Awards and Honors: May 21, 2009

Posted 09:48 AM, May 21, 2009, by jaruiz

Roland Bammer, PhD, along with his collaborators Drs. Fischbein, and Moseley, has received R01 grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for his project, "Novel Acquisition Methods for Diffusion MRI." This is one of the first ARRA awards in the School of Medicine. The goal of Dr. Bammer's research project is to improve pediatric imaging by developing diffusion-weighted 3D spiral projection imaging for high-resolution 3D SSFP and SE DTI at 3T, reducing distortions related to motion and susceptibility differences. This past winter 2009, Dr. Bammer, along with his collaborators Drs. Atlas, Barnes, and Moseley, also received R01 funding for his project "Short Axis EPI for Diffusion Tensor MRI at High Field," which focuses on developing new types of EPI sequences for high resolution, low SAR, diffusion tensor imaging at 3T and 7T using parallel receive and parallel transmit technology. The success of his research projects will significantly improve MR exams in both children and adult patients by reducing the overall scan time; improving the diagnostic capacity of the images; and providing an alternative contrast mechanism and the means to understand more clearly the underlying tissue microstructure, particularly in terms of how it is composed and how the brain is anatomically/functionally connected with different regions.