The Future of Medical Imaging

The Future of Medical Imaging

As Chief Innovation Officer at a major hospital system, I aim to significantly advance medical imaging techniques through physics research and technological innovation. Medical imaging, which includes modalities like X-ray, CT, ultrasound, MRI, and PET, has been transformational for medicine by enabling non-invasive visualization inside the human body. This supports critical capabilities for medical diagnosis, treatment monitoring, surgical planning, and medical research. However, each modality remains fundamentally constrained by limitations arising from the physics principles underlying how it forms images. In this essay, I will present a 10-year strategic plan to drive targeted innovation of ultrasound, MRI, and PET imaging grounded in high-risk, high-reward physics research projects. With sustained leadership, investment, and collaboration across hospitals, academia, industry, and government, focused efforts to address the physics limitations of these modalities can enable disruptive leaps in imaging resolution, sensitivity, and clinical capabilities. This physics-based approach will catalyze a new era of medical imaging, unlocking the revolutionary potential to benefit patients through earlier disease detection, more precise diagnoses, and more effective treatments.