Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD (ret.), Visiting Professor at the MIT Media Lab, was awarded the Knight (Chevalier) of the Legion of Honor—France’s highest recognition for military and civilian achievement. 

The award was presented by Ambassador Laurent Bili on behalf of the President of the French Republic, honoring Dr. Blumenthal’s transformative leadership in global and women’s health and her decade-long commitment to fostering transatlantic collaboration in cancer research and care as Ambassador for the Institut Curie.

A trailblazing physician and public health leader, Dr. Blumenthal has served across four US presidential administrations, helping shape national strategies on mental health, chronic disease prevention, pandemic preparedness, and women's health equity. She founded the National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health and the National Women’s Health Information Center, co-chaired a Presidential Initiative on Breast Cancer, and led early efforts to apply AI and defense technologies—such as imaging from NASA and the CIA—to improve cancer detection through digital mammography.

At the MIT Media Lab, Dr. Blumenthal is a Visiting Professor, member of the Director's Circle, and a lead researcher in the Lab’s WHx Program (Technology for Women’s Health), where she works at the intersection of public health and innovation. Her contributions support the Lab’s mission to build a healthier, more equitable future by integrating advanced technologies with human-centered design.

Dr. Blumenthal’s journey was inspired by her mother’s cancer diagnosis when she was ten years old and learning, through a hospital encounter, about the scientific legacy of Madame Marie Curie. This early moment sparked a lifelong dedication to fighting cancer and advancing women’s health. As Ambassador for the Institut Curie, France’s leading cancer research institute, she now leads U.S. efforts to support the creation of a world-first Chemical Biology of Cancer Research Center in Paris, focused on stopping metastasis, the cause of 90% of cancer deaths.

In accepting the Legion of Honor, Dr. Blumenthal spoke of the longstanding partnership between France and the United States in confronting global challenges—from cancer to climate. She emphasized that health equity is not the work of one individual but a global mission requiring collaborative science, cross-border partnerships, and shared innovation.

She proposed a new field—Public Health Technology—calling for the creation of global centers to train a new generation of professionals fluent in both science and technology. She also called attention to the shameful health disparities that persist globally, noting that zip codes often matter more than genetic codes in determining health outcomes.

“We must all stand up—for science, for the common good, and for progress,” she concluded. “Together, we can create a future where today’s deadliest diseases become stories in the history books—and where the next generation of Madame and Monsieur Curies are empowered to lead us there.”

Dr. Blumenthal is also a member of the MIT Media Lab Director’s Circle and a lead researcher in the Lab’s WHx Program, where she contributes her expertise to advancing women’s health innovation.