October 2016
In recognition of his exceptional contributions to science, research and the development of medical imaging Doctor Ralph Weissleder will be awarded the Gold Medal of the European Society of Radiology at ECR 2011.
Ralph Weissleder is a Professor of Radiology and Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Born in Germany in 1958, he graduated from The University of Heidelberg in 1985. Following his degree, Dr. Weissleder completed his Internship and a year of Medicine residency at University Hospital, Monterrey, Mexico. In 1986, Dr. Weissleder moved to Boston where he pursued post-doctoral research at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He subsequently accepted a Radiology residency at MGH. In 1994, Dr. Weissleder became Assistant Professor at HMS and established the Center for Molecular Imaging Research. In 2001, he became a Full Professor in Radiology. Six years later, Dr. Weissleder was appointed Director of the MGH Center for Systems Biology and in 2008 he was also appointed Professor of Systems Biology at HMS. Dr. Weissleder is Attending Clinician (Interventional Radiology) at MGH as well as a member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, the Broad Institute and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).
Dr. Weissleder’s research interests include the development of novel molecular imaging techniques, tools for early disease detection, nanomaterials for imaging, and systems analysis. His research is highly translational and several of his developments have already led to advanced clinical trials. When these methods become routinely available, they are anticipated to have a major impact on clinical practice. Dr. Weissleder is currently the principal investigator of several National Institute of Health grants and consortia. He has published over 600 original publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored several textbooks. He is a founding member of the Society for Molecular Imaging Research and served as its President in 2002.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to research, Dr. Weissleder’s work has been honoured with numerous awards including the J. Taylor International Prize in Medicine, the Millenium Pharmaceuticals Innovator Award, the AUR Memorial Award, the ARRS President's Award, The Society for Molecular Imaging Lifetime Achievement Award, the Academy of Molecular Imaging 2006 Distinguished Basic Scientist Award and the 2008 RSNA Outstanding Researcher Award. In 2009, he was also elected as a member of the US National Academies Institute of Medicine.
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