Congratulations to Jessica Ramella-Roman, director of the Medical Photonics Laboratory and associate professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing, for being elected to the level of Senior Member of the Optical Society of America (OSA). Ramella-Roman, who is also an associate research professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Medicine, developed a system that uses light to examine the composition and structure of cervical tissue in order to measure preterm labor risk.
The system is non-invasive, and unlike other methods, does not require expensive elements. In fact, it can be integrated with optical modalities that are already commonly found in an OB-GYN’s office, such as the colposcopes generally used for cervical exams, which means that there isn’t a high learning curve for practitioners.
Ramella-Roman’s biomedical engineering research is focused on biophotonics. A combination of biology and photonics, biophotonics is the science and technology of generation, manipulation and detection of light.
OSA Senior Members are well-established individuals with a designation that recognizes their experience and professional accomplishments or service within their field that sets them apart from their peers. Since 1916, OSA has been the world’s leading champion for optics and photonics, uniting and educating scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders worldwide. The Optical Society promotes and delivers scientific and technical information on optics and photonics worldwide that is authoritative, accessible and archived.