June 2009

Welcome to Our New Chief Residents!

Congratulations to our three new chief residents who will begin their duties in July of 2009: Chivonne Harrigal, MD; Kendra Klang, MD; and Andy McBride, MD.

Andy McBride, MD, grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended college at the University of Notre Dame. After graduating four years later, Andy attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he met his wife while she was completing her master's degree in psychology. During his fourth year of medical school, he worked for McKinsey & Company in management consulting. After he completed his internship in Philadelphia, Andy and his wife moved to California, where he began our Residency Program, and she began working as a Human Resource Business Partner at Google. They were married in April of 2009 and now live in Menlo Park. Andy's activities outside of work include golfing, traveling,running, and Notre Dame football.

Awards and Honors: June 25, 2009

Jin Xie, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Molecular Imaging Probe Laboratory (MIPL), has been awarded a Travel Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM). The purpose of the SNM Travel Awards is to provide support to nuclear medicine scientists for presenting innovative work at the SNM Annual Meeting. Dr. Xie will use his award to attend the 56th Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting from June 13 to June 17 in Toronto, Canada.

In June 2008, Dr. Xie received his PhD from Brown University, where his research centered on magnetic nanoparticle synthesis, characterization, and surface modification as well as the magnetic nanoparticle interplay with biomolecules and their applications in molecular imaging and drug delivery. Moving to Stanford in July 2009, he joined Dr. Xiaoyuan Chen's group as a Stanford postdoctoral fellow in the Molecular Imaging Probe Laboratory (MIPL), where he has been working on the development of magnetic nanoparticle-based probes for MRI. Since then, Dr. Xie has extended his research interests to many other areas, such as NIRF, PET, stem cell, etc., and he is currently working on developing nanoparticle-based activatable probe development and on creating probes that are suitable for multi-modality purposes. When he is not in the lab, Dr. Xie enjoys electronic games. He is also a fan of soccer and karaoke.

Awards and Honors: June 22, 2009

Sri-Rajasekhar (Raj) Kothapalli, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Multimodality Molecular Imaging Lab, has been appointed to a Hamalainen Pelican Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Sir Peter and Lady Michael Foundation. This postdoctoral fellowship supports innovative research, clinical trials, and applied methods for improving the detection, management, and non-invasive treatment of prostate cancer, with a particular focus on the development of multimodal (photoacoustic, optical, and ultrasound) molecular imaging techniques for obtaining rigorous and comprehensive information about early stage prostate cancer.

Dr. Kothapalli received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics, physics, & chemistry from Nagarujuna University, India, followed by his master of science degree in nuclear physics from Andhra University, India, and his master of technology degree in applied optics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Before receiving his master of science in applied physics from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Dr. Kothapalli worked for an Indian defense organization developing optical pattern recognition techniques. While at the University of Massachusetts, he applied these pattern recognition techniques to medical imaging processing in areas such as mammography. His master's work piqued his interest in medical imaging, so he attained his PhD in biomedical engineering at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he focused on developing a hybrid imaging modality that combines the advantages of both optics (high contrast) and ultrasound (excellent resolution and penetration depth). Working under the mentorship of Dr. Sanjiv Gambhir, Dr. Kothapalli plans to apply his background in physics and engineering to develop multimodal molecular imaging techniques for the early detection of cancer, with a particular emphasis on prostate cancer.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis in the summer; squash in the winter; and listening to inspirational music.

Awards and Honors: June 15, 2009

Keren Ziv, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Multimodality Molecular Imaging Lab, has received a Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship (LSRF), which is bestowed upon young scientists who perform the highest quality of research.

Prior to joining Dr. Gambhir's Multimodality Molecular Imaging Lab, Dr. Ziv was a postdoctoral scholar in Professor Michal Neeman's lab at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel. She received both her PhD and master's degrees from the Department of Biological Regulation of the Feinberg Graduate School at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Her PhD research focused on the functional and molecular imaging of gene expression.

Dr. Ziv is the coauthor of seven publications as well as the recipient of many honors including the 2007 Auto Swartz Award and the 2008 AFLACAACR International Scholar-in-Training Award supported by Aflac, Inc.

"Sanford/Atlas: Alternatives to Government Health Takeover"

In their June 15th opinion piece published in The Washington Times, Governor Mark Sanford and Dr. Scott Atlas offer their views on healthcare reform: "government-run health systems by and large fail the very patients they were created to protect. In these systems, access to doctors, surgeries and new lifesaving treatments are severely limited. Innovation is discouraged, and medical technologies are deficient, forcing patients to undergo more invasive and dangerous care. Patient outcomes are worse, and costs keep escalating." To read the full article, please access http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/15/raise-quality-further/ or Download file.

Chief Resident Pat Basu Named Consultant of the Year

Dr. Basu has been awarded the Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency Program's highly prized "Consultant of the Year" Award, which is "dedicated to the consultant who, on a regular basis, acts in the best interest of Emergency Department patient care through clinical knowledge, action, teaching, and leadership." He is the first radiologist to win this award. A few of the many attributes for which Dr. Basu was commended include his outstanding radiologic communication, unusual ability to build consensus, as well as his extraordinary leadership and vision. His unique talents have earned him the universal respect of his peers who nominated him for this award, which he will receive at a special banquet on June 19th. "I highly value teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills and to be recognized for those skills is a great honor," Dr. Basu commented. "I am happy to be able to represent the Department and the profession with this accolade. Even though this is an individual recognition, I truly believe it is a team accomplishment."

