Congratulations to Associate Professor Jason Stephenson, MD for being named Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs for Health Professions Learners in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. In his new role, Dr. Stephenson will work to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the school’s five health professions degree programs and ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs. His new position starts August 1^st. 2021.

Dr. Stephenson joined the Department of Radiology in 2012 as an assistant professor and Director of the Radiology Medical Student Clerkship. Since joining UW, he has been a dedicated teacher, clinician, and ment

or. He has authored articles and curricula for students in various health professions, and since the pandemic has helped to create better distance learning experiences for medical students. Dr. Stephenson has received many awards for his work. In 2018 he was awarded a Dean’s Teaching Award, and in 2020 he was inducted into the Gold Humanism in Medicine Society and selected to receive the Gold Foundation’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.

In addition, Dr. Stephenson is highly involved in numerous organizations within SMPH. Dr. Stephenson is a member of the Centennial Scholars and Centennial Clinicians Program Steering Committee and of the Partnership Education and Research Committee (PERC). He is a mentor for the Building Equitable Access to Mentorship (BEAM) program and is the Integrated Block Leader for the ForWard curriculum course, Mind & Motion. He also chairs the Curriculum and Assessment Subcommittee and is a member of the Equity and Inclusion Committee for the Department of Radiology.

Department of Radiology colleagues recognize Dr. Stephenson’s hard work and dedication and believe he is a great fit for this role. “I have learned so much from Jason about how to be a better educator and make meaningful connections with students. Jason has been a model of professionalism for our medical students, residents, and faculty in the Department of Radiology since he joined our practice.   He always approaches discussions and challenging decisions with thoughtful consideration. I am excited to see what is on the horizon for Jason in this new role at the SMPH,” says Associate Professor Tabby Kennedy, MD.

Dr. Stephenson is honored to have this chance to serve the UW community. “I am most excited about the opportunity to provide additional ways to support students in their pursuit to become highly skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate care providers. The national events of the preceding year have compelled me to seek more active ways to affect positive change in our community and beyond.  My goal is to promote growth and stimulate thoughtful discourse on topics of equity, inclusion, and cultures as they relate to our learning environments and in general to our shared institutional values of service, scholarship, science, and social responsibility,” says Dr. Stephenson.

Best wishes to Dr. Stephenson in his new role!

Professor Weibo Cai, PhD and the Cai Research Group are part of a team led by Professor Xudong Wang, a Materials Science and Engineering Professor at UW, that has developed a new technique for large-scale synthesis of biodegradable and bioresorbable piezoelectric amino acid gamma glycine. This innovative research was published in the prestigious Science on July 16^th, 2021.

This technique would be used to create transient implantable electromechanical devices that could be used in patients to perform functions such as monitor cardiac function or speed up bone healing. Since the devices require no batteries, they would dissolve in the body once they have completed their job. Currently, most piezoelectric materials are unsuitable for patients because they are rigid, brittle, or toxic. This research could improve piezoelectric devices and make them available for patient use. You can learn more about this cutting-edge research here.

Edward Lawrence, MD, PhD recently joined the Department of Radiology as an Instructor (CHS) in the Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Section after completing his Diagnostic Radiology Residency and Abdominal Imaging Fellowship here at UW. Continue reading to learn more about Dr. Lawrence.

Q: Where are you from?
A: I was born in Oshkosh, WI but grew up mostly in Madison.

Q: Where did you attend Medical School?
A: Albert Einstein College of Medicine – Bronx, NY

Q: Why did you choose Radiology?
A: I loved the fact that you get to impact the care of so many patients and enjoy putting the imaging ‘clues’ together to find the ‘answer’ or diagnosis.

Q: What is your specialty?
A: Mostly Abdominal Imaging and Intervention with some work in Molecular Imaging/PET

Q: What are your career interests and goals?
A: I want to continue to learn from all my amazing colleagues to become the best radiologist I can be for my patients. I also want to research how we can use imaging to understand the microenvironment or habitat of tumors to improve patient outcomes and investigate how we can optimize the use of modern technology, including AI, to improve radiology education.

Q: Why did you choose UW/What are you excited about at UW?
A: At UW I get a chance to work with outstanding people, both personally and professionally, who make it a joy to come to work.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I’ve always enjoyed running. I may not get out as much now but when I do I love to run along the lakes and in the Arboretum.

Assistant Professor Amy Fowler, MD, PhD has been inducted as a Fellow of the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI). SBI Fellowship is one of the highest honors members can receive within the society and recognizes outstanding contributions and service to breast imaging.

