Jennifer Pinasco carries a distinct definition of success. Most leaders measure it in financial growth alone. Pinasco, however, begins with questions that probe deeper: “Did we compromise anything to get here? Who did we help? How did we respond to failures? What culture have we created by our behavior? Have we provided something of value, something needed? How did we treat people? What did we learn?” She asserts that the true core of any organization’s strength, its stability, and its lasting impact, lies in the goodness of the answers to these very questions.
Pinasco leads Yosemite Pathology | Precision Pathology as its Chief Executive Officer. The company stands as the largest collaborative physician-owned practice in Northern California, with an advanced anatomic pathology and molecular laboratory. For over 70 years, it has provided comprehensive, high-quality diagnostics, working with physicians, surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and hospitals to improve patient care. Pinasco has overseen a period of remarkable expansion, proving that growth, when executed with clear principles, can serve a larger purpose.
A Career Rooted in Service
Pinasco always held a passion for pathology and a drive to help people. She pursued academic training, completing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix. Before joining Yosemite Pathology, she worked in an Internal Medicine practice, initially on a path to becoming a nurse. There, she began to see herself as an ambassador, bridging the gap between patients needing care and the physicians providing it. She wanted to create balance between these two sides of the healthcare spectrum. In 1996, she joined Yosemite Pathology’s Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Team. She combined her skills and academic knowledge, steadily moving up through the ranks, eventually becoming CEO.
“Challenge Accepted”: Overcoming Roadblocks
Pinasco faced significant challenges in her early career. These experiences forged her personal mantra: “Challenge Accepted.” She began to build a team of experts around her and the organization, confronting these hurdles head-on. She explains, “I learned how you treat people matters, and you don’t always have to be the one with the answer, so seek wisdom from others. Relationships, knowledge, and trust are not the values that everyone upholds, so when you encounter those who don’t, consider deeply what’s at risk by doing business with them.” This lesson in discernment, learned early, shaped her approach to building enduring partnerships.
Elevating Pathology: Quality, Compassion, Integrity, Innovation
Yosemite Pathology operates as a physician-owned practice with an advanced anatomic pathology laboratory. It holds CLIA certification and full accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Its Board-Certified pathologists serve hospitals and outpatient practices, offering a broad range of specialties in both anatomic and clinical pathology, supplemented by targeted subspecialty training.
These comprehensive specialties allow them to deliver solutions that meet client needs, helping their physician and hospital partners advance patient care and health management in their communities. The company’s core values—Quality, Compassion, Integrity, and Innovation—guide its every move. Pinasco emphasizes that innovation remains crucial for growth and adaptation, but employees must feel connected to it first. By leveraging technology, providing clear direction, and allowing personnel space for individual growth, she believes “magic happens,” and the team becomes unstoppable. She highlights this point by stating, “Innovation is one of the core values that we as an organization focus on nurturing and cultivating. We were able to bring on COVID testing in just ten days due to the space we give to our teams to innovate and create solutions.”
Pinasco believes focusing on employees and client needs holds more importance than attention to competitors. She mentions, “When our eyes are on our clients, we identify areas of opportunity where we can provide solutions to help them and add value to their practice, ultimately improving patient care.” Yosemite Pathology also recently earned certification as a Great Place To Work from its employees. This, Pinasco notes, serves as a testament to the shareholders’ and leadership’s focus on creating an open, inclusive, compassionate, quality-driven environment where employees can thrive.
Redefining Anatomic Pathology
Pinasco describes her organization’s unique position: “I think our organization is unique in that we have been very intentional about investing in and developing an infrastructure that fully supports our pathologists’ needs and those of our clients while creating a nurturing environment for our employees.”
Yosemite Pathology offers a full suite of concierge services, both internal and external, to its pathologists and clients. These services cover analytics, interfaces, accreditation, logistics, and compliance. They aim to find quality solutions for optimal patient care. She mentions, “In the last decade, we have greatly expanded the range and depth of our services and have become a premier provider of anatomic pathology services in Northern and Central California.” This expansion has not just broadened their reach but deepened their impact on the communities they serve.
The CEO’s Daily Practice
As CEO, Pinasco carries responsibility for strategic direction, creating a vision for success, and developing an exceptional team to achieve it. She sees her role as an open, genuine, balanced leader who strives to maintain stability while pursuing new ventures.
While fueling the group’s growth, she understands the importance of taking breaks to re-energize for upcoming challenges. She engages in yoga and meditation to de-stress and unwind from the day. She also loves to travel, which allows her mind to expand awareness and remain fresh and open for new ideas for the group’s growth. These personal practices underscore her belief in holistic well-being as a component of sustained leadership.
Charting the Future: Expansion and Education
Pinasco outlines clear future prospects for the company. “Our vision is to continue our expansion interstate and intrastate by acquiring small physician group practices that also provide quality pathology services to their communities.” This growth strategy, she explains, requires leaders to be transparent, agile, and empowering, helping the next generation in line. They are developing a career path program in pathology for young people to expose them to this profession and the critical role pathology leaders play in healthcare.
She expresses, “Pathology Leadership awareness starts with those of us practicing it, and we need to begin sharing more with one another, learning from each other and combining our strengths for best practices going forward.” Her vision extends beyond the immediate business. She aims to steer the group into continuing its M&A business line, expanding its test menu, and participating in clinical trials. Pinasco does not just lead a company; she builds a system designed for resilience, growth, and, ultimately, improved patient care.
