Hyeokjun Yoon, a PhD student in the Conformable Decoders group, has received a 2026 WHAM Edge Award from Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) for his research on AI-guided portable 3D ultrasound for accessible breast cancer imaging.

The WHAM Edge Awards support early-career investigators pursuing innovative research aimed at advancing women’s health. Hyeokjun’s project addresses an important challenge in breast imaging: nearly half of women aged 40 and older undergoing mammography have dense breast tissue, which can reduce the visibility of cancers on mammograms. Ultrasound can provide complementary information, but conventional breast ultrasound relies heavily on highly trained sonographers, limiting its accessibility in community clinics, mobile screening programs, and resource-limited settings.

Building on the portable, real-time 3D ultrasound platform developed by the Conformable Decoders group, Yoon will develop an AI-guided framework that evaluates breast coverage and image quality during acquisition and provides corrective guidance when additional or improved imaging is needed. He will also adapt AI models to the system’s volumetric ultrasound data to help specialists efficiently review and interpret examinations.

The approach will be evaluated using clinical data through an ongoing collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital. The project aims to complement existing mammography and clinical ultrasound workflows by enabling more standardized breast imaging closer to the patient while keeping radiologists central to clinical interpretation.

In the longer term, Yoon’s research seeks to translate portable and wearable ultrasound technologies into practical healthcare systems that can expand access to breast imaging and advance women’s health.