🌎 Researchers of under-represented origins (Latin America, South/South-east Asian, Africa, and Middle-East) who work in the field of Medical Image Computing and Computer-Aided Interventions (MICCAI) are barely represented in the community. For instance, the submission rate from those countries neared 4% in MICCAI 2020, where only 6 countries out of 103 had accepted papers in MICCAI 2020 —less than a 2% contribution to the accepted paper pool.

Informal meetings and discussions about building a community for underrepresented minorities researchers started at the virtual MICCAI 2020 conference. This has led to the idea of founding the RISE-MICCAI network with the main objective to reinforce inclusiveness and diversity within MICCAI and strengthen the presence of minority researchers in Low-to-Middle Income Countries (LMIC) in MICCAI. There is an urgent need for including researchers world-wide if we want to solve world-wide health problems (e.g., pandemics). Partly, this seems more real now than ever, and partly, this also aims at the responsibility we all have to solve such problems now that we have the competences. Adding to that, untapped potential is a wasted talent.

The main objectives of RISE-MICCAI are to:
 ✔️ Propel inclusiveness and geographic diversity within MICCAI,
 ✔️ Strengthen the presence of minority researchers in Low-to-Middle Income Countries (LMIC) at MICCAI,
 ✔️ Empower MICCAI researcher in LMIC,
 ✔️ Pave the way for “future” research stars to rise in LMIC and under-represented communities, and
 ✔️ Build a strong research network within LMIC as well as across continents and different parties to help reduce global disparities in health and imaging.

👉 This application is NOT RESTRICTED to only researchers in low-middle-income countries. We encourage everybody to join our network promoting more diversity and inclusiveness within the MICCAI community and building BRIDGES across continents in global health and imaging. The RISE network welcomes new members, regardless of age, gender, identity, race, and ethnicity.

👉 Please take a minute to fill out this membership form and join us in achieving our goals for a more inclusive and geographically diverse MICCAI.