BME Seminar: “Earlier, Better, Fairer: Translating Technology into Women’s Cancer Care”

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Nimmi Ramanujam, Ph.D.
Robert W. Carr, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering,
Pratt School of Engineering,
Duke University

Abstract: Despite major advances in cancer biology and treatment, outcomes for breast and cervical cancer remain strongly shaped by when disease is detected and how care is delivered, underscoring the need for systems that better connect technological innovation with clinical practice. This talk highlights an interdisciplinary translational research program focused on women’s cancers. Across both disease areas, this work emphasizes the translation of engineering advances into real-world clinical impact, with a commitment to equitable and sustainable cancer care. In cervical cancer, low-cost imaging technologies, artificial intelligence–driven diagnostics, and digital health platforms enable task-shifting from specialists to community health workers and extend screening from clinics into communities and homes through long-standing partnerships in Peru and Kenya. In breast cancer, complementary therapeutic and imaging strategies—including localized immune-activating therapies and real-time metabolic imaging—aim to reduce overtreatment and enable earlier identification of relapse risk. Together, these efforts highlight scalable, integrated approaches that shift cancer care earlier, improve clinical decision-making, and translate technological innovation into meaningful, real-world impact.

Bio: Nirmala (“Nimmi”) Ramanujam is the Robert W. Carr Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Cancer Pharmacology, Cancer Biology, and Global Health at Duke University, and the founder of the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies (GWHT). Her research integrates low-cost imaging, artificial intelligence, and digital health to expand cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings through long-standing partnerships in Kenya and Peru, while her breast cancer research focuses on developing localized immune-based therapies and real-time metabolic imaging technologies to reduce overtreatment and enable early detection of relapse, with multiple approaches advancing to Phase I clinical trials. In 2019, Professor Ramanujam founded Calla Health to commercialize women’s health technologies, reaching more than 8,000 women across 11 countries, and co-developed The (In)visible Organ, a femtech documentary selected for the Women at the Center Film Festival in 2020. She also established the IGNITE, DukeEngage Orange County, and Bass Connections initiatives that provide project-based learning opportunities in STEM and health care technologies. Her honors include the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Innovator Award, the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Technical Field Award, and the AnitaB.org Social Impact Award. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, a Fulbright Scholar, and the author of Biomedical Engineering for Global Health, which connects engineering principles to real-world global health challenges.