Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Medicine, and Shu (Joy) Jiang, PhD, an associate professor, both in the Division of Public Health Sciences in the WashU Medicine Mary Culver Department of Surgery, are the joint recipients of the 2026 WashU Chancellor's Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The pair were honored for developing artificial intelligence (AI)-based imaging software that analyzes mammograms to more accurately predict a woman's personalized five-year risk of developing breast cancer.
The Chancellor's Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was established in 2010 to recognize faculty members who have translated their research into significant commercial applications, such as new technologies, therapeutics or diagnostic tools. Colditz and Jiang received the award May 7 at the WashU Office of Technology Management's (OTM) annual Celebration of Inventors, which recognizes innovation and commercialization successes of WashU faculty during the preceding calendar year.
The event celebrated the 70 U.S. patents granted for WashU discoveries and technologies in 2025 as well as six faculty members elected as fellows or senior members of the National Academy of Inventors.
Colditz, who serves as associate director of prevention and control at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, is an epidemiologist who specializes in preventable causes of chronic disease, particularly among women. Jiang is a biostatistician and data scientist who focuses on developing statistical methods to identify and predict cancer risks, especially for breast cancer.
In 2024, the collaborators co-founded Prognosia, a WashU startup based on their AI mammography analysis tool, with support from OTM. The tool, Prognosia Breast, received FDA Breakthrough Device designation in June 2025. The company was bought by Lunit, a company that specializes in AI applications, a few months later.
