Grant Recipient Bios
Farouk Dako, MD, MPH
Dr. Dako is an Assistant Professor of Radiology in the Cardiothoracic Imaging Division at the Perelman School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Center for Global and Population Health Research in Radiology. He is interested in the utilization of data-informed strategies to improve health outcomes, particularly for traditionally underserved populations. Dr. Dako attended medical school at St. George’s University. He obtained a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed a surgical internship at the Mayo Clinic and a diagnostic radiology residency at Temple University. He then completed fellowships in cardiothoracic radiology and imaging informatics at the University of Maryland.Judy Gichoya, MD, MS
Dr. Gichoya is an Associate Professor at Emory University in Interventional Radiology and Informatics leading the HITI (Healthcare AI Innovation and Translational Informatics) lab. Her work is centered around using data science to study health equity. Dr. Gichoya’s group works in four areas - building diverse datasets for machine learning (for example the Emory Breast dataset); evaluating AI for bias and fairness; validating AI in the real world setting and training the next generation of data scientists (both clinical and technical students) through hive learning and village mentoring. She serves as the Program Director for Radiology: AI Trainee Editorial Board and the medical students machine learning elective. She has mentored over 60 US and international students (now successful faculty, post doc, PhD and industry employees) from several institutions around the world. Dr. Gichoya has received numerous awards including the Most Influential Radiology Researcher in 2022 and is a 2023 Emerging Scholar in the National Academy of Medicine.Soterios Gyftopoulos MD, MBA
Dr. Gyftopoulos is a Professor of Radiology and Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Health and Chief of Radiology at NYU-Brooklyn. He has published over 100 papers and has received funding from the NIH and RSNA. Dr. Gyftopoulos’ research focuses on the clinical utility of advanced imaging and image-guided procedures for common musculoskeletal conditions with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness analysis. His current projects include improving osteoporosis screening rates and implementation of opportunistic imaging into clinical practice.Christina LeBedis, MD, MS
Dr. LeBedis is an Associate Professor of Radiology at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Radiology. Dr. LeBedis has specific interests in emergency radiology, trauma radiology and the barriers that social determinants of health pose for patient utilization of imaging screening for cancer. She has given several presentations, edited many chapters, and sits on multiple medical boards. These accomplishments have earned her multiple awards such as the Teacher of the Year Award from Boston Medical Center, the William R. Cranley Medical Student Teaching Award and the 2024 AUR A3CR2 Outstanding Teacher award. Since graduating from medical school, she has worked in the Boston area: first as a resident in Diagnostic Radiology at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine then as a fellow in Abdominal Imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.Bhavika K. Patel, MD
Dr. Patel is a fellowship-trained breast imaging radiologist and clinical researcher at Mayo Clinic Arizona. In addition to her roles as Vice Chair of Radiology Research at Mayo Clinic Arizona and Co-Chair of the American College of Radiology’s Data Science Institute. She is dedicated to advancing breast cancer detection and addressing healthcare disparities in breast cancer screening. Dr. Patel is passionate about improving access to early breast cancer detection for underserved populations. Her research focuses on the use of advanced imaging modalities, analytics, and innovative solutions to reduce barriers to screening, with the goal of saving lives by detecting cancer earlier.Dr. Patel’s research interests include advancing breast imaging technologies to improve diagnostic accuracy, utilizing computer-aided tools for enhanced prediction and treatment response, and conducting clinical trials on the comparative and cost-effectiveness of breast imaging studies. A key component of her work is addressing healthcare disparities, particularly those linked to breast cancer screening and treatment. Dr. Patel has been recognized for her contributions to breast imaging research through her leadership in various national initiatives aimed at improving screening access and outcomes for all women.
Dr. Patel is deeply invested in patient education, particularly regarding mammographic breast density (MBD) and its implications for breast cancer risk. Her research highlights the need for culturally and linguistically tailored approaches to educate Latinas in low-resource settings, where health literacy and access to care are often limited. Dr. Patel’s work aims to develop generalizable, evidence-based strategies to improve breast cancer risk communication, with a focus on underserved populations.