In recognition of his research contributions to improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for detecting and quantifying spinal cord damage, Seth Smith, PhD, associate professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was recently awarded a 2018 Distinguished Investigator Award by the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research (ARR).

Michael Nickels, PhD, assistant professor of research in Vanderbilt’s Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, was recently appointed director of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) Radiochemistry Core Lab, marking a significant reorganization of the program.

Arthur Fleischer, MD, medical director of Ultrasound and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN), received the Laurence (Larry) A. Mack Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) Annual Meeting held in October in San Diego.

An immunotherapy research initiative at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is among those being supported by the Mary Kay Foundation, which has announced $1.2 million in funding that will be equally shared among 12 cancer research institutions.

Seth Smith, PhD, director of the Center for Human Imaging in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), has been appointed the institute’s first associate director.

Reed Omary, MD, MS, Carol D. and Henry P. Pendergrass Professor and chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, has been elected to the board of directors of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD).

A research-dedicated PET/CT scanner installed recently in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) will expand opportunities for Vanderbilt researchers to conduct studies of a wide range of disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.