Nimmi Ramanujam

Robert W. Carr, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Nirmala (“Nimmi”) Ramanujam is the Robert W. Carr Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Cancer Pharmacology, Cancer Biology, and Global Health at Duke University. In 2013, she founded the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies (GWHT) to advance technology-driven solutions for women’s health. Her work leads translational cervical and breast cancer research that brings together academic institutions, hospitals, industry partners, and non-governmental organizations in the United States and around the world. Across both disease areas, her research emphasizes the translation of engineering innovation into real-world clinical impact, with a focus on equitable and sustainable cancer care.

In cervical cancer, Ramanujam has developed low-cost, point-of-care screening systems that integrate portable and self-imaging devices, contrast-enhanced imaging, and AI-driven diagnostics. These approaches enable task-shifting of early cancer surveillance from specialists to midwives and community health workers. Her collaborative efforts have led to the implementation of a successful “see-and-treat” program in the Andean region of Peru, with ongoing work to establish similar models in Kenya.

In breast cancer, her research aims to reduce overtreatment and prevent recurrence through complementary therapeutic and imaging strategies. These include localized immunomodulatory therapies that activate anti-tumor immunity with minimal systemic toxicity, as well as real-time metabolic imaging technologies that provide early indicators of relapse risk and treatment response.

Alongside her research, Ramanujam is deeply engaged in advancing education, entrepreneurship, and translation in women’s health technologies. In 2019, she founded Calla Health to commercialize innovations from her laboratory, reaching more than 8,000 women across 11 countries. She also co-developed The (In)visible Organ, a femtech documentary selected for the Women at the Center Film Festival, and leads Bass Connections initiatives that provide project-based learning opportunities in STEM and health care technologies.

Ramanujam has received numerous honors for leadership and innovation, including the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Innovator Award, the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Technical Field Award, and the AnitaB.org Social Impact Award. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, a Fulbright Scholar, and the author of Biomedical Engineering for Global Health, which connects engineering principles to real-world global health challenges.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Robert W. Carr, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Research Professor of Global Health
  • Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
  • Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
  • Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. University of Texas, Austin, 1989
  • M.S. University of Texas, Austin, 1992
  • Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin, 1995

Research Interests

Biomedical engineering, biophotonics, women's cancers, global health, engineering design, point of care technologies, metabolic imaging, deep learning, immune modulating therapies.

 

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Breast Cancer Research Program Innovator Award. US Department of Defense. 2024
  • IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award. IEEE. 2023
  • Associate Editor. Inaugural Editorial Board of IEEE OJEMB. 2020
  • Michael S. Feld Biophotonics . OSA. 2020
  • The WomC Global Impact Award. Duke University Women’s Center. 2020
  • Women In Molecular Imaging Network (WIMIN) Leadership Committee. WIMIN. 2020
  • Program co-leader for Radiation Oncology and Imaging Program. Duke Cancer Institute. 2019
  • Associate Editor. Scientific Reports. 2019
  • Women in Molecular Imaging Network Outstanding Leadership in Molecular Imaging Award. World Molecular Imaging Society. 2019
  • Social Impact Abie Award. AnitaB.org . 2019
  • Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award. International Society for Optics and Photonics. 2019
  • CUGH Emerging Leader in Global Health Innovation Faculty Award. Consortium of Universities for Global Health. 2018
  • Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2017
  • Fellow. International Society for Optics and Photonics. 2013
  • Fellow. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 2012
  • Fellow. Optical Society of America. 2010

Courses Taught

  • ISS 796T: Bass Connections Information, Society & Culture Research Team
  • ISS 396T: Bass Connections Information, Society & Culture Research Team
  • BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 462L: Design for the Developing World (DR)
  • BME 290L: Intermediate Topics with Lab (GE)
  • BME 290: Intermediate Topics (GE)

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Lee, Taya, Vené Richardson-Powell, Gatha Adhikari, Brian Crouch, Nimmi Ramanujam, and Jenna L. Mueller. “Optimization of injections with speculum-compatible devices to deliver ethyl cellulose-ethanol into the cervix to treat cervical dysplasia.” Scientific Reports 16, no. 1 (December 2025): 2834. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32627-1.
  • Lee, Taya, Vené Richardson-Powell, Jason Chen, David Garvey, Venkata Sarojasamhita, Kevin Aroom, Martha O. Wang, et al. “Usability of Speculum-Compatible Injection Devices for Administering Ethyl Cellulose-Ethanol Ablation to Treat Cervical Neoplasia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” Annals of Biomedical Engineering 53, no. 10 (October 2025): 2658–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-025-03799-8.
  • Ekem, Lillian, Erica Skerrett, Megan J. Huchko, and Nimmi Ramanujam. “Automated Image Clarity Detection for the Improvement of Colposcopy Imaging with Multiple Devices.” Biomed Signal Process Control 100, no. Pt B (February 2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2024.106948.
  • Ekem, L., E. Skerrett, M. J. Huchko, and N. Ramanujam. “Development of Image Pre-processing Toolbox to Boost Cervical Cancer Detection.” In Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 13307, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3043095.
  • Mekha, S., E. Sunassee, M. Salgado, M. Madonna, B. Crouch, S. Nair, and N. Ramanujam. “Multi-probe Metabolic Fluorescence Microscopy Captures Poor Tumor Immunogenicity.” In Optical Molecular Probes Imaging and Drug Delivery Omp 2025 in Proceedings Optica Biophotonics Congress 2025 Part of Optica Biophotonics Congress Optics in the Life Sciences, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1364/OMP.2025.OM1E.3.