The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) presented two prestigious awards during its 2019 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.
Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD, is the 2019 recipient of the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award, which is given out each year to an individual who makes “outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear medicine.” Di Carli currently works as the chair of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and is a professor of radiology and medicine at Harvard Medical School, also in Boston. He was also the founding editor in chief of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging and established the first integrated multidisciplinary cardiovascular imaging program in the United States.
“From Dr. Di Carli we have learned how we can practice nuclear cardiology, how we can use new instrumentation, and how we can elucidate pathophysiology of cardiac diseases using new tracers,” Satoshi Minoshima, MD, president of SNMMI, said in a prepared statement. “He relentlessly advances the value of nuclear cardiology for better patient care.”
“I am deeply honored and humbled for this important distinction from the SNMMI,” Di Carli said in the same statement. “I would like to share this award with my great teachers and mentors, colleagues and collaborators, my talented trainees throughout the last 25 years, and my family for their unconditional support and encouragement.”
Meanwhile, Jason S. Lewis, PhD, is the 2019 recipient of the Paul C. Aebersold Award, given out each year to recognize “outstanding achievement in basic science applied to nuclear medicine.”
Lewis is the Emily Tow Jackson Chair in Oncology and vice chair for research, radiochemistry and imaging sciences service, at the department of radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He is a past president of the World Molecular Imaging Society and an associate editor of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. His current research focusses on radiotracers and radiochemistry.
“I am researching new ways to use PET imaging to diagnose cancer as well as developing new radioimmunotherapies for treating this disease,” Lewis said in a prepared statement.
“Dr. Lewis has made significant contributions to the field of radiochemistry and nuclear medicine, at both basic and clinical levels,” Sally W. Schwarz, RPh, MS, BCNP, chair of the SNMMI Committee on Awards and past president of SNMMI, said in the same statement. “Jason’s accomplishments are enabling a better understanding of the biology of cancer, which is improving treatment of the disease.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.