I wanted to save lives

Decades later, her scientific interests range across many disciplines, yet Bell's focus is singular: She wants to save millions of lives around the world by providing better tools for early detection of diseases. The Waterman Award recognized Bell for pioneering innovations in ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging that have led to new techniques and improved the quality of medical images, especially for people with darker skin or larger bodies. She is working to ensure that those innovations eventually become accessible to everyone. Bell, who goes by "Bisi," is the John C. Malone Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where she founded and directs the Photoacoustic & Ultrasonic Systems Engineering (PULSE) Lab and has appointments in the departments of biomedical engineering, computer science, and oncology. On a warm day this past June she sat in her office, meeting with one of her dozen or so graduate and postdoctoral students and checking in on the student's ongoing work.