Lambert Leong, a PhD candidate in molecular bioscience and bioengineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a member of the Shepherd Research Lab, has received the 2022–23 Dr. Clifford K. Mirikitani, MD, JD & John M. Mirikitani, JD, PhD Outstanding Dissertation Award. The award recognizes his work on non-invasive methods to detect breast cancer using medical imaging combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence.
“Our health models are being developed on unique (racially, ethnically and culturally) data from Hawaiʻi, and these models will be more powerful than those developed on homogeneous populations…”
— Lambert Leong
Leong’s advisor, Dr. John Shepherd, noted the significance of the work:
“Leong successfully overcame the scarcity of labeled data and built powerful AI models for body composition. He should be recognized for his work and its significance. The impact extends far beyond his dissertation…”