ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research

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2024/02/10 | People | Artificial Intelligence

Women in Science Day 2024

As every year in mid-February, the ARTORG recognizes the important scientific contributions of females among our teams for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This year, we illustrate this on five examples of the work of young women from different ARTORG research groups.

Heather DiFazio, Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging

Fulbright Scholar & ESKAS Researcher

(For her project, Heather investigates how polarimetry could be used to identify characteristics in tissue samples; here at the ARTORG Center and at the Institute for Tissue Medicine and Pathology, University of Bern.) (© ITMP & ARTORG Center)

«I am assisting with research involving a surgical intraoperative diagnostic device, that utilizes a polarimetric signal to differentiate between tumor and healthy tissue. This project provides the unique opportunity for a biomedical engineer to be fully embedded with a team of surgeons, pathologists, and cell and molecular biologists in order to develop a tailor-made, clinically validated, scalable ID solution for tumor surgery.»

Research Project: “Where Astrophysics meets Medicine”, Polarimetry: A novel Intraoperative Diagnostics (ID) modality for the detection of pancreatic cancer. 

Prof. Dr. Manuela Eugster, NeuroRobotics Group

Assistant Professor of Robotics and Micromechatronics

(© ARTORG Center)

«I recently joined the ARTORG Center at the University of Bern and the Department of Neurosurgery at the Inselspital as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Robotics and Micromechatronics. In my research, I work at the intersection of robotics and medicine to engineer better instruments for surgery. This profession allows me to pursue my interests in engineering and medicine simultaneously and make meaningful contributions to healthcare.»

Aleksandra Ivanovic, Hearing Research Lab

PhD Researcher & Biomedical Engineer

(Aleksandra during sample preparation, imaging setup, and sample mounting at the Paul Scherrer Institut, and viewing the finished imaging results of the ossicles.) (© Paul Scherrer Institut & ARTORG Center)

«In my research, I work on an interdisciplinary project where we contribute to a better understanding of the human middle ear and, therefore, improve surgical procedures for conductive hearing loss in the future. As a woman in science, I believe women bring unique skills to the table that are indispensable to achieving the greatest potential possible.»

Research Project: DYNAMITE - DYNamic phAse-constrast MIcroTomography of the human middle Ear.

Tatiana Kochetkova, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics

Postdoctoral Researcher & Biophysicist

(Tatiana is combining X-ray computed tomography, Raman spectroscopy, and micromechanical testing for quantification of what is commonly referred to as bone quality.) (© ARTORG Center)

«I am a part of the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics group. Our research exploits experimental, theoretical and numerical approaches to bone mechanics and aims at improving fracture risk prediction in a clinical setting. In particular, my research delves into understanding how bone composition, structure, and mechanical properties are interrelated at different length scales. Deciphering the interplay of bone tissue properties and its evolution with age, disease and treatment will help improve prevention of bone fractures in the elderly.»

Research Project: High-throughput assessment of bone structure-properties relationship at the tissue level.

Aurélie Pahud de Mortanges, Medical Image Analysis

Resident in Neuroradiology & Research Associate

(Aurelie combines clinical work at the University Hospital Zurich with research into artificial intelligence applications for radiology at the University of Bern) (© University Hospital Zurich & ARTORG Center)

«Being a resident physician in neuroradiology and a scientist in medical image analysis puts me at a unique interface between research advancements and their translation to everyday practice. I enjoy furthering both my diagnostic skills as well as my technical understanding of explainable artificial intelligence methods, which allows me to develop and investigate research questions with direct clinical impact.»

Research Project: Human-centred Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Multimodal and Longitudinal Data in Radiology.