Thyroid cancer affects 6,000 Canadians each year. Nodules on the thyroid are detected using ultrasound imaging and surgery is the most common treatment. However, most nodules are benign, and therefore a biopsy is needed to decide whether surgery is necessary. Ultrasound imaging is very sensitive for localizing nodules, but does not differentiate between cancerous and benign ones. To address this limitation of US imaging, investigators have designed and constructed, in collaboration with Sogang University, Seoul, S. Korea, a novel imaging system that performs complimentary imaging modalities (ultrasound (US), photoacoustic (PA)) that could potentially help diagnose nodules without the need for biopsy and unnecessary surgery.