ACHENTX & Quest Diagnostics Networking Event: Digital Pathology & AI in Lab

ACHE of North Texas & Quest Diagnostics

Bridging innovation & diagnostics, we are bringing together industry leaders to explore the future of digital pathology in the lab.

Quest Diagnostics

Join ACHENTX and Quest Diagnostics for a high-impact networking event featuring a dynamic panel on digital pathology and AI in the lab – where you’ll gain real-world insights, connect with forward-thinking leaders, and explore how emerging technologies are reshaping diagnostics, driving efficiency, and improving patient outcomes. Moderator: Jared Lange, FACHEVice President, Operational TransformationParkland Health Panelists: Viv Babber, MDCEOLean Six Intelligence Group Dr. Mark KruzelMedical Director for Oncology and Consumer-Initiated TestingQuest Diagnostics Joel Soto, MT (ASCP)Director, Laboratory ServicesMethodist Mansfield Hospital Monisha VeerapaneniAI Governance &amp; Enterprise Transformation LeaderAuthor/Podcast Host A big thanks to Quest Diagnostics for hosting this event for us! Light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be available. Speakers' Bios: Dr. Viv Babber is a physician leader and AI governance and responsible AI strategist with over 20 years of clinical and healthcare leadership experience. She holds advanced certifications in AI Medicine and AI Ethics, and has earned the AI Governance Professional (AIGP) designation from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. She has achieved a unique, visionary, and forward-thinking milestone with ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor certification for global AI management systems (AIMS), positioning her among early leaders shaping the adoption of a rapidly emerging standard that supports structured AI governance, AI risk management, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance for organizations deploying AI.A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Dr. Babber applies a disciplined, systems-driven approach grounded in process optimization, risk reduction, and operational efficiency to help healthcare systems, life sciences, and digital health companies implement safe, scalable, and compliant healthcare AI and enterprise AI solutions, including EHR-integrated AI. As an educator, advisor, and speaker, she positions AI governance as critical infrastructure, guiding medical and legal professionals to strengthen trust, safeguard privacy, and ensure safe, accountable AI adoption in high-stakes, high-trust environments. She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and has been recognized as an AI75 Impact Innovator among leading AI voices in North Texas for advancing responsible, enterprise-ready AI. A trusted thought leader, her articles and AI On Call newsletter deliver clear, executive-level insights that inform decision-making across AI governance, compliance, and AI risk. Mark Kruzel, MD, MBA serves as Medical Director for Oncology and Consumer-Initiated Testing at Quest Diagnostics. In these roles, he leads strategic efforts to expand access to high-quality diagnostics and advance precision medicine. In his consumer-initiated testing work, Dr. Kruzel focuses on designing clinically responsible patient-centered testing models that empower individuals while maintaining strong integration with the clinician care continuum. His approach reflects a nuanced understanding of the patient–physician relationship alongside a sophisticated appreciation for the operational, financial, and strategic dimensions—the business and the art—of modern medicine.Dr. Kruzel also serves as a medical liaison to the organization’s national payers, partnering on reimbursement strategy and evidence development to support coverage for clinically actionable testing pathways. His work spans the full diagnostic lifecycle—from assay development, validation and clinical utility—while emphasizing appropriate utilization and the implementation of guideline-driven care pathways.Deeply committed to improving health outcomes, Dr. Kruzel is particularly passionate about expanding equitable access to diagnostics for underserved populations. He is passionate about advancing testing pathways that are precise, efficient, and capable of informing meaningful clinical decisions.With extensive experience across research and industry, Dr. Kruzel has managed an FDA clinical trial site and contributed to the commercialization of a novel therapeutic within a startup environment. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and presented at regional and national conferences, and he continues to pursue scholarship focused on diagnostic access, payer engagement, and innovative testing models.He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Dr. Kruzel earned his medical degree from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Jared Lange, FACHE, joined Parkland Health &amp; Hospital System in March 2019 as an Administrator and was subsequently promoted to Director of Business Sustainability and Development before assuming his current role as Vice President of Operational Transformation. In this capacity, he oversees several enterprise-wide non-clinical support functions, including Labor Optimization and Operational Excellence, Operations Data Services, the Enterprise Project Management Office, the Ambulatory Operations Business Office, and the Patient Access Center. Prior to joining Parkland, Jared held consulting and operational leadership roles across the healthcare industry. He served as a Senior Operations Consultant at CallisonRTKL, where he helped define future-state operational processes to support the conceptual design of a new