Martin Yaffe: The 2025 SPIE Harrison H. Barrett Award in Medical Imaging

Martin Yaffe, a senior scientist at the University of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Research Institute, is a longtime innovator in medical imaging. He developed the first digital mammography detector – which was also one of the first digital radiography detectors – which enabled or greatly facilitated the development of picture archiving and communication system (PACS); computer-aided diagnosis for improved detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease; radiomics (quantitative image analysis to discover biomarkers); teleradiology; and more. He pioneered the development of digital breast tomosynthesis, which is now the most common modality for breast-cancer screening, and led the development of contrast-enhanced mammography, which is now being studied as a replacement to breast MRI, currently the most sensitive imaging modality for breast cancer detection. He was also one of the earliest proponents of the use of breast density as a biomarker of breast-cancer risk: All current clinical breast-cancer risk models incorporate breast density. In addition, Yaffe developed new methods for quality assurance for digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis, some of which have been adopted as national and international standards.

Yaffe has been a mainstay at the SPIE Medical Imaging conference since the early 1980s, as a participant, an organizer, and a leader in bringing new medical-imaging topics to the meeting. He has chaired the Physics of Medical Imaging track and has served on the conference program committees for Digital Pathology. Yaffe has also mentored his students to present regularly at Medical Imaging. He is an author or co-author on more than 50 SPIE proceedings papers, and is a contributor to the Handbook on Medical Imaging from SPIE Press.

“I have known Dr. Yaffe for over three decades,” says A.N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor of Radiology at the University of Chicago Maryellen Giger. “He has continuously influenced my research, not to mention the entire field of breast imaging. Throughout my academic career and my various scientific society leadership roles, I have had the opportunity to interact with many investigators: Dr. Yaffe is an exceptional imaging scientist, especially in the area of breast-cancer imaging. While he is most noted for making fundamental contributions to the development of full-field digital mammography, he has also continuously and significantly contributed to analytical methods to assess breast density and predict breast-cancer risk, novel detector design, rigorous methods for measurement of physical image quality, and quantitative 3D pathology. I have been extremely impressed with Dr. Yaffe in terms of his creativity, knowledge, drive, and accomplishments, as well as with his teaching abilities. The impact of Dr. Yaffe’s research has been paradigm-changing in the physics of medical imaging for cancer detection and management, as well as through his sharing of it over the years at SPIE Medical Imaging. He has clearly benefited the field of breast imaging and will continue to be sought for insight and teaching.”

Meet the other 2025 SPIE Society Award recipients.

Read more about Martin Yaffe and the SPIE Harrison H. Barrett Award in Medical Imaging.