Congratulations to Dr. Irving Bigio — 2026 SPIE Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award winner

The OTO‑COATI Lab congratulates Boston University professor and biomedical engineer Dr. Irving Bigio on receiving the 2026 SPIE Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award. Dr. Bigio was honored for his pioneering development of elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) and for translating that technology into a clinically impactful diagnostic tool, as well as for mentoring a generation of leaders in translational biomedical optics.

Dr. Bigio has collaborated with the OTO‑COATI Lab for the past decade. Together we have investigated the potential of ESS for head and neck cancer detection, and we are proud to have worked alongside a researcher whose lifetime contributions have advanced optical methods and devices in medicine.

The SPIE Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to biomedical optics through innovative, high‑impact technologies — a fitting tribute to Dr. Bigio’s work. Congratulations, Irving, on this well‑deserved honor.