A photo of Alexander J. Towbin.

Alexander J. Towbin, MD


  • Radiologist, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging
  • Associate Chief Medical Information Officer, (Imaging)
    Associate Chief, Department of Radiology (Clinical Operations and Informatics)
    Neil D. Johnson Chair of Radiology Informatics
  • Professor, UC Department of Radiology

About

Biography

Dr. Towbin is a radiologist, the Neil D. Johnson Chair of Radiology Informatics, and associate chief of Radiology, Clinical Operations and Radiology Informatics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He is a recognized leader in pediatric abdominal imaging, pediatric oncologic imaging, imaging informatics, and quality improvement. Dr. Towbin is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on topics including pediatric liver tumors, pediatric cancer imaging, the use of MRI-based contrast agents, customer service, social media in medicine, enterprise imaging, structured reporting, and workflow efficiency. His research focuses on imaging of the liver, cancer imaging, clinical informatics, quality improvement, and machine learning. Dr. Towbin is well published and has authored more than 150 articles and 110 chapters in textbooks. He has won numerous awards for his research, service, teaching, and clinical acumen.

In addition to his roles at Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Towbin leads multiple national and international initiatives. As a leader in pediatric oncologic imaging, he is a fellow of the International Cancer Imaging Society, the incoming Chair of the Diagnostic Imaging Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, the chair of the pediatric LI-RADS committee working to standardize reporting of pediatric liver tumors, a member of the National Cancer Institute Clinical Imaging Steering Committee, and is the radiology primary investigator of the current international pediatric liver tumor research trial. As a leading advocate for children, Dr. Towbin serves on the Steering Committee of Image Gently and is a co-chair of its current education-based campaign. He also serves on multiple committees with the American College of Radiology to help improve the appropriateness of pediatric imaging. Finally, as an informaticist, Dr. Towbin serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine, co-chairs the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society/Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine Enterprise Imaging Committee, co-chairs the American College of Radiology Data Science Institute Non-Interpretive Panel, and serves on the American College of Radiology/Radiological Society of North America Common Data Element Steering Committee.

MD: Doctor of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 2002.

Internship: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center-University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 2002-2003.

Residency: Diagnostic Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 2003-2007.

Fellowship: Pediatric Radiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center-University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 2008.

Certification: American Board of Radiology, 2007.

Interests

Abdominal imaging; cancer imaging; imaging informatics; quality improvement

Services and Specialties

Radiology, Kidney Tumor Clinic

Interests

Pediatric liver tumors; diffuse liver disease; enterprise imaging; machine learning

Research Areas

Radiology, Biomedical Informatics

Publications

Cancer Therapy-related Hepatic Injury in Children: Imaging Review from the Pediatric LI-RADS Working Group. Morin, CE; Kolbe, AB; Alazraki, A; Chavhan, GB; Gill, A; Infante, J; Khanna, G; Nguyen, HN; O'Neill, AF; Rees, MA; et al. Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 2023; 43:e230007.

Awareness of a recent special publication on pediatric oncologic imaging: a collaborative effort by the COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee and SPR Oncology Committee. Thacker, PG; Alazraki, AL; Beth McCarville, M; Tang, ER; Towbin, AJ. Pediatric Radiology: roentgenology, nuclear medicine, ultrasonics, CT, MRI. 2023; 53:2154-2156.

Assessing the role of positron emission tomography and bone scintigraphy in imaging of pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB): A report from the International PPB/DICER1 Registry. Hagedorn, KN; Nelson, AT; Towbin, AJ; Frederickson, N; Mallinger, P; Lucas, JT; Dehner, LP; Messinger, YH; Shulkin, BL; Mize, WA; et al. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2023; e30628.

Retreatment with Cisplatin May Provide a Survival Advantage for Children with Relapsed/Refractory Hepatoblastoma: An Institutional Experience. Somers, KM; Tabbouche, RB; Bondoc, A; Towbin, AJ; Ranganathan, S; Tiao, G; Geller, JI. Cancers. 2023; 15:3921.

Respiratory-Triggered Flow-Independent Noncontrast Non-ECG-Gated MRV (REACT) Versus CE-MRV for Central Venous Evaluation in Children and Young Adults: A Six-Reader Study. Betz, LH; Dillman, JR; Towbin, AJ; Anton, CG; Chavhan, GB; Crotty, EJ; Morin, CE; Pace, E; Sreedher, G; Zhang, B; et al. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2023; 221:240-248.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Radiology: Impact on Pediatric Patients, a White Paper From the ACR Pediatric AI Workgroup. Sammer, MB K; Akbari, YS; Barth, RA; Blumer, SL; Dillman, JR; Farmakis, SG; Frush, DP; Gokli, A; Halabi, SS; Iyer, R; et al. Journal of the American College of Radiology. 2023; 20:730-737.

Macrocystic Lymphatic Malformation. Adams, DD; Towbin, RB; Schaefer, CM; Towbin, AJ. Applied Radiology: the journal of practical medical imaging and management. 2023; 52:30-33.

Vincristine/irinotecan/temsirolimus upfront window treatment of high-risk hepatoblastoma: A report from the Children's Oncology Group AHEP0731 Study Committee. Thompson, PA; Malogolowkin, MH; Furman, WL; Piao, J; Krailo, MD; Chung, N; Brock, L; Towbin, AJ; McCarville, EB; Finegold, MJ; et al. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2023; 70:e30365.

Heterogeneous liver on research ultrasound identifies children with cystic fibrosis at high risk of advanced liver disease. Siegel, MJ; Leung, DH; Molleston, JP; Ye, W; Paranjape, SM; Freeman, AJ; Palermo, JJ; Stoll, J; Masand, P; Karmazyn, B; et al. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2023; 22:S1569-1993(23)00083-8.

Imaging of Right Lower Quadrant Pain in Children and Adolescents: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review. Desoky, SM; George, M; Epelman, M; Frush, DP; Gourlay, DM; Moore, MM; Schooler, GR; Towbin, AJ; Udayasankar, U; Zukowski, M; et al. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2023; 220:767-779.

Patient Ratings and Comments

All patient satisfaction ratings and comments are submitted by actual patients and verified by a leading independent patient satisfaction company, NRC Health. Patient identities are withheld to ensure confidentiality and privacy. Only those providers whose satisfaction surveys are administered through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are displayed. Click here to learn more about our survey

4.6
Overall Patient Rating