Parvin Mousavi

School of Computing

Queen’s University

Dr. Parvin Mousavi is a leading young researcher in medical imaging, bioinformatics and systems biology.  Her innovative approaches to the acquisition and analysis of ultrasound signals have provided an enhanced understanding of the existence and the extent of prostate cancer. As a result, prostate cancer patients have an improved quality of life after treatment, while adverse effects are reduced. Her research will directly benefit the one in six Canadian men who already suffer from this disease. The number of patients is expected to double by 2025 when the baby boomer generation reaches the age of peak prevalence. Her unique integrative approach contributes to earlier diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and will facilitate the discovery of personalized therapies. She uses features from multiple imaging modalities, publicly available databases, and clinical information to formulate accurate models of the progression of this disease. This research will directly benefit the approximately 75,000 Canadians who already suffer from this disease and the 1,000 new patients expected to be diagnosed each year. Worldwide, there are 2.5 million people with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Mousavi is an internationally renowned researcher: her work appears in the top venues in her field. She has also filed a patent application for a method of improved ultrasonic detection.  She has been invited to present her research at universities in Canada and the US, as well as at national and international meetings. Dr. Mousavi has garnered career funding of $1.6 million, which is extremely impressive for a young researcher. She has served on the program committees of some of the top international conferences and workshops in her field, as well as article associate editor for the Medical Physics journal.  She is currently a board member of the Biomedical Engineering and Computational Biology Journal.  The candidate’s impact on the research training of young researchers is significant.  Since joining Queen’s University, she has supervised 10 research associates, 3 postdoctoral fellows, 7 PhD students,16 MSc students, and 27 senior undergraduates. She received an Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario in 2009.