Eman Rezk, a recent PhD graduate from the School of Computational Science and Engineering at McMaster University, has been honoured with the Alice Wilson Award by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
This award, established in 1991, recognizes three women annually for their outstanding academic qualifications and research excellence at the postdoctoral level.
Rezk’s research focuses on addressing AI disparities in healthcare, with a strong emphasis on principles of equity, diversity and inclusion. Her work aims to mobilize AI knowledge to reach underserved communities and vulnerable populations.
Her groundbreaking research on skin cancer diagnosis highlights the urgent need for equitable and interpretable AI models. “Early diagnosis substantially contributes to increasing survival rates and improving patient outcomes,” Rezk explained. “However, due to the lack of dermatologists, skin cancer cases may go undiagnosed, necessitating the utilization of intelligent diagnosis systems.”
Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and guided by Wael El-Dakhakhni and Mohamed Eltorki, Rezk developed a novel skin image analysis tool to assess the underrepresentation of people of color in dermatological image repositories. This led to the creation of the first inclusive skin cancer detection model. “My work resulted in a groundbreaking diagnosis model that emulates dermatologist reasoning and offers visual and medical explanations of the rationale behind the diagnosis,” she noted.
The Alice Wilson Award, named in honor of Dr. Alice Evelyn Wilson, the first woman elected to the RSC, celebrates women who demonstrate scholarly originality, impact and expertise. Rezk’s achievements in mitigating AI disparities in healthcare exemplify these criteria, making her a deserving recipient of this esteemed award.
“Receiving the Alice Wilson Award is a significant milestone in my research journey,” she shared. “I hope it will motivate women researchers in AI to make a significant impact in the field as their contributions will be recognized.”