Rebecca Richards-Kortum

Rebecca Richards-Kortum is an American bioengineer and the Malcolm Gillis University Professor at Rice University, holding appointments in the departments of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her research and teaching focus on developing low-cost, high-performance medical technology for low-resource settings, with an emphasis on global health innovation. Richards-Kortum is recognized for advancing access to health technology for vulnerable populations, particularly in areas affected by diseases such as cervical and oral cancer, premature birth, and malaria. Her work has resulted in the development of 40 patents and more than 310 peer-reviewed research papers.

Richards-Kortum's scientific efforts are centered on the intersection of optics, nanotechnology, and medicine. Her laboratory advances nanotechnology and molecular imaging to create portable, affordable optical imaging systems. She invented a battery-operated optical imaging device capable of detecting premalignant tissues without the need for biopsy, aiding in the prevention of oral and cervical cancer. Richards-Kortum also led the development of a fiber optic endoscopy system, resulting in a low-cost, portable, high-resolution endoscope that supports early detection of cancer and precancerous lesions.

A significant moment in Richards-Kortum's career occurred during a visit to neonatal wards in Malawi, where she observed the impact of inadequate medical equipment on premature infants. Noting the prevalence of broken, unrepaired imported machines, she partnered with Maria Oden to establish the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health. Together, they and their students developed low-cost, low-power medical devices, including the Pumani CPAP system for newborns with respiratory distress, BiliSpec for jaundice detection, and DoseRight for accurate pediatric medication dosing. Richards-Kortum also founded the educational initiative Beyond Traditional Borders, which trains students to design healthcare solutions for resource-limited settings.

Richards-Kortum's contributions have been recognized by her election to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a MacArthur Fellow and, with Maria Oden, received the Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation. Richards-Kortum is also a recipient of the Pierre Galletti Award from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her impact on biomedical engineering and global health technology.

In addition to her research, Richards-Kortum is known for her work as an educator and advocate for equitable global health. She has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and has institutionalized the Beyond Traditional Borders curriculum at Rice as an undergraduate minor in global health technologies. Richards-Kortum has led multi-institutional efforts to develop a suite of 17 neonatal technologies designed for low-resource settings, providing efficacy comparable to technologies used in North America at a reduced cost. Her career demonstrates the potential of engineering to address critical challenges in global health and medical technology.