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  • Distinguished 100-Year History

Distinguished 100-Year History

The Distinguished History of the UCSF Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging
UCSF acknowledged radiology's vital role in patient care over 100 years ago by opening a dedicated x-ray facility and making sure all medical students were instructed in radiology. (Circa 1920)
A true nexus of innovation, this period saw UCSF’s advances in radiology supported by multiple physicians and researchers who served the department in decades-long appointments, allowing them to make significant discoveries and developments. These industry leaders introduced techniques such as angiography, worked to reduce radiation exposure, and accelerated the use of radiology in diagnosis.
1928: UC further committed to radiology as essential to healthcare by appointing Robert Spencer Stone, MD, as its first full-time faculty member. Dr. Stone served UCSF from 1928-1964.
Dr. Earl R. Miller served UCSF from 1943-1974.
(l-r) Drs. Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Alexander R. Margulis, MD (Chair from 1963-1989), David Norman, MD and Charles Higgins, MD.
Dr. Thomas Hans Newton served UCSF from 1959-2009.
1975: Having proved the usefulness of CT scanning, the UCSF Department of Radiology funded a small R&D operation, tasking engineers and physicists with developing nuclear magnetic resonance (later known as MRI) as a viable imaging instrument for soft tissues.
1981: The first fetal surgery was performed at UCSF by surgeon Michael Harrison, MD, and radiologist Roy Filly, MD. In this surgery, an ultrasound-guided surgical opening to the fetus’s bladder (vesicostomy) was made. The UCSF Fetal Treatment Center, the first such center in the US, was co-founded by Drs. Filly and Harrison in the early 1980s and is now entering its fourth decade.
1983: Radiology made the leap from imaging bones and hard structures to visualizing soft tissue with the introduction of the MRI. Much early research and development for this tool was conducted at UCSF.
UCSF researchers developed methods of using MR to image vessel walls inside the skull, enabling more accurate diagnosis for stroke prevention and treatment.
1993: Dr. Nola Hylton performed the first breast MRI at UCSF. Breast MRI is the most sensitive imaging test available to detect breast cancer.
2000: UCSF research scientists led by Bruce Hasegawa, PhD, combine SPECT functional imaging with CT anatomical imaging to produce the first dual-modality imaging system, SPECT/CT.
2004: Christopher Dowd, MD, and other UCSF physicians developed image-guided retrieval of stroke-causing blood clots.
2004: Thomas Lang, PhD, and colleagues from UCSF and Baylor School of Medicine began work with NASA on bone loss in astronauts, research now applied to earthbound bones.
2010: The NIH funded UCSF's purchase of the country's first MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery system for surgeries using soundwaves to burn tumors.
2010: UCSF began studying "asleep DBS," allowing Parkinson's patients to be under anesthesia during brain surgery.
2011: Studies began at UCSF on the use of T1ρ quantitative MR imaging, allowing the detection of cartilage injuries not visible with conventional MRI before tissue loss begins. Today, the technique is broadly used to create more treatment options and hasten recovery.
2015: For the first time in the US, full-body, simultaneous time-of-flight PET/MRI became available at UCSF. This state-of-the-art dual imaging technology reduces radiation, enhances image quality, and is safer and more convenient for patients.
2015: The new UCSF Mission Bay hospitals, comprised of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital, and UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital, opened in February 2015. The Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging opened UCSF Imaging Center at Montgomery Street, a small, personalized site featuring screening mammography, bone densitometry and ultrasound.
In 2017, Ronald Arenson, MD retired as department chair, after 25 years. His chairmanship has marked a period of growth and innovation including opening of the Mission Bay campus and industry-wide deployment of a picture archive and communications system (PACS).
As it has since the introduction of the early x-ray more than 100 years ago, innovation--inspired by the skills, experience and care provided across disciplines--continues to move UCSF forward.
Pratik Mukherjee, MD, PhD, and his team’s groundbreaking work on Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, was the biggest imagng study ever done in children with the condition. His research promted a broad acknowledgement of SPD as a separate disorder from Autism.
The new Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) building officially opened its doors. The new design was created to facilitate excellence in patient care with three floors incorporating Radiology.
Christopher P. Hess, MD, PhD, was appointed as Chair of the Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging and assumed the chairmanship on January 1, 2018. In this role, Dr. Hess became the Alexander Margulis Distinguished Professor of Radiology.
Protecting the health and safety of our patients and our teams is of the utmost importance with the emergence of COVID-19. Dr. K. Pallav Kolli has played a key role in COVID-19 preparedness work at UCSF Health and in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging where he is the Associate Chair for Quality and Safety.
3-D CT COVID-19 in the lungs.
UCSF Body IR Nurses: Ellen Makela, Curtis Kramer, Michelle Devaux, Dea Mochnick. Nursing is truly integral to our work. Our nurses embrace, with expertise and thoughtfulness, their roles as passionate advocates for patient care, educators of patients and their families, partners in complex diagnosis and care management, and researchers advancing the field of radiology.
Resident and Fellow Orientation, July 1, 2020: While observing UCSF safety protocols, Dr. Soonmee Cha presents to new residents on their first day in the department.
The 2020 Chancellor Award for Public Service in the faculty category was awarded to Bhavya Rehani, MD, whose focus on disseminating medical education around the globe culminated in the creation of a nonprofit called Health4TheWorld.
Left to Right: Jordan Kaitz, Jackie Rosende, Blake Young, Mayra Mendoza Nurses met on June 11 for the NURSES FOR RACIAL JUSTICE MARCH in San Francisco, outside City Hall.
Tatiana Kelil, MD was appointed to the John A. Watson Faculty Scholars, class of 2020. Dr. Kelil has been involved in global health activities throughout her training and academic career. She is the Associate Program Manager for RAD-AID Ethiopia, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve access to radiology services in low resource countries. She has also established a RAD-AID chapter at UCSF with the hope of encouraging more radiologists to participate.
UCSF Radiology expands imaging at Berkeley Outpatient Center (BOPC) October 2020.
Dr. Thomas Hope leads breakthrough PSMA PET imaging for prostate cancer treatment, September 2020
Drs. Loretta Johnson and Mark Wilson celebrated the federal holiday, Juneteenth at UCSF Radiology ZSFG.
In July 2021, the Alzheimer’s Association awarded the Henry Wisniewski, MD, PhD Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael W. Weiner, MD for his outstanding achievements in Alzheimer’s Disease research.
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