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AWARDS

2019 PECASE - Kathryn Keenan

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.

Established in 1996, the PECASE acknowledges the contributions scientists and engineers have made to the advancement of science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) education and to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, and community outreach.

Winner's Name

Kathryn Keenan

Awarded

July 2, 2019

Awarding Organization

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

For transforming magnetic resonance imaging into a quantitative tool to diagnose and treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases through the development of a world-first standard suite, providing leadership in the medical and scientific community, and through technology transfer and mentoring.

Dr. Keenan has helped transform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into a diagnostic medical tool by pioneering a suite of calibration standards that for the first time enable MRI images to be compared across machines and over time. Although the U.S. spends approximately $30B annually on magnetic resonance imaging, without quantitative standards for benchmarking the scanners, there is no definitive way to correlate information, e.g., tumor size, from even two images of the same object. Dr. Keenan provided the technical underpinning for the first-ever MRI standards to provide quantifiable and traceable data to diagnose and treat conditions including traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, and personally led the development of standards specifically targeted for treating breast cancer. She then used her extensive network of collaborators to transfer the production of those standards to the private sector to accelerate their adoption and broaden their impact.

Standards