Ambassador Committee

Aims of the Committee

To serve as “IAC ambassadors” and assist with its activities at a more regional level.

Responsibilities

• Explore ways to better advertize and project the Academy’s mission, visibility, stature, an dstanding in selected regions of the world in an up close and personal fashion
• Assist the Education Committee to plan and implement its long-distance education and training initiatives
• Coordinate activities with the Communication Committee to provide better outreach of the Academy’s social media presence
• Work closely with the Membership Committee and find ways to recruit new members

Dr. Gary Tse, MIAC (Hong kong)

Dr. Gary Tse is a professor in the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the vice president for Asia for IAP, and the president of the Hong Kong Division of International Academy of Pathology. Dr. Tse has given many invited presentations, convened regional and international meetings and has published actively in breast pathology, and has published extensively.

Dr. Norizal Mohammad Noor, MD, MPath, MIAC (Malaysia)

Dr. Norizal Mohd Noor, MD is currently a consultant pathologist and lecturer in Hospital Al-Sultan Abdullah & Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Currently, he is the President of the Malaysian Society of Cytology and the country representative for the Asian Federation of Cytology Societies. He is also  the technical advisor/assessor for laboratory standards and accreditation (ISO 15189) for the Department of Standards Malaysia. He is actively involved in the training of cytotechnicians, postgraduate trainees and clinicians. His main interest is Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Fluid Cytology.

Prof. Dr. Annette L. Salillas, MD, FPSP, FASCP, MIAC (Philippines)

Prof. Dr. Annette L. Salillas, MD, FPSP, FASCP, MIAC is a seasoned Cytopathologist and academic leader with over three decades of experience in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Department of Pathology at Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center and the Department of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at MHAM College of Medicine. A dedicated interventional cytopathologist, she has participated in advanced workshops by ASCP/ASC, USCAP, and IAC. She is an active speaker at international and national conferences, and was named PSP’s 2014 Pathologist of the Year. She received the Liborio Gomez Memorial Lecture Award in 2016. She has authored book chapters on thyroid FNA cytology and presented numerous case and research studies globally. Her passion for medical education is further underscored by her training at Harvard Medical School’s CME program in 2017. 

Dr. Raul J. Ortiz, MD, MIAC (México)

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dr. Carla Molina, MD, MIAC (Chile)

Carla Molina Cruz is a Pathologist from the University of Chile, specialized in gynecological cytology and cancer prevention. She serves as Director of the Preventive Oncology Center and External Quality Control Manager for the National Cytopathology Network in Chile. She has played a key role in developing pathology lab accreditation standards and national cervical cancer guidelines. As a former President of the Chilean Society of Cytology and board member of the Latin American Cytology Society (SLAC), she has led regional efforts in laboratory quality management and education. Dr. Molina has represented Chile at multiple international conferences, authored peer-reviewed publications on HPV and cytopathology, and completed a clinical observership at Massachusetts General Hospital. A passionate advocate for quality in cytology, she actively contributes to policymaking, professional training, and international collaboration to improve women’s health in Latin America.

Mwesigwa Boaz, BSci, CFIAC (Uganda)

Mwesigwa Boaz is an internationally certified cytologist holding a Bachelor of Science in Cytotechnology from Makerere University. He is the founder and current president of the Cytology Society of Uganda, with extensive skills gynecological and non-gynecological specimen analysis, fine needle aspiration, histotechnology, and molecular diagnostics. He has been instrumental in shaping Uganda’s health policies, contributing to the National Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines, the National Cervical Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2022–2027, and the National Breast Health Guidelines 2025. A passionate advocate for cytotechnologists, he has championed international certifications through IAC, led continuous professional development initiatives across Africa since 2020, and authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications. As an advisory member of the Allied Health Professionals Council Uganda, he drives policies to advance cytology practice and quality laboratory services. His innovative online mentorship programs have transformed the skills of over 2,000 professionals globally.

dr. Syed Z. Ali, MD, FRCPath, FIAC (USA)

Prof. Ali serves as Professor of Pathology and Radiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as well as the Director of the Division of Cytopathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his Pathology residency training at North Shore University Hospital/Cornell University in New York with fellowships in Oncologic Surgical Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Cytopathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Known globally as an innovative educator, Prof. Ali has well over 375 invited lectures, keynote speeches and visiting professorships all over the world. In collaboration with international societies and universities, he directs or co-directs several annual major cytopathology tutorials.

Prof. Ali has published extensively with over 335 peer-reviewed articles in major scientific journals, over 35 books, book chapters and electronic media. Known for his expertise in “Thyroid” and “Pancreatic” cytopathology, his monograph on “The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology” (now in its 3rd edition) has been translated in 8 languages and is extensively used in medical practice all over the world. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology (JASC) and a past-President of the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC). Presently, he serves as the President of the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) and Chair of the International Board of Cytopathology of the IAC. He is a fellow of both the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) and the IAC. He is recipient of the ASC’s “Warren R. Lang Award” in 1996, “President’s Award” in 2012, “Excellence in Education Award” in 2015, the IAC’s “Maurice Goldblatt Award” in 2019, Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology’s “LC Tao Educator of the Year Award” in 2022 and the ASC’s “Papanicolaou Award” in 2023..

Massimo Bongiovanni, MD, FIAC (Switzerland)

Dr. Bongiovanni is head of Cytopathology at SYNLAB Pathology in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is member of the Pathology Expert Group, at SYNLAB International, Member (MIAC) and then Fellow (FIAC) of the International Academy of Cytology since 2016. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and 15 book chapters. He was Vice President of the Swiss Cytology Society (2015-2021) and a member of the Endocrine Tumor Group of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). He is associate editor of the journal Acta Cytologica and participates in the editorial board of the journal Diagnostic Cytopathology. He is currently co-chair of the scientific committee of the European Federation of Cytology Societies (EFCS).