift from scanner-first to solution-first
• [04:58] How adoption differs across the US, Japan, Europe, and Canada 
• [09:01] Why global collaboration inside Hamamatsu matters 
• [10:50] How partnerships move from paper to real-world execution 
• [12:55] Why does the USCAP show floor show a more connected industry 
• [14:37] Why the next phase of digital pathology depends on interoperability and connected workflows

Transcript

00;00;00;08 - 00;00;13;20

Aleksandra

Welcome my trailblazers. This is an interview at USCAP 2026 and I have experts from Hamamatsu. Welcome. I have Robert Moodie with me and Fumi at Fuji. How are you guys today?

00;00;13;21 - 00;00;14;16

Robert

Well, today.

00;00;14;16 - 00;00;15;26

Fuji

Thank you. Good. Thanks.

00;00;15;29 - 00;00;42;27

Aleksandra

So the theme of the conference is making connections. And, in digital pathology, it is very important because whoever tried to embark on the digital pathology journey, you know that it's not just a scanner. Even though Hamamatsu is a company that provides scanners and. But it's a lab, brother. And we're going to be talking about making connections from our guest perspective.

00;00;43;00 - 00;00;57;17

Aleksandra

But before we do that, let's let's start with you guys. Let me, give the trailblazers a little bit of background who you are. What's your expertise in Hamamatsu? So that we know what perspectives are you going to be evaluating today?

00;00;57;19 - 00;01;09;05

Robert

I'm Robert Moody. I'm the strategic accounts manager, which essentially means I manage partnerships, within and within Hamamatsu and for digital pathology, specifically Fuji.

00;01;09;11 - 00;01;32;00

Fuji

Yes. I'm from the Fuji. I'm business development manager. At the Hamamatsu Corporation. Us. But I transfer from Hamamatsu headquarter, two years ago. So I'm looking connect again. Connecting company to company, meaning like a US entity to Hamamatsu headquarter.

00;01;32;03 - 00;01;59;20

Aleksandra

That's agile. This is going to be a super important perspective because the headquarters of Hamamatsu is in Japan. So Japan and us, I don't know if we could pick two more different countries. And yet the connections necessary to make digital pathology happen. So, Robert, I'm going to ask the first question to you. From, like, why does it matter to, have these partnerships?

00;01;59;22 - 00;02;05;02

Aleksandra

We know it's not just the scanner. But why does it matter?

00;02;05;05 - 00;02;24;04

Robert

Well, I think for those of us that have been through a digital transformation, we realized that the often overlooked part of it is that is the connections. As you said, it's the integration. And the only way we can do that really is with partnerships. Scanners happen to be the first part of a digital workflow, but it's critical to have software.

00;02;24;05 - 00;02;29;09

Robert

And and it involved very early.

00;02;29;11 - 00;02;49;04

Aleksandra

Is it more important now than it was before or is there more awareness? Do we have more like people embarking on this journey? To me, at the beginning it was like, which scanner? Now it's more about how do we want to set up this workflow? Do you see it that way as well?

00;02;49;06 - 00;02;51;06

Robert

I do, I think it was always important.

00;02;51;09 - 00;02;51;27

Aleksandra

00;02;52;08 - 00;02;56;08

Robert

I think we've learned a lot from from those of us and not.

00;02;56;08 - 00;02;57;13

Aleksandra

Doing it well from.

00;02;57;13 - 00;03;15;02

Robert

Not doing it. We've had a number of people that have done this at scale now, and that's where the learning happens I think. And so as I said the scanner is the is the first component in that workflow. But it's certainly not the only. And we realize it's not the most difficult part for the deployment. So these integrations have always been important.

00;03;15;04 - 00;03;19;14

Robert

But we're now realizing that they need to be thought about early.

00;03;19;16 - 00;03;45;20

Aleksandra

So you mentioned people did it at scale. They learned their lessons. But you are now those who are initiating those partnerships with your partners. Why why is it important that the vendors, the providers of different digital pathology components, work on this and not the clients you just said the clients or the digital pathology trailblazers, the centers, the labs.

00;03;45;27 - 00;03;52;18

Aleksandra

They figured it out. But now kind of the shift is happening at the words you.

00;03;52;21 - 00;04;11;28

Robert

I think that's right. I think it's a value add service, frankly. It helps to bring more people to the table so that the deployment can be seamless. The other truth is, you know, at Hamamatsu, we always want to think about our customers. Customer. In this case, that would mean the patient and the patient benefits most from having us bring these things to the hospitals.

00;04;11;28 - 00;04;24;24

Robert

And the reason for that is 60% of the hospital beds in America are at small regional hospitals. And so in order to be able to deploy into those arenas, we need to do that, and we need to do so with partners.

00;04;24;27 - 00;04;46;01

Aleksandra

So like when somebody comes to you to look for the scanner, do you like, does it matter who your partner is or do they ask you about the partners. How do you like communicate this option that there's a workflow that there's a partnership. Do they ask you for specific partners?

