A photo of Jean Tkach.

Medical Physicist, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging

Associate Professor, UC Department of Radiology

513-636-7166

Biography & Affiliation

Biography

Jean Tkach, PhD, received her undergraduate and graduate training in biomedical engineering. She is an MRI physicist by training who has been involved in MRI research since 1985.

Dr. Tkach joined the Cincinnati Children's faculty in the Fall of 2010. Throughout her career, the majority of her effort has been dedicated to the development, implementation, optimization and application of novel MRI acquisition techniques to address clinical as well as more fundamental research questions. The majority of these efforts have been dedicated toward neuroimaging. However, she has also been actively involved in research to advance the fields of cardiac, body and musculoskeletal MR imaging. Although most of Dr. Tkach's work has been directed toward human imaging, she also has been actively involved in multiple animal MR imaging studies.

Dr. Tkach’s research currently focuses on the development and implementation of state of the art MRI acquisition techniques optimized for (and to best address the most relevant clinical needs of) the neonate that exploit new technology being developed for this purpose. Most recently, Dr. Tkach received the Caffey Award for the Best Basic Science Research Paper at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Pediatric Radiology.

Dr. Tkach is also is a consultant on the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Clinical Interests

Neonatal MR acquisition technique development, optimization and application

Academic Affiliation

Associate Professor, UC Department of Radiology

Research Divisions

Imaging, Fibrosis

Education

BSE: Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1982.

MS: Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 1985.

PhD: Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 1988.

Publications

Neonatal body magnetic resonance imaging: preparation, performance and optimization. Dillman, JR; Tkach, JA. Pediatric Radiology. 2021.

Perinatal Risk and Protective Factors in the Development of Diffuse White Matter Abnormality on Term-Equivalent Age Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Infants Born Very Preterm. Parikh, NA; Sharma, P; He, L; Li, H; Altaye, M; Priyanka Illapani, VS; Arnsperger, A; Beiersdorfer, T; Bridgewater, K; Cahill, T; et al. Journal of Pediatrics. 2021; 233:58-65.e3.

Utilization of 3-T fetal magnetic resonance imaging in clinical practice: a single-institution experience. Nagaraj, UD; Calvo-Garcia, MA; Merrow, AC; Zhang, B; Tkach, JA; Kline-Fath, BM. Pediatric Radiology. 2021.

Comparison of compressed SENSE and SENSE for quantitative liver MRI in children and young adults. Boyarko, AC; Dillman, JR; Tkach, JA; Pednekar, AS; Trout, AT. Abdominal Radiology. 2021.

Integrating neuroimaging biomarkers into the multicentre, high-dose erythropoietin for asphyxia and encephalopathy (HEAL) trial: rationale, protocol and harmonisation. Wisnowski, JL; Bluml, S; Panigrahy, A; Mathur, AM; Berman, J; Chen, PS K; DIx, J; Flynn, T; Fricke, S; Friedman, SD; et al. BMJ Open. 2021; 11.

Assessment of agreement between manual and automated processing of liver MR elastography for shear stiffness estimation in children and young adults with autoimmune liver disease. Gandhi, DB; Pednekar, A; Braimah, AB; Dudley, J; Tkach, JA; Trout, AT; Miethke, AG; Franck, MD; Heilman, JA; Dzyubak, B; et al. Abdominal Radiology. 2021.

Fusing acceleration and saturation techniques with wave amplitude labeling of time-shifted zeniths MR elastography. Wang, H; Pednekar, A; Tkach, JA; Bridgewater, KR; Trout, AT; Dillman, JR; Dumoulin, CL. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 2021; 85:1552-1560.

Linearity and Bias of Proton Density Fat Fraction as a Quantitative Imaging Biomarker: A Multicenter, Multiplatform, Multivendor Phantom Study. Hu, HH; Yokoo, T; Bashir, MR; Sirlin, CB; Hernando, D; Malyarenko, D; Chenevert, TL; Smith, MA; Serai, SD; Middleton, MS; et al. Radiology. 2021; 298:640-651.

Prenatal opioid exposure is associated with smaller brain volumes in multiple regions. Merhar, SL; Kline, JE; Braimah, A; Kline-Fath, BB; Tkach, JA; Altaye, M; He, L; Parikh, NA. Pediatric Research. 2020.

Relationship between magnetic resonance imaging spleen T1 relaxation and other radiologic and clinical biomarkers of liver fibrosis in children and young adults with autoimmune liver disease. Dillman, JR; Tkach, JA; Gandhi, D; Singh, R; Miethke, AG; Jayaswal, A; Trout, AT. Abdominal Radiology. 2020; 45:3709-3715.