Francisco Padrao thinks “the application of AI to detect skin cancer is fascinating”

Erasing the borders between fields of knowledge.

Steve Jobs believed that innovation happens by the accidental collision of two ideas that weren’t supposed to meet.

We can provoke that accident when we intentionally step out of our comfort zone and explore new knowledge and possibilities.

Perhaps because Steve Jobs knew well that we are creatures of habit who tend to stay within our comfort zone, he specifically designed the Pixar headquarters to be a place that “promoted encounters and unplanned collaborations.” So the design of the building forced people to get out of their offices and mingle in the central atrium with people they might not otherwise see.

Francisco Padrao’s mind is constantly mingling with new ideas, innovation, and science.

He is 24 years old and lives in Brazil. He graduated in Physics Engineering just one year ago.

“ as a physicist and engineer, I love going to the edge of knowledge.”

His research fellowship aimed to understand Bell’s Inequalities, as well as physical and mathematical concepts and tools that support Quantum Entanglement, defined by the correlation between quantum systems.

“I like to study these things… they are a bit far from my everyday work but I love to explore science and keep up with innovation, tech, and health. It’s important for me and takes up a lot of my free time!”

Francisco works at Accenture Interactive as a Digital Data Analyst where he gets to explore data to find patterns and define trends in consumer behavior in order to bring new perspectives and insights to his clients.

“I see Accenture Interactive as a huge platform where people with different perspectives and different backgrounds come together to do new things.”

Since being a young kid, Francisco used to look at history and science books and maps to “understand the beauty in each of them.”

“Being at Accenture gives me the chance to think about different knowledge and to mix different skills, pushing me out of my comfort zone, which is really what I like to do, to eliminate the borders of knowledge between fields.”

His exploration at the intersection of knowledge has led him to explore innovation in health.

“I think the application of artificial intelligence to detect skin cancer is fascinating, using algorithms that can screen parts of a patient’s skin and find suspicious pigmented lesions. Sometimes these are really hard to detect by human eyes.”

“What’s important to point out is that when it comes to melanoma, which is responsible for 77% of all skin cancer deaths, most studies are conducted with people with white skin. There are huge databases with over 20,000 images but most of them are focused on people who are white. That’s an issue for sure!”

Then he lights up:

“Imagine an app that could read any skin color or ethnicity, this is something that would be really fascinating and important! Because the earlier we detect cancer, the lower the cost of treatment and the higher the chances of survival! So, combining machine learning with artificial intelligence and data science to solve this issue is the way to go.”

Francisco’s job is to see what other people don’t see. He connects dots that are invisible to most of us, but to him, it’s all part of the same mental process.

“I see the scientific process as a collective effort to add bits of knowledge here and there. And over time, the collaboration and the combination of those bits create the solutions across disciplines that we know today.”

In his mind it’s all part of the same mission, it all adds up: “When we think about health and technology and how science is constantly updating and upgrading, all the possible things we can do for our clients become clear to me.”

“At Accenture, we get to see the future, we look forward! And when you sit at a place with this perspective advantage, we are almost obligated to do the impossible. Not because we are asked to do it, but because somebody has to think outside of the box, why not us? Why not me?”

“When it comes to sustainability and health I think about altruism, and our ability to collaborate, gather and exchange knowledge to improve society in general, it speaks about our capacity to think beyond our own individual needs.”

Francisco has a clear vision about the future: “If we get more people to think about the future, not as their individual future but the collective’s future, we can solve the issues we face in health and sustainability.”

For example in BioPrinting, “where you can print organs and tissue, and train before a surgery. This is revolutionary! In 50 years, we won’t worry about organ transplants. We will get to do it ourselves.” Or how artificial intelligence can be trained to identify and recognize voice patterns so you can tell if someone is suffering depression, “this type of innovation is fascinating because it combines so many different innovations, where a lot of people thought outside the box to make it happen”

His favorite example of science leading to innovative breakthroughs is called SQUID, which stands for Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices. A new device that can measure extremely weak signals, such as subtle changes in the human body’s electromagnetic energy field. It can then help us understand parts of the brain and how it works, which has been unknown to us until now.

It’s a brand new device that helps us map the entire body, organs, and muscles. “Imagine the possibilities of knowing and understanding our body at a quantum level.”

Francisco is on a mission. A mission he started perhaps when he was looking at all those maps and science books when he was a kid. His mission is to help erase the borders of knowledge. And that’s why, to him, innovation is not a choice, it is a responsibility.

“When we look to science, especially during the pandemic, it gives us hope. We can improve the way we live. Today, we are treating cancer with AI, we have smart clothes to monitor data, we have quantum technology to see what we were never able to see. I am optimistic.

“My hope is to one day be a part of a project that proves how innovation can strengthen our knowledge about other people’s lives and bodies — that would be very cool!”

To be able to combine my curiosity about innovation and technology with the research I do on a daily basis for a work project is my dream!”

If you believe in accidental collisions and want to talk innovation, science, health, SQUID, or quantum entanglement, reach out to Francisco.

Follow Francisco on Linkedin