00;04;46;03 - 00;05;09;16

Robert

It's an interesting question, but truthfully, by the time someone's come to talk to us about scanners, they're also probably talking to people about software. So they usually tell us what they would like to do. In most cases, you know, partners of ours will bring us into into the fold after they've already initiated conversations. So where is, I think maybe five years ago, it was probably a scanner first and decide what the software is second.

00;05;09;17 - 00;05;11;18

Robert

I think that paradigm has shifted.

00;05;11;20 - 00;05;21;07

Fuji

Yeah. So in the first place, they don't require a scanner itself. They are requiring solutions that that's the changing last five years dramatically. Yes.

00;05;21;10 - 00;05;46;15

Aleksandra

Interesting. And I want to highlight this word, solution because it's, it's no more just like one part of the digital pathology solution, because it's a full thing that needs to happen before it can give the result that the give the digital image, be used in the labs in general. For the question to you.

00;05;46;17 - 00;05;49;04

Aleksandra

Now, you have been working in the US for two years now.

00;05;49;05 - 00;05;53;03

Fuji

Yeah, but before that I was working, in Japan 16 years.

00;05;53;05 - 00;05;53;20

Aleksandra

00;05;53;23 - 00;05;57;26

Fuji

And then most of the time I spent for them digital pathology. Yes. Yeah.

00;05;57;28 - 00;06;25;09

Aleksandra

Before we do that, digital pathology, deep dive. What are the main like? Is there one main difference. Cultural difference. One main thing that you thought oh this is like so different, even though you probably watch the US, US movies because I'm from Poland and I went to that when like a funny thing that, I saw when I came to Pennsylvania and I looked at these houses, I'm like, they're like from the movies.

00;06;25;11 - 00;06;31;00

Aleksandra

So it was. It was just funny. Did you have something like that? First.

00;06;31;00 - 00;06;59;22

Fuji

Yeah. I don't have the culture shock, actually. However, I've seen, like, American people tend to be like, people like efficiency. That's my. Someone else about it. So they, eager, some people very eager to accept, innovations such as new technologies. But some people are able to have their good efficiency. That's not my impression.

00;06;59;24 - 00;07;03;26

Fuji

I don't know where it's come from, actually, but I've seen that efficiency.

00;07;03;26 - 00;07;28;18

Aleksandra

Okay, so that's interesting. Because before this interview, we were talking about, like, different systems, how we want to be efficient. I wasn't that efficient with setting up the camera. So, okay, so that's like something cultural. Do you have any differences or did you notice any differences in the needs of the, Japanese customers versus needs of U.S customers?

00;07;28;20 - 00;07;58;20

Fuji

Yes. I think it's just matter of, adaptation of digital pathology speed. So obviously us is, Yeah. Sorry. Europe is much earlier. Adapt in terms of digital pathology and the US is comes next. And then accelerate adaptation speed quickly. Right. Japan is starting earlier. However, the the motivation is not that high for the, like a diagnostic purpose.

00;07;58;20 - 00;08;36;19

Fuji

It's more like a currently Japan is for archiving or the consultation that that's the main purpose. Now date to us, changing to, you know, diagnostic world. However, it takes a long time. And then this adaptation comes from, I believe governmental support is to be in France, in Europe, Japan. So that that's huge difference from states. States has of course ROI is key factors people thinks but not strong governmental support.

00;08;36;22 - 00;08;43;13

Fuji

That's my understanding. That's a big difference from Japan and states.

00;08;43;16 - 00;08;46;05

Aleksandra

I'm thinking how it is in the euro. I don't think.

00;08;46;05 - 00;08;51;10

Unknown

There is like a mandate to do it.

00;08;51;12 - 00;09;01;20

Aleksandra

But definitely the, it depends on the country because the UK is very advanced. They have national initiatives, right. Poland not only.

00;09;01;24 - 00;09;05;04

Fuji

Yeah, yeah, but the Nordic countries.

00;09;05;07 - 00;09;14;04

Aleksandra

Generally exact Nordic countries because of the remote areas. Yes. So it's it depends on the country. So interesting.

00;09;14;09 - 00;09;16;01

Robert

Canada is a fast adopter as well.

00;09;16;02 - 00;09;41;03

Aleksandra

Exactly. And from like the digital pathology history, this is where the pathology services started. It was Norway and Canada because there were it was not possible to have pathologists evaluate to that side. So basically, because of the necessity, and so this is about, the customers about how the, how digital pathology is implemented across countries.

00;09;41;03 - 00;10;07;24

Aleksandra

But, how does your experience, help that interconnectedness within Hamamatsu? Because, the company is in Japan, the realities for digital pathology are different in different countries. How like inside of the company, in your team, with your colleagues. How do you think this experience is going to translate into being more connected?

