Valencia Koomson
Visiting Associate Professor, MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
SENSE.nano 2021
Tuesday, October 26
Session 4: Specimens and biopsies
3:25 PM - 3:40 PM EDT
Abstract
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) techniques are creating pathways toward new applications to study biological tissue, including functional brain imaging, cerebral oximetry, stroke assessment, and optical mammography. NIRS methods are used to compute the concentrations of biological chromophores, such as oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, that have specific absorption spectra and indicate tissue oxygen perfusion.
Koomson will present a non-invasive device implementing frequency-domain NIRS techniques for real-time monitoring of cerebral perfusion at the point of care. In the area of pediatric neurology, this tool enables assessment of hemorrhage. The HemoSensis tool implements advanced NIRS methods in a compact form factor by employing low-power solid-state optical devices and a patented system-on-chip (SoC) platform.
Koomson will present the core technology and present system validation results. This tool advances the field of diffuse optical imaging by developing special techniques for data collection and analysis of NIRS data and enables dual-task measurements on ambulating subjects.
Biography
Koomson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. She completed the B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998 and 1999, respectively. As a George C. Marshall Scholar, she studied at the University of Cambridge and received the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering in 2000 and 2003, respectively. She is currently a 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor at MIT.
Koomson’s research lies at the intersection of biology, medicine, and electrical engineering. Her interests are in micro/nanoelectronic circuits and systems, biomedical devices, health informatics, and advanced nano-/microfluidic systems to probe intercellular communication. She has co-authored several book chapters, publications, and holds a patent for a system and method for measuring phase delay and amplitude of an optical signal in animal tissue. In 2005, she held an Adjunct Professor appointment at Howard University. She has held visiting appointments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Boston University. Her research funding sponsors include NIH, NSF, DARPA, Catalyst Foundation, and W.M. Keck Foundation.
Koomson is a George C. Marshall Scholar, Intel Foundation Scholar, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and 2010 recipient of the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. She served as the Technical Program Chair of the 60th IEEE Midwest Symposium on Circuits in Systems. She is a member of several professional societies, technical program committees, and editorial boards for high impact journals.