Awards and Honors: June 10, 2009

Gang Niu, PhD, postdoctoral scholar in the Molecular Imaging Probe Laboratory (MIPL), has been awarded a Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) Travel Award to attend the 56th Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting from June 13 to June 17 in Toronto, Canada. The purpose of the SNM Travel Awards is to provide support to nuclear medicine scientists for presenting innovative work at the SNM Annual Meeting. Dr. Niu received his PhD in free radical radiation biology from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, where his research focused on molecular imaging and tumor gene therapy, mediated by the human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS), to investigate the role of hNIS as a reporter gene monitoring gene transfer and expression. After arriving at Stanford in 2006, he began working in the MIPL under the supervision of Dr. Xiaoyuan Chen. Dr. Niu's current research interests include the investigation of tumor initiation and the progress and response to various therapies with non-invasive molecular imaging strategies, including optical and radiological modalities.

Awards and Honors: June 9, 2009

Jeremy Pearl, Stanford medical student and member of the Cardiovascular Gene and Cell Therapy Group, has been awarded a second-year fellowship to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Fellowship recipients are selected because they have shown "the greatest promise for future achievement in biomedical research" and "have demonstrated superior scholarship." Mentored by Joe Wu, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (cardiology) and radiology, and Mark M. Davis, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, Mr. Pearl was initially awarded a first-year HHMI Fellowship in 2008. In 2009, he was one of a few select fellows who was given a second-year HHMI fellowship because of his outstanding biomedical research on the immunogenic properties of human embryonic stem cells.

Before beginning medical school at Stanford, Mr. Pearl graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, San Diego, with a BS in human biology. In addition to the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Student Fellowships, he was acquired numerous honors, including the 2007 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Research Fellowship. Mr. Pearl is also the first named inventor on the patent "Methods for the Control of Macrophage-Associated Inflammation" (S07-398 (STAN-593) 12/397, 925), and the co-author of over 15 abstracts, posters, and oral presentations as well as 5 publications, including "Seeing Is Believing: Tracking Cells to Determine the Effects of Cell Transplantation" (Pearl J, Wu JC) in Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (2008;20(2):102-109). When he is not working, Mr. Pearl enjoys playing and watching all sports, particularly basketball.

Awards and Honors: June 3, 2009

Amelie Lutz, MD, PhD, clinical instructor of Radiology and research scientist in the Multimodality Molecular Imaging Lab, has received the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research Scholar Award for her project "Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer Using Targeted Microbubble-Enhanced Ultrasound." To promote career development, the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research Scholar Award is bestowed upon young researchers in the field of ovarian cancer, whose projects have translational potential.

Before becoming a CE and research scientist, Dr. Lutz was a postdoctoral fellow in the Multimodality Molecular Imaging Laboratory at Stanford. She received her medical degree from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and completed her internship in internal medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology at the University Hospital in Freiburg, Germany. Dr. Lutz did her training in diagnostic radiology at the University Hospital in Zurich and at the Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, Kantonal Hospital, in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.

In addition to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research Scholar Award, Dr. Lutz has received numerous honors, including the 2008 Bronze Award from the European Society of Gastrointestinal Radiology (co-author) and the 2004 Swiss Society of Radiology Research Award for her paper "Ultra Small Superparamagnetic Oxide (USPIO) Enhanced MR Imaging for Detection of Macrophage Activity in an Experimental Model of Antigen-Induced Arthritis," which is one of her 27 peer-reviewed publications. Her clinical and research interests include: musculoskeletal radiology and interventions; body imaging with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging; molecular imaging in oncology; cellular imaging of musculoskeletal inflammatory diseases; and kinematic musculoskeletal imaging. When she is not working, Dr. Lutz enjoys life as a new mom with her family.

For her prior blog award posting, please access http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2007/02/awards_and_hono_18.html.

Awards and Honors: June 2, 2009

Juergen K. Willmann, MD, assistant professor of radiology (abdominal imaging) and head of the Translational Molecular Imaging Laboratory, has received the highly prestigious Walter Friedrich Award at the 90th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Radiology in Berlin. The award was named in honor of Dr. Walter Friedrich, a 1914 Nobel Laureate. Awarded only once each year, the Walter Friedrich Award was bestowed upon Dr. Juergen K. Willmann for his outstanding research in the field of radiology.

Prior to becoming an assistant professor at Stanford, Dr. Willmann was a research fellow in the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS) while concurrently an assistant professor of diagnostic radiology at the Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. He received his MD from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Germany, and was the chief resident of diagnostic radiology at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Under his leadership, the Translational Molecular Imaging Lab focuses on multimodality molecular imaging of angiogenesis and stem cell therapy as well as the development of multi-modality imaging approaches for the early detection of cancer. When he is not working, Dr. Willmann enjoys his life as a new Dad and plays the piano. To read Dr. Willmann's prior award postings, please access http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2009/04/awards_and_hono_79.html; http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2009/01/awards_and_hono_73.html; http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2008/11/awards_and_hono_61.html; http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2008/05/awards_and_hono_38.html; http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2007/12/awards_and_hono_21.html; and
http://radiology.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2007/02/awards_and_hono_18.html.