Main Researchers
Víctor Castañeda
Director. He earned his B.S. and Engineering degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. In 2012, he earned his Dr.rer.Nat. degree in Computer Science from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, supported by a DAAD-CONICYT scholarship and supervised by Prof. Nassir Navab, head of the Chair of Computer Assisted Medical Procedures and Augmented Reality.
In 2025, he founded the Tech4MEDICS Lab at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile. His doctoral research focused on endoscopic image processing and 3D sensing technologies, including Time-of-Flight cameras and Microsoft Kinect. His current research focuses on the processing of spermiogram images at CEDAI, light-sheet microscopy, the analysis of 2D and 3D microscopic images, and clinical decision support systems based on medical images and signals. +56 2 2978 6266
Denisse Karl Sáez
Vice-Director. She studied Medical Technology at the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, obtaining her B.S. and Medical Technologist degree in 2007. She later earned master’s degrees in Public Health and Biostatistics from the Universidad de Chile in 2007 and 2024, respectively. Her work focuses on mammography and breast tomosynthesis.
She is also the Director of Insights in Medical Technology (IMTech), a new open-access scientific journal established by the Department of Medical Technology at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile. The journal aims to promote the dissemination of research, innovation, and professional experiences in medical technology and biomedicine, providing a platform for original research, case studies, reviews, and interdisciplinary discussions. Under her leadership, IMTech seeks to connect academic and clinical communities and contribute to the internationalization and visibility of medical technology research.
Carlos F. Navarro
Research Associate. He was born in Santiago, Chile. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile. His research focuses on image processing, pattern recognition, and biomedical signal analysis, with applications in data-driven diagnostics and cognitive health. He is currently an Associate Professor at Universidad Santo Tomás, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Universidad Andrés Bello, and a part-time lecturer at the Universidad de Chile and Universidad del Desarrollo.
His current research interests include artificial intelligence, computer vision, and biomedical data analysis, with a focus on developing and validating computational methods for healthcare applications. At Tech4MEDICS, his work contributes to the development of AI-based solutions for medical imaging and biomedical signals, integrating machine learning, signal processing, and computer vision to address clinically relevant challenges.
Collaborators
Camilo Sotomayor
He earned his MD degree from the Universidad de Chile in 2018 and his Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2020. He is currently undergoing specialist training in Radiology at the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCH).
He has authored 36 ISI-indexed articles and nine book chapters and has presented his work at 11 international conferences. He has received multiple research awards, grants, and distinctions and has served as a peer reviewer for more than 45 manuscripts across 20 ISI-indexed journals. He serves as a guest editor for Transplantology and as a reviewer for Diagnostics, Nutrients, and Antioxidants (MDPI). His research interests include oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular calcification, imaging biomarkers, and content-based medical image retrieval. He is also a co-founder of LuftBioTech SpA, a science and technology-based company focused on developing innovative solutions to health-related problems.
Alfredo Parra
He is an academic and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, where he serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases. He is an internist and cardiologist and holds a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences. He is currently Head of the Cardiovascular Research Unit (UIC) at the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCH).
His research focuses on leading research platforms with a strong basic-to-clinical approach. As Principal Investigator of a FONDECYT project, he studies the pathophysiological mechanisms of atrial fibrillation and ion channel expression in human cardiomyocytes. He also contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, as well as advanced training in electrophysiology. His experience allows him to integrate clinical expertise into the design, development, and validation of technological solutions in cardiovascular medicine.
Master Students
Aníbal Molina
He earned a degree in Computer Engineering from the Universidad de La Frontera in Temuco, Chile, in 2016. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Medical Informatics at the Universidad de Chile. His thesis focuses on predicting the severity of aortic stenosis using baseline electrocardiograms and artificial intelligence.
Javiera León
She is a Medical Technologist specializing in Radiology and Radiotherapy, with experience in university teaching and applied research in medical imaging. She is currently working on a thesis focused on the quantification of vascular calcifications in mammography and breast tomosynthesis and their association with cardiovascular disease.
Undergraduate Students
Camila Maire
She was born in Santiago and raised in the Aysén region. She is an Electrical Engineering student specializing in computational intelligence, with additional experience in energy systems and seismology. She is currently developing a hybrid computer vision approach for the detection and morphological classification of sperm cells, integrating classical image-processing techniques with data-driven modeling.
Daylin Ortega
She is a Civil Electrical Engineering student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in computational intelligence. She is currently conducting thesis research on the application of artificial intelligence to improve prostate cancer detection in magnetic resonance imaging.
