The Young Investigator Award Won by an Indian Student Saanvi Mehra at EAPS Congress in Barcelona, Spain
Saanvi Mehra, a class XII student from The Shriram Millennium School, Noida has done ground breaking clinical research to identify Down Syndrome in early stages through the AI powered App by using a photograph. This research has been highly acclaimed and awarded with some of the most prestigious accolades and also published across some of the most reputed medical journals.
The winner of ‘The Young Investigator Award at The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP)‘ at the EAPS Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, Saanvi Mehra has opened the gateway to more ground breaking work in the area of early detection and management of down syndrome. Her research work stood out amongst thousands of research papers submitted by postgraduate doctors (MD / DM) and medical students from across the world. The prestigious award also carries a Euro 1500 cash award.
Leveraging the penetration of smartphones in India, Saanvi, along with her partner Aarna Malhotra, has successfully integrated the Machine Learning model and AI in a mobile application that can be used by parents / ASHA workers / paramedics / doctors whereby just by clicking the picture of the baby, Down Syndrome can be detected with remarkable accuracy of over 96%. The result of early detection is not just a reduction in mortality rate of these children but also a better lifestyle due to timely treatment. “I look forward to working closely with doctors and paediatricians so we can save and help as many children as possible,” says Saanvi.
Saanvis research focussed on Down Syndrome Detection through Graphical Analysis of Facial Dysmorphic Features in New-born Children with Ethnicity / Racial Slicing – An AI/ML Based Approach. Saanvi has been working for almost three years on this topic under the guidance of Dr. Somashekhar Nimbalkar and has published her work in the Journal of Neonatology (36(3) 199-205, 2022) along with Dr. Ankur Sethi, Dr. Ratna Puri and Dr. Binoy Shah. This project has won several awards/ recognition including Google Code to Learn (National Winner), IRIS (Top 100 projects in India), and Technovation (Top 5 Apps in India). Patent has been filed for the protection of intellectual property and Saanvi aspires that this technology reaches to millions of parents at free-of-cost saving the lives of tens of millions of children.
This is a unique example of combining technology with medicine with ground breaking results.
AI/ML for Health Foundation: The AIML4Health Foundation is a public, charitable trust created by Saanvi to leverage technology for innovations in medicine. The objectives of this foundation are to Fund Clinical Trial/Validation Of The Projects Undertaken Using AI/ML, Undertake Pan-India Implementation/Rollout Post Successful Clinical Validation and Institute An Award To Encourage Children To Ideate, Innovate And Implement Cutting-Edge Technologies For Solving Problems – With A Focus On Rural India. The trust also received Ethics Committee Approval to carry forward clinical validations for Down Syndrome Detection Project. Subject to successful clinical validations, the Trust will support the subsequent rollout and adoption of the mobile app/ technology throughout India. This will require participation of both public and private sector participants including District Administration, ASHA workers, Government and Private Hospitals etc.
The European Academy of Paediatrics Congress 2022
The Congress is organised by the three leading European societies: the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP), the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) and the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC). The combined efforts and talents of the best and brightest minds in paediatrics make this biannual event a major, leading educational and research platform, bringing the latest cutting-edge science and providing with the latest insights and tools that doctors can bring to their patients.
A central feature of the Congress are the scientific paper presentations from all areas of paediatric medicine and child health coming from young and upcoming paediatric stars. These presentations facilitate robust debates, thoughtful conversations and fruitful collaborations, with the future of patients and specialty of paediatrics being brought to the next level.
Credits: eaps2022.kenes.com/welcome-letter.
