My clinical area of expertise is pediatric radiology, specializing in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart and abdomen. I’m also a researcher working to improve the efficiency and quality of MRI pictures in children of all ages. My work focuses on developing and optimizing rapid MRI sequences, enhancing access to pediatric-specific MRI sequences, and developing and studying the role of quantitative MRI sequences in improving diagnosis.
I have three children, and I often envision them in the MRI scanner trying to follow the instructions we give patients to obtain the best images. I’m not sure my children could follow the instructions, which leads me to believe that we need to make the process easier for all patients. For example, an MRI of the heart and abdomen requires patients to hold their breath for the best image quality. Working with physicists, we’re developing new strategies to eliminate the need for breath-holding, which is very difficult for some children and impossible for babies or sedated children. We’re also improving quantitative MRI sequences, which will hopefully improve the diagnostic accuracy of many different diseases, including liver and renal tumors.