Despina Kontos

Sen. Despina Kontos, Ph.D., is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Radiological Sciences (in Radiology and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center), Vice-Chair of AI, Data Science, and Engineering Research, and founding Director, Center for Innovation in Imaging Biomarkers and Integrated Diagnostics (CIMBID) at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). She is also the inaugural Chief Research Information (CRIO) officer for CUIMC. Dr. Kontos received her C.Eng. Diploma in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras in Greece and her MSc and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Temple University in Philadelphia. She completed her postdoctoral training in radiologic physics and biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania, and additional postgraduate training in Cancer Molecular Biology and Therapeutics from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kontos’ research interests lay in the interface of engineering, data science, and medical imaging applications. Most of her research to date has focused on leveraging the role of machine learning and AI in investigating the role of imaging as a predictive biomarker for guiding precision cancer screening, prognosis, and treatment. Throughout her career. Dr. Kontos has held various leadership roles, both institutionally and more broadly serving the academic community, including initiatives with Government Relations, Faculty Wellness, and Equity.