Breast imaging experts join Densitas’s advisory board

HALIFAX – Densitas, a leading provider of AI solutions for digital mammography, announced that Drs. Eliot Siegel (pictured), Georgia Spear, Nisha Sharma, and Judy Caines have joined their advisory board. “We are honored to attract such visionaries to our advisory board,” said Mo Abdolell, CEO of Densitas. “Their collective expertise spans the fields of radiology, breast imaging, artificial intelligence, and imaging informatics.”

Moreover, “Their insights are invaluable as we launch densitas|enterprise™ to tackle the pressing challenges facing breast screening,” added Abdolell.

“Computer-aided diagnosis/detection for mammography has focused on the very narrow application of a second reader detecting microcalcifications and suspected breast masses and has engendered limited confidence in its practical added value to mammographers,” said Dr. Siegel. “I am intrigued by the broader approach that Densitas’s software suite has taken to not only provide density analysis but also to evaluate overall image quality and provide personalized breast cancer risk assessment.

“This more comprehensive integration into the overall workflow of image acquisition, image evaluation, and decision support represents the future of AI in a variety of different clinical domains,” Dr. Siegel said.

Dr. Siegel is widely considered a visionary in radiology and imaging informatics. He is Professor and Vice Chair of Research Information Systems at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Chief of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine for the VA Maryland Healthcare System.

Under his guidance, the VA Maryland Healthcare System became the first filmless healthcare enterprise in the world. He has served various leadership positions in academic societies including SPIE, SIIM, ACR, the National Cancer Institute, and RSNA and currently serves as co-chair of the Conference on Machine Intelligence in Medical Imaging. He has written over 200 articles and book chapters about PACS and digital imaging.

Dr. Sharma is Director of Breast Screening at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, NHS Trust, United Kingdom. Dr. Sharma has played an integral role in implementing national guidelines on the management of B3 lesions. She is also a panel member on national breast screening committees and a professional clinical advisor to breast screening programs on quality improvement. Her research interests include mammography image quality and risk-based screening based on patient-specific breast cancer risk.

Dr. Spear is Chief of Breast Imaging, NorthShore University Health System and Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Spear was instrumental in the establishment of the Illinois Breast Density Reporting Law, the first legislation of its kind in the United States. Her research interests focus on supplemental screening with breast ultrasound. Dr. Spear was the recipient of the Susan G. Komen Civic Award in 2018 and serves as an Illinois state representative of the ACR Radiology Advocacy Network.

Dr. Caines was the founding Medical Director of the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program (NSBSP), and Head of Mammography, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Capital District Health Authority, Nova Scotia. Dr. Caines pioneered the stereotactic needle core biopsy procedure in North America and developed a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis of breast disease. Her commitment to quality care and service delivery led to the development of an extensive breast imaging electronic medical record that enables the tracking and follow-up of breast imaging procedures province-wide.

About Densitas
Densitas is an innovator and leading provider of AI driven precision health analytics aimed at moving the needle in breast cancer screening through value-based care at the patient, clinic, and system levels. Our solutions provide on-demand insights for tailored patient management and enable healthcare administrators to monitor clinical, quality, and operational performance indicators. For more information, visit www.densitas.health.