Revolutionizing health care with AI: tackling antimicrobial resistance
Jarett Dewbury (he/him), a third-year Engineering student majoring in Biomedical Engineering, is the Faculty of Engineering Co-op Student of the Year for his outstanding contributions at the Tadesse Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
His groundbreaking work, in collaboration with Google, focused on addressing antimicrobial resistance in low-resource settings using AI-driven diagnostics.
At the Tadesse Lab at MIT, Jarett focused on combating antimicrobial resistance in low-resource communities. Collaborating with Google, his project explored how bacterial infections, which are responsible for 30 per cent of deaths in these regions, could be better diagnosed with accessible technology.
Current diagnostic tools are often too resource-intensive for these regions. To address this challenge, Jarett’s team used machine learning with Raman spectroscopy, which extracts a pathogen’s unique chemical fingerprint, enabling more efficient, low-cost diagnostics.
A major challenge in pathogen classification is that existing models struggle to generalize across clinical data due to inter-patient variability. Jarett worked on improving training techniques to enhance model adaptability in real-world settings. His contributions helped advance scalable solutions for antimicrobial resistance detection, supporting global health care efforts.
Q & A with Jarett
Did you always have a passion or interest in medical technology? How did you find yourself in this field?
“Growing up, I always saw myself working in the medical space. My passions were in math and physics, but I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field for that direct impact on patients.”
“I'll admit, I didn’t really know about biomedical engineering until later in high school.”
“When I first read about it, it felt like the perfect choice. I am able to combine my math and physics interests in the medical field and work behind the scenes to develop tools that can make clinicians’ lives easier and improve how we treat and diagnose various diseases.”
What is your proudest accomplishment during this work term?
“I would say my proudest accomplishment from my time at the lab was definitely the opportunity to be a first author on an academic paper. It was my first time writing and publishing an academic paper, so to not only be recognized as the first author but also to have it accepted at a very prestigious conference and even accepted for an oral presentation was a really great experience for me. It's something I’m definitely proud of in my undergraduate career.”
Where do you feel you made the biggest impact during your time at MIT?
“I feel that my biggest impact within the Tadesse Lab was bringing machine learning perspectives to the work.”
“When I joined the lab, there weren’t really any researchers specializing in machine learning or computer science. By joining, I introduced new perspectives and opened doors for collaborations and projects.”
“For example, my project was in collaboration with Google for a machine learning project. So, I think the biggest impact I made was providing new insights on the machine learning side of the work.”
How has co-op shaped or changed your understanding of the medical technology industry?
“Working in the medical industry through co-op has been amazing because I’ve seen so much of the work that’s currently happening, definitely more than I expected going into it.”
It’s really cool to see what companies are doing, but I think the biggest perspective I’ve gained is realizing how much work there is still left to do and how many exciting new possibilities remain to be explored. It definitely makes me excited to continue working in this space in the long term.
How have you been able to apply what you learned in your academic courses to your work term?
“The biggest thing I’ve been able to apply from my academic terms is just the ability to learn on the fly. I think that’s the biggest strength the engineering curriculum at Waterloo has provided me.”
“When we learn difficult concepts, we have to learn them very quickly within our academic term. That has been the most valuable thing for me because, in my new lab, I’ve been working on topics I may not have had any previous knowledge of. So, the biggest takeaway from my academic terms is learning how to tackle difficult problems and adapt quickly.”
How would you define purpose?
“Purpose, to me, is the thing that gets you up every morning. When you wake up, what do you aim to accomplish each day? What motivates you to be excited for the day?”
“I will admit that when I was working in the lab, I was very excited to wake up every day, go in and work on our projects. It was probably one of the most fulfilling times of my life. It was a great opportunity and gave me a strong sense of purpose, knowing that what I was developing had an impact on so many people in the medical field.”
Why did you choose Waterloo?
“The biggest thing that drew me to Waterloo was the opportunity to do co-ops.”
“I think co-op is one of the best things you can do, especially early on in your career as an undergrad. Having the opportunity to work in research environments and industry is extremely valuable.”
“It teaches you a lot about yourself and helps you figure out what you want to do in the future. It’s a great opportunity to explore your interests and understand where you fit before you graduate and enter the workforce.”
What does receiving the Co-op Student of the Year award mean to you?
“Receiving an award like this is really great. It’s always nice to be recognized for your hard work but I really see this award as a community achievement.”
“This wouldn’t have been possible without my supervisor, who took me in and allowed me to contribute to her research. And, of course, the rest of the lab for all their support. So, this award encapsulates all of them as well.”
What is one piece of advice you would give to co-op students?
“The biggest piece of advice I would give to young students and current co-op students is not to undersell yourself.”
“As a co-op student, you are extremely capable of accomplishing great things within a three to four-month time span. For example, I was able to publish a paper within the three months I was in the lab. It’s not something I thought I would have been able to do before going in.”
“I truly think the sky’s the limit as a co-op student, so never undermine what you can accomplish within a work term.”
What’s next for you?
“I definitely want to continue exploring a career in science within the machine learning and medical space.”
“As I mentioned, there are so many exciting problems left to explore. I want to continue developing new tools and ways to make clinicians’ lives easier and expedite many processes. I think there’s a lot of work left to be done and a lot of impact still to be made.”