Shu Jiang
Shu Jiang, also known as Joy Jiang, is a Canadian biostatistician and associate professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.[1] She is also the co-founder of Prognosia Inc with Graham Colditz, a technology company that develops AI models that assess digital mammograms to accurately predict the risk of breast cancer.[2] Prognosia's first tool, Prognosia Breast, earned Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2025,[3] and the company was acquired by Lunit in September 2025.[4][5]
Jiang is known for her methodological contributions to breast cancer risk prediction using high-dimensional mammogram images.[6] In April 2023, The New York Times and CNN interviewed Jiang for a feature about breast density and cancer risk, in which she discussed recent findings on how changes in density over time may indicate elevated breast cancer risk.[7][8] In December 2024, U.S. News & World Report cited Jiang in an article about artificial intelligence and breast cancer screening. Discussing her team's work on longitudinal mammogram analysis, Jiang said: "Our new method is able to detect subtle changes over time in repeated mammogram images that are not visible to the eye."[9] More recently, media coverage has also included BreastCancer.org, which described a newer AI-based approach in which Jiang used multiple years of mammograms to enhance risk prediction.[10]
She is an associate editor for the journal Biometrics[11] and a statistical reviewer for JAMA Network Open.[12] Among other awards and honors, Jiang has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare in 2023[13][14] and received the MERIT award from the National Cancer Institute (2021-2027).[15]
Education
[edit]Jiang received a B.Sc. in statistics from Simon Fraser University (2012-2015), an M.Sc. in statistics from Western University (2015-2016), and a Ph.D. in statistics from University of Waterloo (2016-2018), where her supervisor was Richard Cook.[16][17] From 2018-2019, she trained as a postdoctoral fellow in biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her supervisor was Rebecca Betensky.[1]
Awards and honors
[edit]| Year | Award | Received from | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Institute of Clinical and Translational Science Award | WashU Medicine | [18] |
| 2021 | NIH MERIT Award | National Cancer Institute | [15] |
| 2022 | 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award | Boston Congress of Public Health | [19] |
| 2022 | Young Alumni Achievement Medal | University of Waterloo | [16] |
| 2023 | GAP Fund Award | WashU Medicine | [20] |
| 2023 | Women in STEM (digital tools) | Equalize | [21] |
| 2023 | Forbes 30 under 30 | Forbes (North America) | [13][14] |
| 2023 | NAM Emerging Leaders Forum | National Academy of Medicine | |
| 2026 | Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Washington University in St. Louis | [22] |
| 2026 | Annie T. Randall Innovator Award | American Statistical Association | [23] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Shu (Joy) Jiang, PhD | Department of Surgery | Washington University in St. Louis". surgery.wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Public company buys startup using WashU's AI technology to assess breast cancer risk". St. Louis Business Journal. September 4, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
- ↑ Lewis-Thompson, Marissanne (August 11, 2025). "WashU AI breast cancer risk detection software scores major FDA designation". STLPR. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ Strait, Julia Evangelou (October 13, 2025). "AI breast cancer startup acquired by Lunit". WashU Medicine. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Lunit submits 510(k) to U.S. FDA for breast cancer risk prediction model". AuntMinnie. December 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Shu (Joy) Jiang". scholar.google.com (user=W-CNTTIAAAAJ). Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Researchers Identify Possible New Risk for Breast Cancer (Published 2023)". April 28, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ Howard, Jacqueline (May 2, 2023). "Breast density changes over time could be linked to breast cancer risk, study finds". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ Healthday (December 6, 2024). "AI Reads Multiple Mammograms To Help Predict Breast Cancer Risk". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Study: AI Tool Uses Multiple Years of Mammograms to Predict Risk". www.breastcancer.org. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Associate Editors". biometrics.biometricsociety.org. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ JAMA Network Open. "JAMA Network Open Masthead". JAMA Network. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- 1 2 "Shu Jiang". Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- 1 2 Durando, Elizabethe Holland (December 21, 2022). "Shu Jiang named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for health care". WashU Medicine. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- 1 2 WashU Medicine Department of Surgery (2022). "2021 Annual Report. Out Mission in Action" (PDF). wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- 1 2 "Recipients of the Faculty of Mathematics Alumni Achievement Medal | Mathematics | University of Waterloo". uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Our Alumni: Joy Shu Jiang | Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit | University of Waterloo". uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Current and Past Awards | Clinical & Translational Sciences | Washington University in St. Louis". icts.wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ Valderrama, Oriana (June 15, 2022). "Joy Shu Jiang: Boston Congress of Public Health 40 Under 40 Winner". NYC Daily Post. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ Roettger, Leslie (November 13, 2023). "Jiang Receives WashU Gap Fund Award". Office of Technology Management/Tech Transfer. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Cohorts". Equalize Startups. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
- ↑ Roettger, Leslie (May 14, 2026). "WashU Celebration of Inventors 2026". Office of Technology Management/Tech Transfer. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ Jim (May 13, 2026). "Jiang Recognized for Statistical Innovation". Siteman Cancer Center. Retrieved May 14, 2026.