Sebastián Vásquez
He is an Electrical Engineering student specializing in computational intelligence, with experience in signal and image processing using deep learning models. He is currently developing a classification model for sedation sub-states in EEG signals using recurrence-based deep learning architectures.
Tomás Nazar
He was born in Santiago, Chile. He is a sixth-year Electrical Engineering student at the Universidad de Chile and a distinguished student in his program, with academic training in power systems, digital systems, and artificial intelligence. His interests include power generation and transmission, as well as interdisciplinary applications of engineering in medicine.
He is currently exploring potential research topics for his undergraduate thesis at Tech4MEDICS, evaluating their feasibility at the intersection of electrical engineering and medicine.
Catalina Tobar
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She was born in Rancagua, Chile. She is currently working on a thesis focused on the ultrasound characterization of renal tissue in a rural population in Chile using artificial intelligence. Her work also explores practical applications of AI in healthcare.
Francisco Romero
He holds a B.Sc. in Natural and Exact Sciences and is currently a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile. He has a background in medical imaging and data analysis, with hands-on clinical experience. His current work focuses on applying artificial intelligence to ultrasound-based tissue characterization and exploring practical applications in healthcare.
Benjamin Fuentes Gajardo
He is a B.Sc. graduate and a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile. He has a background in medical imaging and data analysis, with experience in image-processing projects and a focus on practical healthcare applications.
Carla Jorquera
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, with a strong foundation in anatomy and experience in medical imaging and data analysis. She has contributed to collaborative laboratory projects, particularly in image processing and applied research.
Magdalena Lassen
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She is currently researching the association between vascular calcifications detected on mammography and coronary artery calcium scores measured by computed tomography (CT), with the aim of identifying early, low-cost markers of cardiovascular risk.
Teresa Saavedra Moraga
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She was born in Los Ángeles, Chile. She is currently researching the prevalence of vascular microcalcifications detected on mammography and their association with coronary artery calcium scores measured by computed tomography (CT), aiming to identify an early indicator of cardiovascular risk that could support timely risk assessment and modification.
Javiera Reyes
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She is currently researching the use of artificial intelligence to assess the quality of pediatric pelvic radiographs.
Benjamín Paiva
He is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. With a solid foundation in anatomy, he is currently working on assessing the quality of pediatric pelvic X-rays using artificial intelligence, with the aim of contributing to more reliable and accurate diagnostic imaging in pediatric care.
Carolina Bavestrello Ruiz.
She is a Medical Technology student at the Universidad de Chile, specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She was born in Santiago, Chile. She is currently working on her thesis, which focuses on developing an artificial intelligence algorithm to assess mammographic positioning in digital mammography.
Former Members
Daniela Acevedo
She is a Medical Technologist specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. She was born in Las Cabras, Chile. Her thesis focused on validating a deep learning algorithm for estimating mammary glandular density in breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography using magnetic resonance imaging.
Cristóbal Gutiérrez Malhue
He is a Medical Technologist from the Universidad de Chile and was born in Santiago, Chile. His thesis focused on validating a deep learning algorithm for estimating mammary glandular density in breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography using magnetic resonance imaging.
Esperanza Tobar
She is a Medical Technologist specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. Her qualitative thesis focused on strategies to reduce barriers to breast cancer screening among women with disabilities in Chile.
Anaís Acosta
She is a Medical Technologist specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. Her thesis focused on identifying strategies to reduce barriers to breast cancer screening among women with disabilities in Chile.
Vicente Cajas
He is a Medical Technologist specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. His thesis focused on developing a deep learning algorithm to estimate mammary density from T1-weighted breast magnetic resonance imaging.
Sebastián Millar
He is a Medical Technologist specializing in Imaging, Radiotherapy, and Medical Physics. He was born in Santiago, Chile. His thesis focused on developing a deep learning algorithm to estimate mammary density from T1-weighted breast magnetic resonance imaging.
Bastián Castelli
He was born in Santiago, Chile. He earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile in 2025. His research focused on segmenting arterial calcifications in breast tomosynthesis images using deep learning, particularly U-Net architectures and Vision Transformers.
Pilar Nilo
She was born in Santiago, Chile, and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile in 2025. Her research focused on sperm head segmentation and classification using deep learning techniques.
Diego Bartolucci
He was born in Santiago, Chile, and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile in 2025. His thesis focused on applying deep learning and Vision Transformer models to segment and quantify breast density in tomosynthesis images, with the aim of improving accuracy in breast cancer risk assessment.