Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor at Rice University and an influential figure in the spheres of bioengineering and electrical and computer engineering, has achieved a distinguished honor by being elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). This election represents one of the highest accolades in health and medicine, underscoring her immense contributions to global healthcare innovation and engineering. Richards-Kortum’s work epitomizes the intersection of engineering and medicine, with a profound focus on developing accessible, life-saving technologies tailored for underserved populations worldwide.
At the core of Richards-Kortum’s acclaim lies her development of groundbreaking low-cost medical technologies that address critical global health challenges—from cervical cancer diagnostics to neonatal care innovations. Her approach transcends mere invention; it embodies a comprehensive systems perspective that integrates new medical technologies with the infrastructure, training, and sustainable practices necessary to ensure their successful adoption in diverse, real-world settings. By optimizing the entire ecosystem in which medical tools operate, her lab has catalyzed transformative advancements in disease detection and treatment, particularly for conditions such as cancer, infectious diseases, and sickle-cell anemia.
Richards-Kortum’s leadership extends to the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, which she co-directs. This multidisciplinary initiative unites engineers, clinicians, and students in a collaborative effort to design affordable, efficacious health solutions that respond to pressing medical needs. Through this platform, the institute has been pivotal in the establishment of NEST360, an international coalition dedicated to eliminating preventable newborn mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. By ensuring that life-saving technologies are coupled with trained healthcare workers, dependable supply chains, and data-enhanced management tools, NEST360’s model addresses systemic issues that often stymie health interventions in resource-poor contexts.
One of the principal challenges in global health technology deployment is ensuring sustainability beyond initial implementation. Richards-Kortum’s mission recognizes that medical innovation must be complemented by real-time, context-aware training programs that empower local health professionals. Her initiatives emphasize developing modular and scalable training paradigms that adapt to local health infrastructure, enabling seamless integration of bespoke technologies into existing medical workflows. This methodology critically enhances technology acceptance and impact, ensuring larger-scale, long-term improvements in health outcomes.
Technologically, Richards-Kortum’s laboratory has been at the forefront of advancing cost-effective optical imaging and diagnostic tools. These devices leverage principles of biomedical optics, including fluorescence imaging, spectroscopy, and advanced photonics, enabling early disease detection that is otherwise inaccessible in low-resource environments. For instance, her innovations in cervical cancer diagnostics utilize high-resolution, portable imaging systems capable of identifying precancerous lesions with high accuracy, circumventing the need for more complex and expensive laboratory infrastructure.
The translational impact of her research is exemplified in projects like the Center for Innovation and Translation of Point-of-Care Technologies for Expanded Cancer Care Access. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, this center focuses on the rapid development and clinical validation of affordable diagnostic instruments engineered to facilitate early cancer detection. By integrating microfluidic systems, machine learning algorithms for image analysis, and real-time data transmission capabilities, these devices are poised to revolutionize cancer care accessibility in settings lacking specialized pathology services.
In parallel, Richards-Kortum spearheads AccessPath, an ambitious initiative funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). AccessPath aims to democratize high-fidelity digital pathology by providing affordable, real-time analysis of tumor margins during surgery. This innovation reduces the frequency of repeat operations—a significant clinical and economic burden—by enabling immediate surgical decision-making with unprecedented precision. The integration of this technology into community and resource-limited hospitals represents a paradigm shift in oncologic surgery, potentially improving survival rates and quality of life.
The significance of Richards-Kortum’s achievements is echoed by leaders across academia and industry. Rice University President Reginald DesRoches highlights her embodiment of the university’s ethos—a blend of bold innovation and compassionate application. The broad influence of her work has inspired a generation of engineers and health professionals, compelling them to view engineering not merely as a technical discipline but as a powerful instrument for societal change. Her interdisciplinary approach fosters a culture where emerging technologies are continually aligned with ethical imperatives and real-world exigencies.
Over the course of her career, Richards-Kortum has authored an extensive body of scholarly work, including over 300 peer-reviewed papers and a globally utilized textbook on biomedical engineering for global health. These contributions reflect her dedication to education and the dissemination of knowledge crucial for cultivating the next generation of scientists and engineers. Moreover, her portfolio of over 40 patents underscores a prolific inventive capacity focused on addressing unmet clinical needs through novel technological solutions.
The recognition of Richards-Kortum extends beyond NAM election; she is also an esteemed fellow of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Her accolades include a MacArthur Fellowship and recognition by Fortune magazine as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.” Her influence further spans diplomatic and advisory roles, including serving as a U.S. Science Envoy for Health Security, testifying to her status as a global health ambassador.
Those closest to her work emphasize Richards-Kortum’s unique ability to integrate expertise across disciplinary boundaries and geographical borders. Amy Dittmar, Howard R. Hughes Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs at Rice, underscores Richards-Kortum’s role in transforming educational paradigms by seamlessly bridging engineering, medicine, and science education. This fusion enhances not only technological innovation but also the training environments that prepare students to address complex global health challenges with creativity and rigor.
Richards-Kortum’s election as a University Professor—a prestigious designation that is Rice’s highest academic rank—affirms her exceptional standing within the academic community. She joins a small cadre of Rice faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine and is notably only the second faculty member from the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing to gain membership in all three national academies. This rare distinction underscores the caliber and interdisciplinary impact of her research contributions.
The leadership of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, including Dean Luay Nakhleh, praises Richards-Kortum for setting a high standard of engineering for social good. Her innovations are characterized by their practicality, scalability, and enduring partnerships that ensure technologies not only survive but thrive within complex healthcare ecosystems. Her work continues to position Rice University as a leading institution driving cutting-edge, socially impactful bioengineering research.
In 2025, the National Academy of Medicine welcomed 90 regular members and 10 international members, reflecting the institution’s ongoing commitment to expanding its pool of experts who provide objective analysis and policy guidance on critical health science challenges. Established in 1970 and operating under the broader umbrella of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, NAM serves as a cornerstone for scientific advice and leadership in matters affecting medicine and public health.
Richards-Kortum’s election to NAM symbolizes a broader institutional momentum at Rice toward integrating discovery and delivery frameworks that enhance healthcare outcomes. Through sustained, strategic partnerships within the Texas Medical Center and international collaborators, she exemplifies how meticulous research and thoughtful implementation can coalesce into durable improvements in global health. Her work embodies a vision where engineering transcends laboratory confines, emerging as a transformative force improving lives globally through innovation, education, and unwavering commitment to equity.
Subject of Research:
Biomedical engineering innovations for global health, specifically low-cost diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for cancer, neonatal, and infectious diseases.
Article Title:
Rebecca Richards-Kortum Elected to National Academy of Medicine for Pioneering Global Health Technologies
News Publication Date:
October 20, 2025
Web References:
https://mediasvc.eurekalert.org/Api/v1/Multimedia/cb796be0-81ea-4702-ad54-08a62b233370/Rendition/low-res/Content/Public
Image Credits:
Rice University
Keywords:
Health and medicine, Biomedical engineering, Health care, Human health, Medical technology, Clinical medicine, Clinical imaging, Medical diagnosis, Medical treatments, Translational medicine, Preventive medicine, Diseases and disorders, Engineering education