healthcare facility. Earlier in his career, Jared spent seven years with Crothall Healthcare in a variety of hospital support service leadership roles nationwide. Jared earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wabash College and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Dallas. He also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Jared serves as a Board Member and Officer for the ACHE of North Texas Chapter and is President of the Wabash College DFW Alumni Board of Governors. Joel Soto, Sr. serves as Director of Laboratory and Pathology Operations at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of clinical science and executive leadership, Joel has built a reputation for walking into complex, high-stakes environments and improving them — operationally, culturally, and strategically. As a senior laboratory executive within Methodist Health System, Joel has been consistently reliable in closing the gap between vision and execution. He has rebuilt teams from the ground up, redesigned workflows, driven measurable clinical outcomes, and repositioned the laboratory as a competitive advantage and a strategic pillar of patient are. His work spans the full enterprise: financial performance, workforce development, regulatory compliance, and cross-functional clinical integration at the highest levels. Concurrently, Joel founded a real estate investment firm where the same principles of disciplined capital allocation, calculated risk, and relentless execution apply. That entrepreneurial experience has sharpened his instincts in ways no leadership course can replicate, and it is that dual lens as operator and executive that makes his perspective distinct. Joel’s conviction is straightforward: emerging technology only becomes transformational when it is met with the right leadership discipline to deploy it with intention to elevate patient outcomes, strengthen clinical operations, and advance the standard of care. Monisha Veerapaneni is a healthcare AI governance and enterprise transformation leader focused on scaling responsible AI adoption across integrated healthcare systems. With a triple background spanning medicine, healthcare management, and health informatics — alongside a decade of clinical research experience — she brings an interdisciplinary perspective that connects frontline clinical realities with enterprise operations, governance, and digital innovation. She has worked across urban and rural healthcare systems on both the provider and payer sides, leading multiple multi-million-dollar strategic initiatives. She currently leads artificial intelligence governance and operations across a large integrated health system spanning the clinical enterprise, health plan, and medical school. Partnering with senior executive leadership, she guides enterprise-wide AI governance, workforce enablement through system-wide education, and the responsible implementation of enterprise and platform AI initiatives, including Epic AI. She also serves on the organization’s AI governance committee, where her work focuses on building the governance and operational infrastructure required for scalable, compliant, and clinically grounded AI adoption. Beyond her professional work, Monisha serves on the Board of Directors of a North Texas STEM nonprofit supporting more than 840,000 students across 1,200 sites through strategic guidance and partnerships. She is the co-author of Orchestration Sovereignty: Why Enterprises Must Control Their AI Future, where she co-developed an enterprise framework for AI governance and responsible adoption. Monisha is also the host of the Orchestration Sovereignty podcast and creator of the A3Nexus: AI Orchestration newsletter, where she writes on enterprise AI governance and the evolving future of responsible AI integration. She has additionally shared her perspectives on healthcare AI through industry panels, research publications, and executive discussions centered on enterprise transformation and organizational readiness for AI adoption. Monisha pursued medical training in New Mexico, where she developed an early interest in systems-level healthcare transformation through her frontline clinical experiences. During this time, she co-authored a nationally featured front-page publication on systemic loxoscelism for EM Resident, the national magazine of the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), graduated from the EMRA Leadership Academy, and held multiple leadership roles focused on physician well-being and healthcare leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her frontline experiences during the pandemic ultimately shaped her transition toward enterprise healthcare transformation, inspiring a broader focus on improving healthcare delivery, workforce systems, operations, and technology implementation at an organizational scale. Monisha holds graduate degrees from Boston University and Saint Louis University, along with executive and AI-focused training from institutions including Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Cornell University, and Johns Hopkins University. Leveraging her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Healthcare alongside training in project, product, and agile management, she applies a systems-oriented approach to enterprise transformation and AI implementation. A DFW native, Monisha earned her BS in Interdisciplinary Healthcare Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating with Collegium V Honors.

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ACHENTX & Quest Diagnostics Networking Event: Digital Pathology & AI in Lab

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