AI@KI Award 2025 goes to Karin Dembrower
Karin Dembrower was honored with this year's AI@KI Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of artificial intelligence in healthcare – not only through pioneering research, but also by successfully translating these innovations into clinical practice.
Karin Dembrower's work at KI has directly enhanced the safety and precision of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, demonstrating a rare and impactful integration of science and patient care.
She recieved the award at the Advances in Artificial Intelligence at Karolinska Institutet conference, taking place twice a year celebrating recent progress
In 2025, her publication in Radiology presented a study of high scientific quality introducing a novel way of applying AI in breast cancer screening. The use of both "AI only" and "AI panels with human radiologists" showed that both set-ups provide clinically useful results.
First with AI-only reading
Building on these results, Capio S:t Göran’s Mammography Unit became the first breast center in the world to replace one of two radiologists with AI – a bold step that improved efficiency and achieved a 4% higher cancer detection rate compared to traditional double reading of scans.
Reduced waiting times
This change has also reduced reading time by more than 36%, leading to significantly shorter waiting times for patients and faster access to care.
While the full impact of this work is still unfolding, Karin Dembrower’s study has already attracted attention, and its impact will be felt internationally in the years to come.
