Research News | Emory School of Medicine

$2.95 Million NIH Grant Advances Brain Thermometry

A multidisciplinary team led by Candace Fleischer (front, center) has received a $2.95 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Health to develop and then clinically validate a novel method for assessing human brain temperature. The project uses both a fully conserved biophysical model complemented by experimental measurements for absolute brain thermometry using magnetic resonance imaging. Following validation and model optimization, the team will apply the technology in the clinical setting to evaluate patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease, with the goal of developing brain temperature as a non-invasive prognostic tool that can help improve outcomes for patients with brain injury and illness.

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Advanced Brain Imaging Shows Promise for Surgical Planning

Researchers have found a promising new way to predict which patients with a congenital brain malformation would respond well to surgical intervention. The results of this preliminary application of a non-invasive advanced imaging approach could significantly improve the quality of care for patients with Chiari malformation type-I.

Emory Core Day Shines Spotlight on Radiology Dataset AI Projects

Emory Core Day 2024 shone a spotlight on the essential roles core facilities like the AI Image Extraction Core (AI₂EC) play in translational and scientific innovation. Hari Trivedi, MD, assistant professor of radiology and imaging sciences and director of the AI₂EC, delivered one of the 17 invited talks as part of the impressive daylong program, and also co-authored a poster about AI₂EC's work. The Center for Systems Imaging Core also was featured as part of the program.

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A novel approach to imaging blood flow in the carotid artery shows a rare anomaly called carotid web impairs blood flow and significantly increases the risk of stroke. The work is so important, biomedical engineer Retta El Sayed took the top research prize at a recent international conference and landed on the cover of a prestigious scientific journal.

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round image of smiling person who is lead author of the article featured on this cover of the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging which includes colorful images of arteries taken using 4D flow MRI

Associate professor Steven H. Liang is the recipient of the 2024 Albert E. Levy Award for Excellence in Scientific Research in the Junior Faculty category. The award recognizes one junior and one senior researcher at Emory considered to be outstanding in their fields of research. Liang's research focuses on drug development and radiochemistry for PET imaging.

Resident-Led Research

Residents' Paper in BMJ Health and Care Informatics Awarded Editor's Choice

John T. Moon, MD, and Hanzhou Li, MD, fourth-year residents in the Interventional Radiology - Integrated Residency program, received Editor's Choice accolades for their paper "Towards Inclusive Biodesign and Innovation: Lowering Barriers to Entry in Medical Device Development through Large Language Model Tools," published July 22, 2024 in the British Medical Journal Health & Care Informatics. Coauthors include Nicholas Lima, BS, Eleanor Froula, BSEng, and faculty members from the Division of Interventional Radiology Janice Newsome, MD, Zachary Bercu, MD, RPVI, and Judy Wawira Gichoya, MD, and Hari Trivedi from the Division of Emergency and Trauma Imaging.

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RSNA Research Grant Awarded

M. Bechel, third-year diagnostic radiology resident, is leveraging an RSNA Resident Research grant for a project to increase awareness and adherence with incidental imaging follow-up recommendations, specifically pulmonary nodules. To this end, Bechel will be coding and deploying two different interventions within Emory's electronic medical record - one for patients and one for primary care providers. For patients, she will build a system that monitors for radiology pulmonary nodule detection and inserts special instructions into patient after visit summaries to notify them of the finding and recommendation. For the second intervention, Bechel is partnering with Emory Primary Care to develop a tracking system to help providers identify which patients within their census need imaging follow-up, have completed it, and are overdue.

RSNA Grant Honor

Wasif Bala, fourth-year diagnostic radiology resident, received grant funding to develop AdaptiRad to revolutionize radiology education. By simulating real-world radiology tasks and presenting optimal learning cases tailored to user competency, AdaptiRad promises to reimagine diagnostic training through an evidence-based, deliberate practice approach. This innovative educational platform is enhanced with eye-tracking technology, offering unique insights into the progression of skill development and paving the way for a new era in radiology training.