The World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) announced today that its president-elect for 2017 will be Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, chair of the radiology department at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Gambhir’s time as president-elect technically begins on Sept. 10, 2016, but he will serve on the organization’s board of directors in the meantime.

Cancer imaging has been a focus of Gambhir’s work throughout his career, and his most recent work involves early lung cancer detection that combines blood testing with multi-modality molecular imaging.

"Moving the Molecular Imaging field towards precision health and translating our discoveries for helping people to lead healthier lives should be one key goal for our evolving field," Gambhir said in a statement. "I am honored to have been elected as president of WMIS 2017."

"Dr. Gambhir has made some of the most significant contributions to the field of Molecular Imaging, and he has been an integral part the WMIS community for many years, previously serving as president and a board member,” Christopher Contag, PhD, 2016 WMIS president, said in the same statement. “As president-elect, Sam will guide the society with vision and passion, and impact industry through identifying the best pathways to stimulate growth and drive the Molecular Imaging field toward translation.”