Fellows must be a recognized leader in the field of breast imaging. To demonstrate leadership, fellowship candidates need to have sustained success in at least three of these categories: breast-related scientific or academic accomplishment; medical education in breast imaging, breast disease or wellness; administrative of political activities impacting breast health; and service to patients or to SBI.

Dr. Fowler has contributed significantly to the field of breast imaging while leading the Fowler Research Group. Earlier this year, Dr. Fowler and colleagues had their research published in Radiological Society of North America’s journal Radiology: Imaging Cancer. They compared simultaneous breast PET/MRI scans to PET/CT scans and found that the PET/MRI scans provided an acceptable approximation of tumor glucose uptake and metabolism of primary invasive breast cancer compared to the PET/CT scans.

A virtual induction ceremony took place on April 26^th as part of the SBI Fellows Meeting. Dr. Fowler was introduced by Breast Imaging and Intervention Section Chief and Associate Professor Roberta Strigel, MD, MS, who is also an SBI Fellow.

Dr. Fowler was proud to receive this distinction for her work in breast imaging. “I am honored to be selected as a fellow and am looking forward to the additional opportunities to participate within the Society,” she says.

Congratulations, Dr. Fowler!

Renovations were recently completed on the UWMR2 MRI room. The renovations started in January and finished in late June, with the first patient imaged on the new system June 28^th, and provide much needed upgrades to improve imaging for patients and providers alike.

The first part of the renovations was to the MRI room itself. The MRI room previously had three inches of steel plating on all sides to help contain the magnetic field. During construction, the steel was removed, and the room was shortened to allow more space in the MRI control area. The new room also has a wider window from the control area, a wider door into the room, and significantly brighter lighting to help in cases where general anesthesia is used.

The second part of the renovations was to the MRI system. The previous MRI system was installed in 1991, and despite many upgrades, it had become quite limited compared to current MRI systems. The old system was removed, and a new 1.5T GE Signa Artist MRI system was installed. The new system has better coil coverage to better accommodate patients of different sizes as well as the latest software options. The 70 cm bore allows additional room in the scanner, which can help with claustrophobic patients.

The Department of Radiology is excited to have this state-of-the-art MRI system available for use!

Professor Mark Schiebler, MD, Assistant Professor John Garrett, PhD, Professor Scott Reeder, MD, PhD, Professor Guang-Hong Chen, PhD, and Assistant Scientist Ran Zhang, PhD were recently commended for their highly applicable research publication.  A literature review published in Patterns looked at medical imaging and artificial intelligence in the context of COVID-19 and found that there were great disparities between research experts and clinicians on what and how AI solutions could be used in clinical practice. Within the review, 2.7% of publications (12 manuscripts) were assigned a high maturity level and found relevant to clinical practice, one of which was the UW faculty members’ publication.

Drs. Schiebler, Garrett, Reeder, and Chen were part of the research team that published the manuscript, Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia by Using Chest Radiography: Value of Artificial Intelligence, in Radiology in September of 2020. The research aimed to develop an artificial intelligence algorithm to differentiate COVID-19 pneumonia from others at chest radiography. You can learn more about this research here.

Professor Elizabeth Burnside, MD, MPH, MS, FACR had her latest research published in Nature’s British Journal of Cancer. Her article, Quantitative Breast Density Analysis to Predict Interval and Node Positive Cancers in Pursuit of Improved Screening Protocols: a Case-control Study, looks at whether quantitative breast density (BD) serves as an imaging biomarker for more intensive breast cancer screening by predicting interval and node-positive cancers.

Dr. Burnside’s research found that the risk of being diagnosed with a breast cancer is best discriminated by the volume of fibroglandular tissue in the breast rather than breast density. This suggests that a more intense screening schedule with mammography may be appropriate in women with high fibroglandular volume. Regular mammography screenings are important for detection of breast cancer, but there is a balance to be struck between early diagnosis and overtreatment. Dr. Burnside’s research offers an alternative to a “one size fits all” approach to breast cancer screenings. You can learn more about her research here.

Dr. Burnside is thankful she had the opportunity to complete this meaningful research. “I am grateful for my brief sabbatical in the UK to do this important work with colleagues with whom I never would have so easily collaborated, without the support of UW Radiology and the School of Medicine and Public Health,” she says.

Professor Weibo Cai, PhD is part of a research team creating self-powered implantable devices for bone fracture healing. The device, which is battery-free and requires no surgical removal after the intervention, uses electrostimulation to rapidly heal fractures. The device showed effective bone fracture healing in as short as six weeks, compared to over 10 weeks, in initial studies using a rat model.

