Three imaging sciences scholars named distinguished investigators
By Sam Marie Engle
Carlo N. De Cecco, Chuan Huang, and Deqiang Qiu, faculty members of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, have been named Distinguished Investigators of the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research for their outstanding scientific advancements in the field of medical imaging. They joined 55 other scholars for the induction ceremony during the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in November.
Elizabeth Krupinksi, PhD, vice chair for research and professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences who also chairs the Academy's Distinguished Investigators Committee, is thrilled for her Emory colleagues. "Being recognized as one of the Academy’s Distinguished Investigators is a high honor recognizing significant contributions to medical imaging and equally important an investigator’s ability to consistently obtain federal funding to support their innovation and dedication. This year’s awardees from Emory – Drs. DeCecco, Huang and Qiu – truly deserve this honor and exemplify the highest quality of researchers the Academy admits to this distinguished council."
Distinguished Investigators must have achieved academic rank of associate professor or higher, produced a significant body of work including at least 25 peer-reviewed scientific research publications as first or senior author, and led a substantial, ongoing research program with at least six years of major competitive extramural research grant funding as a principal investigator. All three of Emory's honorees have exceeded the requirements. More importantly, their research is yielding real, positive impacts on the quality of patient care.
"What makes our three Distinguished Investigators so impressive is the benefit of their research on patient care. Thanks to Chuan, Carlo, and Deqiang, radiologists now have better tools and techniques for detecting and planning care for devastating diseases ranging from cancer and heart disease to epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease," says Amit M. Saindane, professor and chair of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences.
Elizabeth Krupinksi, PhD, vice chair for research and professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences who also chairs the Academy's Distinguished Investigators Committee, is thrilled for her Emory colleagues. "Being recognized as one of the Academy’s Distinguished Investigators is a high honor recognizing significant contributions to medical imaging and equally important an investigator’s ability to consistently obtain federal funding to support their innovation and dedication. This year’s awardees from Emory – Drs. DeCecco, Huang and Qiu – truly deserve this honor and exemplify the highest quality of researchers the Academy admits to this distinguished council."
Distinguished Investigators must have achieved academic rank of associate professor or higher, produced a significant body of work including at least 25 peer-reviewed scientific research publications as first or senior author, and led a substantial, ongoing research program with at least six years of major competitive extramural research grant funding as a principal investigator. All three of Emory's honorees have exceeded the requirements. More importantly, their research is yielding real, positive impacts on the quality of patient care.
"What makes our three Distinguished Investigators so impressive is the benefit of their research on patient care. Thanks to Chuan, Carlo, and Deqiang, radiologists now have better tools and techniques for detecting and planning care for devastating diseases ranging from cancer and heart disease to epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease," says Amit M. Saindane, professor and chair of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences.
Chuan Huang, PhD, an associate professor and the director of PET/MRI research in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences as well as a program faculty member of the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering of Emory and Georgia Tech. He also is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. As director of the Medical Image Research and Analysis Lab, Dr. Huang is advancing the use of dual PET/MR imaging techniques for both clinical and research applications, developing quantitative PET/MR imaging techniques, and advancing the application of artificial intelligence in medical imaging.
He has more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications. This year he patented a novel artificial neural network for the denoising of medical images. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that this technique is capable of recovering full-count PET images with greater accuracy than the previously established state-of-the-art method. For patients, this innovation translates into clearer advanced imaging of potentially cancerous lesions with less radiation exposure than traditional imaging methods.
The honor means a lot to him. "I'm truly honored to receive this recognition. Being in the company of esteemed names in radiology is humbling. I'm grateful for this journey, the incredible community, and a huge shoutout to our department for their unwavering support!"
He has more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications. This year he patented a novel artificial neural network for the denoising of medical images. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that this technique is capable of recovering full-count PET images with greater accuracy than the previously established state-of-the-art method. For patients, this innovation translates into clearer advanced imaging of potentially cancerous lesions with less radiation exposure than traditional imaging methods.
The honor means a lot to him. "I'm truly honored to receive this recognition. Being in the company of esteemed names in radiology is humbling. I'm grateful for this journey, the incredible community, and a huge shoutout to our department for their unwavering support!"
Carlo N. De Cecco, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology and biomedical informatics and the director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Imaging in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences. A prolific researcher, he founded and co-directs the Translational Lab for Cardiothoracic Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, which develops, evaluates, and implements novel cardiothoracic imaging techniques and analytic methods. A pioneer in cardiac imaging and artificial intelligence, Dr. De Cecco's primary research interest is the development and application of advanced clinical imaging analysis and AI solutions to improve the understanding, diagnosis, and follow-up of cardiac disease.
Dr. De Cecco has written more than 240 peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as five books. The most recent is Artificial Intelligence in Cardiothoracic Imaging, which he co-authored in 2022 with lab co-director Marly van Assen, assistant professor, and Tim Leiner, a colleague in the Department of Radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, NY. The textbook has sold more than 72,000 copies.
"I am deeply honored to receive the 2023 Distinguished Investigator Award," he says. "Research is my passion, and it has been a main drive in my professional career. I want to greatly thank my research associate Dr. van Assen, and all the research fellows who have been working in my lab. I share this award with them."
Dr. De Cecco has written more than 240 peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as five books. The most recent is Artificial Intelligence in Cardiothoracic Imaging, which he co-authored in 2022 with lab co-director Marly van Assen, assistant professor, and Tim Leiner, a colleague in the Department of Radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, NY. The textbook has sold more than 72,000 copies.
"I am deeply honored to receive the 2023 Distinguished Investigator Award," he says. "Research is my passion, and it has been a main drive in my professional career. I want to greatly thank my research associate Dr. van Assen, and all the research fellows who have been working in my lab. I share this award with them."
Deqiang Qiu, PhD, is a tenured associate professor of radiology and imaging sciences as well as an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering of Emory and Georgia Tech. He leads the Emory Computational Neuroimaging and Neuroscience Lab (CN2L) where he and his team are developing novel neuroimaging techniques involving magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to improve clinical diagnosis and management of neurological diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease. He is program director of MRI at Emory Center for Systems Imaging Core, co-director of the biomarker core for neuroimaging of Emory Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and leads the imaging component of a large-scale Emory Healthy Brain Study.
Dr. Qiu has produced more than 70 peer-reviewed journal publications and holds two patents as a result of his work.
He says, "I am honored to have received this award. I'm eager to continue contributing to the imaging sciences for the ultimate goal of improving human health."
Dr. Qiu has produced more than 70 peer-reviewed journal publications and holds two patents as a result of his work.
He says, "I am honored to have received this award. I'm eager to continue contributing to the imaging sciences for the ultimate goal of improving human health."