Shu Jiang

Shu Jiang, also known as Joy Jiang, is a Canadian biostatistician and tenured associate professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In August 2026, the University of Toronto announced that Jiang will serve as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in 2027. She co-founded Prognosia Inc. with Graham Colditz, a technology company that develops AI models that assess digital mammograms to accurately predict the risk of breast cancer. Prognosia's first tool, Prognosia Breast, earned Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2025, and the company was acquired by Lunit in September 2025.

Jiang is known for her methodological contributions to breast cancer risk prediction using high-dimensional mammogram images. In April 2023, The New York Times and CNN interviewed Jiang for a feature about breast density and cancer risk, in which she discussed recent findings on how changes in density over time may indicate elevated breast cancer risk. In December 2024, U.S. News & World Report cited Jiang in an article about artificial intelligence and breast cancer screening. Discussing her team's work on longitudinal mammogram analysis, Jiang said: "Our new method is able to detect subtle changes over time in repeated mammogram images that are not visible to the eye." More recently, media coverage has also included BreastCancer.org, which described a newer AI-based approach in which Jiang used multiple years of mammograms to enhance risk prediction.

She is an associate editor for the journal Biometrics and a statistical reviewer for JAMA Network Open. Among other awards and honors, Jiang has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare in 2023 and received the MERIT award from the National Cancer Institute (2021-2027).

Education

Jiang received a B.Sc. in statistics from Simon Fraser University (2012-2015), an M.Sc. in statistics from Western University (2015-2016), and a Ph.D. in statistics from University of Waterloo (2016-2018), where her supervisor was Richard Cook. From 2018-2019, she trained as a postdoctoral fellow in biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her supervisor was Rebecca Betensky.

Awards and honors

YearAwardReceived fromRef.
2019Institute of Clinical and Translational Science AwardWashU Medicine
2021NIH MERIT AwardNational Cancer Institute
202240 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst AwardBoston Congress of Public Health
2022Young Alumni Achievement MedalUniversity of Waterloo
2023GAP Fund AwardWashU Medicine
2023Women in STEM (digital tools)Equalize
2023Forbes 30 under 30Forbes (North America)
2023NAM Emerging Leaders ForumNational Academy of Medicine
2026 Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Washington University in St. Louis
2026 Annie T. Randall Innovator Award American Statistical Association

References

  1. 1 2 "Shu (Joy) Jiang, PhD | Department of Surgery | Washington University in St. Louis". surgery.wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ Sara (November 8, 2022). "Board grants faculty appointments, tenure". The Source. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  3. ↑ Block, Sheri (September 8, 2026). "Six leading researchers join U of T via federal initiative". Defy Gravity. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Public company buys startup using WashU's AI technology to assess breast cancer risk". St. Louis Business Journal. September 4, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ Lewis-Thompson, Marissanne (August 11, 2025). "WashU AI breast cancer risk detection software scores major FDA designation". STLPR. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ Strait, Julia Evangelou (October 13, 2025). "AI breast cancer startup acquired by Lunit". WashU Medicine. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Lunit submits 510(k) to U.S. FDA for breast cancer risk prediction model". AuntMinnie. December 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Shu (Joy) Jiang". scholar.google.com (user=W-CNTTIAAAAJ). Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Researchers Identify Possible New Risk for Breast Cancer (Published 2023)". April 28, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Howard, Jacqueline (May 2, 2023). "Breast density changes over time could be linked to breast cancer risk, study finds". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Healthday (December 6, 2024). "AI Reads Multiple Mammograms To Help Predict Breast Cancer Risk". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Study: AI Tool Uses Multiple Years of Mammograms to Predict Risk". www.breastcancer.org. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Associate Editors". biometrics.biometricsociety.org. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ JAMA Network Open. "JAMA Network Open Masthead". JAMA Network. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Shu Jiang". Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Durando, Elizabethe Holland (December 21, 2022). "Shu Jiang named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for health care". WashU Medicine. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  17. 1 2 WashU Medicine Department of Surgery (2022). "2021 Annual Report. Out Mission in Action" (PDF). wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Recipients of the Faculty of Mathematics Alumni Achievement Medal | Mathematics | University of Waterloo". uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Our Alumni: Joy Shu Jiang | Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit | University of Waterloo". uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Current and Past Awards | Clinical & Translational Sciences | Washington University in St. Louis". icts.wustl.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  21. ↑ Valderrama, Oriana (June 15, 2022). "Joy Shu Jiang: Boston Congress of Public Health 40 Under 40 Winner". NYC Daily Post. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  22. ↑ Roettger, Leslie (November 13, 2023). "Jiang Receives WashU Gap Fund Award". Office of Technology Management/Tech Transfer. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Cohorts". Equalize Startups. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  24. ↑ Roettger, Leslie (May 14, 2026). "WashU Celebration of Inventors 2026". Office of Technology Management/Tech Transfer. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  25. ↑ Jim (May 13, 2026). "Jiang Recognized for Statistical Innovation". Siteman Cancer Center. Retrieved May 14, 2026.