Nirmala “Nimmi” Ramanujam

Nirmala Ramanujam headshot.

Panelist and 2023 IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award Recipient recognized for more globally accessible technology for women’s health related to cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Nimmi Ramanujam has made pioneering contributions to the development of innovative, patient-centered health technologies that have far-reaching impacts in the fight against cancer, particularly cervical cancer. She uses her knowledge of cutting-edge technologies with a deep understanding of the social, policy, and economic barriers that limit their use. Her Pocket Colposcope addresses barriers to cervical cancer screening. Her Callascope is specifically designed to address the problem of social stigma in reproductive health. She has also built several global initiatives, including IGNITE, a program where undergraduates and students from around the world to co-create solutions to local community problems, and Women-Inspired Strategies for Health, a consortium to improve cervical cancer prevention for women living in marginalized communities – in collaboration with her partners, she has co-created programs that have achieved pilot scale in Peru.

An IEEE Associate Member, Ramanujam is the Robert W. Carr Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.