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About

Jo-Anne O. Shepard is a radiologist and biomedical innovator whose research sits at the intersection of interventional radiology, medical robotics, and image-guided procedures. She is perhaps best known as a central figure in the development of Robopsy, a patient-mounted, telerobotic needle guidance and insertion system designed to improve the speed, accuracy, and safety of CT-guided percutaneous biopsies. First described in 2005 and refined through successive studies, Robopsy represents a significant advance in minimally invasive diagnostics, allowing radiologists to precisely target lesions remotely while reducing procedural error and radiation exposure. Her 2008 landmark paper on this technology has garnered nearly 100 citations, reflecting its broad influence on the field of interventional robotics. Shepard's work also extends to preoperative localization of pulmonary nodules for video-assisted and robotic surgery, a 2019 contribution that has accumulated over 60 citations and demonstrates her sustained relevance in thoracic imaging. Across her body of work, she has explored human factors design, user interface development, and comparative human-versus-robot error analysis, underscoring a commitment to translating engineering innovation into practical, clinician-friendly tools that ultimately improve patient outcomes.