The study, A self-powered implantable and bioresorbable electrostimulation device for biofeedback bone fracture healing, was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) this July. You can also learn more about the research here.

1. Manunga, J., Jordano, L., Mirza, A.K., Teng, X., Skeik, N., Eisenmenger, L. Clinical application and technical details of cook zenith devices modification to treat urgent and elective complex aortic aneurysms. CVIR Endovasc 4, 44, (2021).
2. Zghaib, T., Te Riele, A.S.J.M., James, C.A. et al. Left ventricular fibro-fatty replacement in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy: prevalence, patterns, and association with arrhythmias. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 23, 58, (2021).
3. Garcia-Ramos, C., Struck, A.F., Cook, C., Prabhakaran, V., Nair, V., Maganti, R., Binder, J.R., Meyerand, M., Conant, L.L., Hermann, B. Network topology of the cognitive phenotypes of temporal lobe epilepsy. Cortex 141, 55-65, (2021).
4. Jin Y, Liu B, Younis MH, Huang G, Liu J, Cai W, Wei W. Next-Generation Molecular Imaging of Thyroid Cancer. Cancers, 13, 13, 3188, (2021).
5. Clark, P.A., Sriramaneni, R.N., Bates, A.M., Jin, W.J., Jagodinsky, J.C., Hernandez, R., Le, T., Jeffery, J.J., Marsh, I.R., Grudzinski, J.J., Aluicio-Sarduy, E., Barnhart, T.E., Anderson, B.R., Chakravarty, I., Arthur, I.S., Kim, K., Engle, J.W., Bednarz, B.P., Weichert, J.P., Morris, Z.S. Low-Dose Radiation Potentiates the Propagation of Anti-Tumor Immunity against Melanoma Tumor in the Brain after In Situ Vaccination at a Tumor outside the Brain. Radiation Research 195, 6, 522-540, (7 April 2021).
6. Bluemke, D.A., Kawel-Boehm, N. Artificial intelligence: evaluating all imaging for cardiovascular disease. Journal of the American Heart Association 10, 11, e021540, (2021).
7. Li, Y., Kim, J., Simpson, D., Aagaard-Kienitz, B., Niemann, D., Esene, I.N., Ahmed, A. Difference in imaging biomarkers between transient and permanent neurological deficits after endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular aneurysms. Journal of Neurosurgery, 134, 6, 1861-1870, (2021).
8. Pishgar, F., Shabani, M., Silva, T.Q.A.C., Bluemke, D.A., Budoff, M., Graham Barr, R., Allison, M.A., Post, W.S., Lima, J.A.C., Demehri, S. Quantitative analysis of adipose depots by using chest CT and associations with all-cause mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Longitudinal analysis from MESArthritis ancillary study. Radiology, 299, 3, 703-711, (2021).
9. Corrado, P.A., Barton, G.P., Francois, C.J., Wieben, O., Goss, K.N. Sildenafil administration improves right ventricular function on 4D flow MRI in young adults born premature. American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 320, 6, H2295-H2304, (2021).
10. Lee, S.L., Yadav, P., Starekova, J., Christensen, L., Chandereng, T., Chappell, R., Reeder, S.B., Bassetti, M.F. Diagnostic performance of MRI for esophageal carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Radiology, 299, 3,583-594, (2021).
11. Gefter, W.B., Lee, K.S., Schiebler, M.L., Parraga, G., Seo, J.B., Ohno, Y., Hatabu, H.Pulmonary functional imaging: Part 2⇔state-of-the-art clinical applications and opportunities for improved patient care. Radiology, 299, 3, 524-538, (2021).
12. Ohno, Y., Seo, J.B., Parraga, G., Lee, K.S., Gefter, W.B., Fain, S.B., Schiebler, M.L., Hatabu, H. Pulmonary functional imaging: Part 1—state-of-the-art technical and physiologic underpinnings. Radiology, 299, 3, 508-523, (2021).
13. Szczykutowicz, T.P., Nett, B., Cherkezyan, L., Pozniak, M., Tang, J., Lubner, M.G., Hsieh, J. Protocol optimization considerations for implementing deep learning CT reconstruction. American Journal of Roentgenology, 216, 6, 1668-1677, (2021).
14. Dreyfuss, L.D., Jason Abel, E., Nystrom, J., Stabo, N.J., Pickhardt, P.J., Lubner, M.G. Comparison of CT texture analysis software platforms in renal cell carcinoma: Reproducibility of numerical values and association with histologic subtype across platforms. American Journal of Roentgenology, 216 , 6,1549-1557, (2021).
