Dr. Katherine Scafide is a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Nursing within the College of Public Health at George Mason University. She is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose work integrates forensic science, digital health, and artificial intelligence to improve the detection and documentation of injuries across all skin tones.

Dr. Scafide is a Principal Investigator and, with Dr. Janusz Wojtusiak, Co-Director of the Injury Analytics Lab (IAL), an interdisciplinary research environment spanning nursing, engineering, computer science, biostatistics, forensic science, and public health. Her studies established the evidence base for alternate light source (ALS) illumination in detecting and documenting bruises across diverse skin tones. Her research program is supported by over $10 million in external funding, including awards from the U.S. Department of Justice, NIH-affiliated initiatives, and private foundations. A major focus of her work is the Evidence-based AI Software for Injury Detection (EAS-ID) program, which develops AI-enabled, imaging-based tools to support accurate injury assessment across skin tones and care settings.

Her scholarship includes clinical trials, imaging and measurement science, and implementation research, with publications in leading forensic and health journals. She also contributes to national standards through service with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science.

A forensic nurse by training, Dr. Scafide focuses her research on translating imaging science into practical tools for clinicians who care for patients experiencing violence. Her team’s work led to a granted U.S. patent for AI-assisted bruise detection.