Valentina Pedoia

Valentina Pedoia, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Department at UCSF and Sr Director of AI/ML Computer Vision at Altos Labs. She holds expertise in developing AI-driven solutions for biomedical imaging, focusing on musculoskeletal disorders and imaging biomarkers of aging. Her work spans MRI techniques, machine learning algorithms, and clinical translation to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning.

Education:

• PhD in Medical Computer Science, Insubria University, Italy (2013)
• MSc in Telecommunication Engineering (Signal Processing), Politecnico di Milano, Italy (2008)
• BSc in Telecommunication Engineering (Signal Processing), Politecnico di Milano, Italy (2005)

Research Interests: Dr. Pedoia's research integrates advanced imaging modalities with AI to study osteoarthritis progression, cartilage health, and musculoskeletal biomechanics. She develops tools for automated MRI analysis, including deep learning models for lesion detection, segmentation, and predictive modeling. Her work emphasizes clinical translation of quantitative MRI biomarkers and digital twin technologies for personalized medicine.

Awards:

• Magna Cum Lode Abstract Award (ISMRM 2015)
• 9th Annual Surbeck Young Investigator's Award (2015)
• Bruce Hasegawa Award (UCSF 2015)
• Principal Investigator of Research Grants in Women’s Health (SCOR, 2015)

Grants & Collaborations: Leads projects in the Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC), TRAIL cohort study, and knee osteoarthritis imaging challenges. Her work involves multi-institutional collaborations on AI-driven MRI analysis and musculoskeletal disease modeling.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Image Analysis and Visualization Group at Altos Labs and collaborates with UCSF’s Musculoskeletal Imaging and AI teams to advance translational research in musculoskeletal health.