15. Ferrazzano, P., Yeske, B., Mumford, J., Kirk, G., Bigler, E.D., Bowen, K., O’Brien, N., Rosario, B., Beers, S.R., Rathouz, P., Bell, M.J., Alexander, A.L. Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Volumetric Measures of Functional Outcome after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescents. Journal of Neurotrauma, 38, 13, 1799-1808, (2021).
16. Kenchaiah, S., Ding, J., Carr, J.J., Allison, M.A., Budoff, M.J., Tracy, R.P., Burke, G.L., McClelland, R.L., Arai, A.E., Bluemke, D.A. Pericardial Fat and the Risk of Heart Failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 77, 21, 2638-2652, (2021).
17. Grayev, A., Schoepp, M., Kuner, A. A systematic review of procedural complications from transforaminal lumbar puncture for intrathecal nusinersen administration in patients with spinal muscular atrophy. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 42 (5), 980-985, (2021).
18. Burnside, E.S., Warren, L.M., Myles, J., Wilkinson, L.S., Wallis, M.G., Patel, M., Smith, R.A., Young, K.C., Massat, N.J., Duffy, S.W. Quantitative breast density analysis to predict interval and node-positive cancers in pursuit of improved screening protocols: a case–control study. Br J Cancer (2021).
19. Ferreira, C.A., Goel, S., Ehlerding, E.B., Rosenkrans, Z.T., Jiang, D., Sun, T., Aluicio-Sarduy, E., Engle, J.W., Ni, D., Cai, W. Ultrasmall Porous Silica Nanoparticles with Enhanced Pharmacokinetics for Cancer Theranostics. Nano Lett, 21,11, 4692-4699, (2021).
20. Geng, R., Zhang, Y., Starekova, J., Rutkowski, D.R., Estkowski, L., Roldán-Alzate, A., Hernando, D. Characterization and correction of cardiovascular motion artifacts in diffusion-weighted imaging of the pancreas. Magn Reson Med.; 00: 1– 14, (2021).
21. Wang, R., Oh, J.M., Motovylyak, A., Ma, Y., Sager, M.A., Rowley, H.A., Johnson, K.M., Gallagher, C.L., Carlsson, C.M., Bendlin, B.B., Johnson, S.C., Asthana, S., Eisenmenger, L., Okonkwo, O.C. Impact of sex and APOE ε4 on age-related cerebral perfusion trajectories in cognitively asymptomatic middle-aged and older adults: A longitudinal study. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, (2021).
22. Lee, M.H., Lubner, M.G., Mellnick, V.M., Menias, C.O., Bhalla, S., Pickhardt, P.J. The CT scout view: complementary value added to abdominal CT interpretation. Abdom Radiol (2021).
23. Manunga, J., Eisenmenger, L. Commentary on “Comprehensive Review of Physician Modified Aortic Stent Grafts: Technical and Clinical Outcomes”: The Need for Uniform Reporting Standards of Physician Modified Studies. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (2021).
24. Sugi, M.D., Kennedy, T.A., Shah, V., Hartung, M.P. Bridging the gap: interactive, case-based learning in radiology education. Abdom Radiol (2021).
25. Welle, C.L., Venkatesh, S.K., Reeder, S.B., VanBuren, W.M., Wells, M.L., Sheedy, S.P., Fidler, J.L. Dual contrast liver MRI: a pictorial illustration. Abdom Radiol (2021).
26. Pewowaruk, R., Roldán-Alzate, A. A distributed lumped parameter model of blood flow with fluid-structure interaction. Biomech Model Mechanobiol (2021).
27. Maheshwer, B., Wong, S.E., Polce, E.M., Paul, K., Forsythe, B., Bush-Joseph, C., Bach, B.R., Yanke, A.B., Cole, B.J., Verma, N.N., Chahla, J. Establishing the Minimal Clinically Important Difference and Patient-Acceptable Symptomatic State After Arthroscopic Meniscal Repair and Associated Variables for Achievement. Arthroscopy (2021).
28. Chang, C.A., Perrier, R., Kurek, K.C., Estrada-Veras, J., Lehman, A., Yip, S., Hendson, G., Diamond, C., Pinchot, J.W., Tran, J.M., Arkin, L.M., Drolet, B.A., Napier, M.P., O’Neill, S.A., Balci, T.B., Keppler-Noreuil, K.M. Novel findings and expansion of phenotype in a mosaic RASopathy caused by somatic KRAS variants. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A (2021).
