Intelligent Health Computing Award Recipients
Each year, the IHC Core honors outstanding scientists whose pioneering contributions have advanced the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning in medicine. Through the Intelligent Health Computing (IHC) Award, we recognize individuals whose work has significantly shaped innovation, driven translational impact, and elevated the role of computational methods in improving healthcare outcomes.
Lee A Cooper, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Toxicology
Northwestern University
Lee Cooper, PhD is the Joseph C. Calandra Research Professor of Pathology and Toxicology in the department of Pathology at Northwestern, where he leads the Division of Computational Pathology and the Center for Computational Imaging and Signal Analytics. Dr. Cooper started his career at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009 after receiving his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University. His research investigates AI methods for diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive applications using whole slide imaging and other pathology modalities, and his lab develops open-source software to improve the utilization of digital pathology in research. His research has touched on many diseases including hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, pulmonary pathology, and neuropathology, and has been funded by Biohub and the US National Institutes of Health NLM, NCI, NIBIB, NINDS, NIDDK. His recent work explores how to develop models that can reveal biological insights into mechanisms of disease progression and the impact of exposures on the tissue microenvironment.
2026 IHC Award Recipient
Hamid R Tizhoosh, PhD
Professor, Division of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics Mayo Clinic
Hamid Tizhoosh is a computer scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and professor recognized for his contributions to artificial intelligence, medical image analysis, and content-based image retrieval. With more than 30 years of experience in software engineering and AI research, including at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, Canada, his work has focused on translating advanced machine learning methods into practical solutions for healthcare and industry. He founded and led the KIMIA Lab (Knowledge-Integrated Medical Image Analysis), advancing research in medical imaging and visual search.
In 2022, he moved to the Mayo Clinic to join its newly established Division of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, continuing his work at the intersection of AI and healthcare.
He has authored and co-authored over 80 journal articles and more than 140 conference papers, along with several books and book chapters. His publications span medical image analysis, digital pathology, computer vision, and large-scale image search, including notable contributions such as Yottixel, a pioneering search engine for histopathology images.
Tizhoosh is also a prolific inventor with multiple patents in AI and medical imaging. He founded Segasist, a medical imaging startup, and has advised numerous companies, contributing to the successful transfer of AI technologies into practice.
