International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention - Project summary The International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Interventions (MICCAI) is the major international conference in medical image computing, image-guided interventions and robotics. It promotes, preserves, and facilitates research and education, and its proceedings foster the exchange and dissemination of advanced knowledge by leading institutions, scientists and physicians. The conference is the result of the joint efforts of previous major conferences in three fields: Visualization in Biomedical Computing (VBC), Computer Vision and Virtual Reality in Robotics and Medicine (CVRMed), and Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery (MRCAS). Since its first edition in 1998, it has become the premier conference in the field with its proceedings having citation scores comparable to high-impact journals. Conference topics include, computer vision & image processing in medicine, computer-aided diagnosis, computer-assisted interventions, guidance systems & robotics, visualization and virtual reality, biomedical imaging applications, and imaging systems, spanning disciplines such as radiology, pathology, surgery, oncology, cardiology, physiology, and psychiatry. MICCAI includes three days of oral presentations, poster sessions and invited keynote talks. All paper submissions undergo a rigorous double-blinded peer-review (~30% acceptance) and several papers have become landmark publications with thousands of citations. Satellite events and educational initiatives with similar attendance rates to the main conference also take place on the day before and after the conference in the form of workshops, tutorials and challenges. MICCAI span the entire globe and, although it used to rotate among the American, European, and Asian continents, there have been strong efforts to expand its outreach. Product of those efforts will be the celebration of MICCAI 2024 in the African continent for the first time (Marrakesh, Morocco). Attendees are typically from over 45 countries with strong student representation (40- 50% in the last editions). The MICCAI Society has also supported diversity, equity, inclusion and career development initiatives. The “Women in MICCAI (WiM)” committee has promoted female participation and fair and equitable career promotion. The “Reinforcing Inclusiveness & diverSity and Empowering MICCAI in Low- to-Middle Income Countries (RISE)” initiative has worked towards strengthening the presence of minority researchers from low-to-middle income countries. In addition, the Mentorship Program connects young investigators with established scientists for advice in their careers. Along with these initiatives, this proposal requests to support the attendance of US-based students and early career investigators through travel awards to enhance diversity in conference attendance with focus on women, underrepresented minorities, students with disabilities, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This support will provide minority groups with a unique opportunity to reach an international audience for career development and collaborations.
