This years winner, Dr. Bea Bakshi is using AI technology to improve the role of healthcare professionals.
For the past three years, Cartier, the luxury French maison most popularly known for their elegant design details and high quality metals, along with RED CLUB x Cartier, the brands global entrepreneur community, has leveraged a unique opportunity which recognizes creative and socially conscious entrepreneurs through their Young Leader Award.
“I am thrilled to celebrate these young and passionate entrepreneurial leaders. They are a constant source of awe and inspiration,” said Walter Bolognino, CEO and President of Cartier North America in a statement.
The Young Leader Award is typically centred around a theme which, in addition to refining the nomination process, narrows the focus of Cartier’s financial and publicized support. This year’s theme was “Better lives,” which aimed to highlight the work of young entrepreneurs as they provided accessible and inclusive healthcare solutions. In a statement, Cartier said, “Health is both an essential and a luxury. In the current global dynamics, access to health remains unsatisfied…”
This year’s recipient of the award was Dr. Bea Bakshi, CEO and Founder of C The Signs. Inspired by the mission to remove healthcare-based inequalities among marginalized communities, Bakshi and her U.K. based company have developed a new type of technology that locates the growth of cancer cells while they are at the earliest and most curable stage. This inspired use of artificial intelligence works to improve the process of cancer diagnosis and care. Within their own promotional materials, C The Signs credits themselves on “improving survival and helping people live longer, healthier lives.”
Bakshi’s decision to focus on cancer research with this technology stems from a deeply personal experience. “While caring for a patient with late-stage pancreatic cancer, I witnessed their rapid decline and eventual passing just weeks after diagnosis. It was a profound moment that made me realize the urgent need to improve cancer detection at its earliest stages to enhance survival rates,” she said in an interview with Mission.
“By harnessing the power of AI technology, we have the opportunity to revolutionize detection and create a future where every patient survives cancer. “”
The technology behind C The Signs uses a unique and validated algorithm that combines hundreds of risk factors including signs, symptoms, clinical markers, genetics, lifestyle and environment factors to accurately identify a patients’ risk of cancer. Cancer is known to be a meticulously time sensitive disease, so when localized cancer cells are identified early, cure rates can increase to as high as 90%. “By harnessing the power of AI technology, we have the opportunity to revolutionize detection and create a future where every patient survives cancer. Our ultimate goal is to transform the landscape of cancer care through early intervention, vastly improving outcomes and increasing survival rates,” said Bakshi.
Along with working diligently on providing new-age healthcare, Bakshi is a member of Microsoft’s AI for Social Impact program, Google’s Start-up Sustainable Development Goal program and a selected Obama Leader Fellow.
Winning Cartier’s Young Leader Award will assist Bakshi in amplifying her mission through public exposure on an international level, as well as €50,000 in grant money. Additionally, Bakshi will have access to a custom mentorship program provided by the Young Leader Award academic partners, Georgetown University and Howard University. “Winning this grant is a significant milestone that will greatly expedite our mission. With this funding, we can advance our research and development efforts, ultimately detecting cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages,” said Bakshi.
Bakshi and her team have ambitious goals for the future of the company. Their fundamental objective is to make earlier diagnosis and improved survival rates equitable and accessible to all patients. “Recognizing that cancer is a global problem, our mission at C The Signs extends worldwide. We firmly believe that access to cancer care and the opportunity for survival should be a basic human right, regardless of geographical location, socioeconomic status, age, gender or ethnicity,” said Bakshi.
Advocating for equity, equality and access in healthcare, Bakshi is shaping the way technology is used as a fundamental resource in science and medicine. It is clear through all the excellent work Bakshi is producing, that her advocacy for social justice fuels her passion for good.