00;10;07;26 - 00;10;39;19

Fuji

Yep. I think ten years ago it was we tried to sell or market the product. Utd regions. We tried, but now it's the moment like talking about global. So now Raul is talking to European colleagues a lot, talking to Japanese colleagues a lot to sharing. And also we learned a lot from European team. And then we sometimes using the materials we defining the materials or vice versa.

00;10;39;19 - 00;11;02;16

Fuji

So it's just talking about the all about global globalization. And same thing for them. Partnership. So we talking about globally who is that good partner. Who can be a good partners, things like that. That's daily basis discussion for us. Now good. All about discussion.

00;11;02;18 - 00;11;34;13

Aleksandra

I think just being connected within the company so that you guys know how your product is going to serve the world basically. And then having connections with outside partners is going to very much accelerate the adoption. Because the people who are doing digital pathology, they kind of know all the players. But when a new lab is entering the space, maybe there is going to be a regulation in the country where, like a lot of people have to do it at the same time.

00;11;34;15 - 00;12;03;14

Aleksandra

You having your connections, is going to be crucial to, to speed up, accelerate the adoption. So I'm very excited about that. I'm super excited about the topic of the conference. To make connections, I want to personally make a lot of connections as well. Before, we finish, I want to ask one more questions because, one more question to both of you, actually, because partnerships begin on paper.

00;12;03;16 - 00;12;21;24

Aleksandra

How do they actually happen in real life? Like, what's the process? How do you just start a partnership for real, other than just, you know, signing or designing something on paper?

00;12;21;26 - 00;12;47;09

Robert

I think we've shifted that much. Just even within Hamamatsu in that it did start on paper, and then it was sort of left to people to execute. The way we run partnerships now is we have the people that are going to be doing the execution phase as part of the design phase. And so I think it's mission critical to have the people that are going to be actually putting these products together as bundles and creating full blown solutions for, for customers.

00;12;47;11 - 00;12;57;05

Robert

They have to be at the table at very, very early inception. So what does it look like? First you have to build it before you can actually tell somebody about it and get it excited. You get people.

00;12;57;05 - 00;13;04;17

Aleksandra

Excited, but you have to have it working in the real lab. So it's a lot of a lot of effort and a lot of hands on the.

00;13;04;17 - 00;13;21;29

Robert

Work in coordination. Because when we're talking about building a solution, remember, we're talking about three, sometimes four different companies. Right. And so it's not just plugging things together that all come from Hamamatsu. It's working with all of our partners to make sure that things work together in an integrated way. Because if any one component fails you, the whole system breaks down.

00;13;22;01 - 00;13;22;18

Robert

00;13;22;21 - 00;13;54;02

Aleksandra

And this is not the first time, we are talking about this together because two US caps ago, we had a video on like, full workflow for digital, pathology workflow with a partner. And this partner is going to join us in the next episode of the podcast. So anything you want the trailblazers to take away from our interview and from the conference?

00;13;54;04 - 00;14;07;22

Aleksandra

Because many of you are now at the US cafe. So if you are here, join us at both 312 and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Saturday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Any specific takeaways?

00;14;07;24 - 00;14;28;08

Robert

Yeah. I think the show floor could be really informative for everybody, not just our booth, but because there's so much digital pathology this year at US cafe. It's a great way to understand how these companies are interconnected, and you'll find connectivity between all of us. I think we're more working as a team together in this industry, rather than as individual companies with individual products that are competing with one another.

00;14;28;11 - 00;14;33;01

Robert

Everybody's working together, and so you'll want to visit everybody.

00;14;33;03 - 00;14;41;27

Fuji

Yeah. I think again, scanner is one of the essential component for digital pathology. And then use.

00;14;41;29 - 00;14;44;09

Aleksandra

You know, digital pathology with those scanners.

00;14;44;09 - 00;15;17;28

Fuji

Exactly. So, so yeah. And then obviously you, you see on the exhibition floor, you will see some of several our scanners with partners, which is promising. Showing some data sets. And there are so, of partners with Hamamatsu happy to discuss. And in, some conversations about future deployment or future goals, motivations. Yeah. That's we will see next three days.

00;15;18;04 - 00;15;18;21

Fuji

00;15;18;23 - 00;15;46;07

Aleksandra

And I know you guys as a team have meetings scheduled with other teams and like, people from different booths are going to, to see each other's solutions to start these conversations, which is, I think the next phase of digital pathology, because historically, and there is still the legacy of that of different formats of, not everything being compatible.

00;15;46;10 - 00;16;09;25

Aleksandra

I think we very much collectively want to overcome that hurdle and, be connected. Digital pathology. Thank you so much for joining me. If you are at us, Cop, the experts are going to be available at both three, one two Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or in other places because they're going to be connecting as well. Thank you so much for listening.

00;16;09;25 - 00;16;12;10

Aleksandra

And I talk to you on the next episode. Thank you so much.

00;16;12;12 - 00;16;16;04

Fuji

Thank you so much. Okay.