Rebecca Richards-Kortum

Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is an internationally recognized educator, entrepreneur, and advocate for access to healthcare. She is also a mom to six and a marathon runner. She is best known for inventing medical equipment appropriate for low resource settings, with a focus on neonatal health. She has developed low-cost CPAP machines, jaundice detectors, and dose controllers, and has trained personnel on how to use them effectively. Dr. Richards-Kortum has also developed cancer detecting technology which could eliminate the need for biopsies in many cases, making diagnosis more accessible. In this invention, light is shined on a site and the fluorescent light returned is monitored. The intensity and color of the fluorescent light tells us about the local biochemical makeup of the tissue.