UFFC-S Member Good News: Sophie Morse is the winner of the William James award
Sophie Morse, Imperial College London, is the winner of the William James award
Sophie V. Morse received her M.Eng. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Imperial College London in 2015. Due to her interest in developing better healthcare technologies, she then joined the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Imaging, receiving an M.Res. in Medical Imaging from King’s College London in 2016 and then her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Imperial College London in 2020. With her research, Sophie has improved the way drugs are delivered to the brain using a non-invasive and targeted ultrasound technology combined with tiny bubbles.
Sophie has won numerous awards for her work, including the Gold Medal in Engineering at the STEM for Britain event in the UK Parliament and the Young Investigator Awards from the British and European Ultrasound Societies. Her research interests include the development of therapeutic ultrasound technologies, non-invasive drug delivery to the brain and the stimulation of brain cells for the treatment of brain diseases.
Alfred Yu is Awarded the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship
Dr. Alfred Yu is guiding the direction of next-generation innovations in ultrasound technology. Yu’s team at the University of Waterloo has developed and commercialized high frame rate ultrasound techniques that are now incorporated into the community screening program by physicians at the largest retirement living network in Ontario, to help care workers assess the cardiovascular health of elderly subjects. Yu’s advancements in therapeutic ultrasound have also led to more efficient ultrasound treatment protocols being developed by clinical collaborators at major teaching hospitals in Ontario. His team is now leading the next wave of ultrasound innovations for cardiovascular aging diagnostics. In addition, he is exploring how ultrasound interacts with living cells to expand the applicability of ultrasonics beyond imaging and into use for rational therapeutic treatments.
In recognition of highly beneficial advancements to ultrasound technology, Dr. Alfred Yu is awarded a 2021 NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Award.
Previous Newsletter Member Good News
Elisa Konofagou Elected to the National Academy of Medicine
We are delighted to learn that Elisa Konofagou, Ph.D., Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Radiology (Physics), Columbia University, New York, NY, was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Elisa’s citation reads: For leadership and innovation in ultrasound and other advanced imaging modalities and their application in the clinical management of significant health care problems such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, through licensing to the major imaging companies. The Society is proud to have Professor Konofagou as a member - please join us in congratulating Elisa for her outstanding achievements.
IET Achievement Medals 2021
The IET Achievement Awards exist to celebrate the incredible talent within engineering and technology, with a wide range of categories to recognize people who have made a real impact in their industry. The IET Achievement Medals 2021 winners and finalists have been announced...
Combatting Cancer with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
The University of Washington recently highlighted exciting research by bioengineering associate professor Mike Averkiou and his lab to develop contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging techniques for diagnosing cancer. He offered to help after his colleague, Barry Lutz, was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. The article describes how Averkiou and his collaborator, Manjiri Dighe in UW Radiology, used CEUS imaging to determine that a mass in Lutz's liver was metastatic and evaluate the immunotherapy of the tumor. Lutz, who is now cancer-free, credits the CEUS imaging sessions with saving his life. A great example of innovative ultrasonics research in action!
Ouwen Huang Recieved NIH F30 Award
Ouwen Huang, Duke, received an NIH F30 award to apply deep learning methods to improve POCUS image quality. Moving closer to making ultrasound the next "stethoscope" that clinicians carry with them most of the time.
Alycen Wiacek selected as a 2022 Siebel Scholar
Alycen Wiacek, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), has been selected as a Siebel Scholar for 2022, an award that recognizes her as being among the world’s top graduate students in terms of academic performance and demonstrated leadership in the fields of business, bioengineering, computer science, and energy science. Siebel Scholars receive a financial award of $35,000 to support their final year of studies.