29. Swietlik, J.F., Mauch, S.C., Knott, E.A., Zlevor, A., Longo, K.C., Zhang, X., Xu, Z., Laeseke, P.F., Lee, F.T., Jr., Ziemlewicz, T.J. Noninvasive thyroid histotripsy treatment: proof of concept study in a porcine model. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 38,1, 798-804, (2021).
30. Thomassin-Naggara, I., Belghitti, M., Milon, A., Abdel Wahab, C., Sadowski, E., Rockall, A.G., Thomassin-Naggara, I., Poncelet, E., Jalaguier-Coudray, A., Guerra, A., Fournier, L.S., Stojanovic, S., Millet, I., Bharwani, N., Juhan, V., Cunha, T.M., Masselli, G., Balleyguier, C., Malhaire, C., Perrot, N., Bazot, M., Taourel, P., Darai, E., on behalf of EURAD study group. O-RADS MRI score: analysis of misclassified cases in a prospective multicentric European cohort. Eur Radiol (2021).
31. Daniels, S.P., Ross, A.B., Sneag, D.B., Gardon, S.N., Li, G., Hanna, A., Tuite, M.J. Intravenous contrast does not improve detection of nerve lesions or active muscle denervation changes in MR neurography of the common peroneal nerve. Skeletal Radiol (2021).
32. Blitzer, G.C., Wojcieszynski, A., Abel, E.J., Best, S., Lee, F.T., Jr, Hinshaw, J.L., Wells, S., Ziemlewicz, T.J., Lubner, M.G., Alexander, M., Yadav, P., Bayouth, J.E., Floberg, J., Cooley, G., Harari, P.M., Bassetti, M.F. Combining Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Microwave Ablation Appears Safe and Feasible for Renal Cell Carcinoma in an Early Series. Clinical Genitourinary Cancer (2021).
33. Peplinski, B.S., Houston, B.A., Bluemke, D.A., Kawut, S.M., Kolb, T.M., Kronmal, R.A., Lima, J.A.C., Ralph, D.D., Rayner, S.G., Steinberg, Z.L., Tedford, R.J., Leary, P.J. Associations of Angiopoietins With Heart Failure Incidence and Severity. Journal of Cardiac Failure (2021).
34. Gonzalez, F.M., Gleason, C.N., Lee, K.S., Labib, S.A., Nazarian, L.N., Morrison, W.B., Reiter, D.A. Correction to: Shear wave elastography assessment and comparison study of the Achilles tendons in optimally conditioned asymptomatic young collegiate athletes. Skeletal Radiol (2021).
35. Spieler, B., Agarwal, V., Alexander, L.F., Desouches, S., Pryluck, D.S., Martin, J.G., Smith, E.B., Leake, R., Jay, A.K., Wells, S.A., Artrip, R., Legro, N., Wu, J.S. Evolution of the Interventional Radiology (IR) Pathway Various Changes and Interrelation to Diagnostic Radiology (DR). Academic Radiology (2021).
36. Pewowaruk, R., Carter Ralphe, J., Lamers, L., Roldán-Alzate, A. Non-invasive MRI Derived Hemodynamic Simulation to Predict Successful vs. Unsuccessful Catheter Interventions for Branch Pulmonary Artery Stenosis: Proof-of-Concept and Experimental Validation in Swine. Cardiovasc Eng Tech (2021).

Alison Gegios, MD has joined the UW Department of Radiology as an Assistant Professor in the Breast Imaging and Intervention section. Dr. Gegios completed medical school and a breast imaging fellowship here at UW and is excited to be returning to the Department as a faculty member. Keep reading to learn more about her below.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, but attended high school in New England. I returned to my Midwestern roots for college at Northwestern University.

Q: Where did you attend Medical School?

A: The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Q: Why did you choose Radiology?

A: I wanted to become a radiologist because I am enamored with the combination of anatomy, medicine, and technology.

Q: What is your specialty?

A: Breast Imaging and Intervention

Q: What are your career interests and goals?

A: As a breast imaging radiologist, my goals include providing excellent care for patients in a multi-disciplinary setting, educating radiology trainees and medical students, and embracing the intersection of epidemiology and medicine with a focus on global health.

Q: Why did you choose UW/What are you excited about at UW?

A: I am thrilled to be part of the UW community’s focus on collaboration and innovation.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Outside of work, I enjoy gardening, traveling, and taking advantage of all the great things that Wisconsin has to offer!