AI pioneer wins $1M prize for work in breast imaging, drug discovery
Regina Barzilay, PhD, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has won the very first Squirrel AI Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity. The award comes with an impressive prize of $1 million dollars.
Barzilay, a MacArthur “genius grant” recipient, is a member of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory as well the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Her research has focused on the use of machine learning models to detect and diagnose breast cancer and develop new antibiotics, though she’s explored many other areas in the field of healthcare and AI as well.
“Through my own life experience, I came to realize that we can create technology that can alleviate human suffering and change our understanding of diseases,“ Barzilay said in a prepared statement. “I feel lucky to have found collaborators who share my passion and who have helped me realize this vision.”
“We believe AI advances will benefit a great many fields, from healthcare and education to smart cities and the environment,” Derek Li, founder and chairman of Squirrel AI, added in the same statement. “We believe that Dr. Barzilay and other future awardees will inspire the AI community to continue to contribute to and advance AI’s impact on the world.”
Additional coverage of Barzilay’s work on AI and medical imaging can be read here, here and here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.