World Molecular Imaging Society Concludes 2019 Annual Global Congress Featuring Gold Medal Award Winner and Molecular Imaging Pioneer

CULVER CITY, Calif., Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) recently concluded its annual Congress in Montreal, highlighting new discoveries focused on the integration of molecular imaging into science and healthcare to develop innovative complementary approaches to understand biology and improve patient care. WMIS also announced the key award winners for outstanding molecular research.

Providing the closing ceremony presentation was molecular imaging pioneer Kathy Ferrara, Ph.D., professor of Radiology at Stanford University and this year's Gold Medal Award winner. Her Gold Medal Award Lecture was entitled Incorporating Ultrasound in Molecular Imaging and Therapy.

Dr. Ferrara's contributions span the field of ultrasound imaging and therapy, including nearly 300 technical papers that have been cited nearly 18,000 times. She pioneered the development and incorporation of ultrasound contrast agents, publishing numerous seminal papers on the physics of the interaction of these agents with ultrasound waves. Her work has had a clinical impact in techniques that are very widely used worldwide in the diagnosis of cancer. Dr. Ferrara also has been a pioneer in the area of image-guided drug delivery, synthesizing new particles and integrating these technologies with imaging methods. Currently, she is a member of the WMIS Board of Trustees.

"I am honored to receive the WMIS Gold Medal Award supporting this important field of medical research," said Dr. Ferrara. "Molecular imaging has already greatly contributed to patient care and will continue to do so in the years to come. It is essential that we encourage the next generation of researchers and clinicians to carry on this important mission.

WMIS also welcomed Julie Sutcliffe, Ph.D., professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine at University of California Davis, as incoming WMIS president for 2019-2020. She will preside over the annual congress in 2020. Dr. Sutcliffe leads a multidisciplinary translational research team that is recognized nationally for its contributions to the field of Molecular Imaging. Her laboratories' primary research focus is the design, synthesis, in vitro evaluation and in vivo screening of targeted molecular imaging agents with the ultimate goal of rapid deployment to the clinic.

"This year's congress featured many ground-breaking research presentations in the world of molecular imaging," said Dr. Sutcliffe. "We anticipate many cutting-edge research advances throughout the coming year and look forward to hearing the results at next year's 2020 Congress in Prague."

ABOUT WORLD MOLECULAR IMAGING SOCIETY

The WMIS is dedicated to developing and promoting translational research through multimodality molecular imaging. The education and abstract-driven WMIC is the annual meeting of the WMIS and provides a unique setting for scientists and clinicians with very diverse backgrounds to interact, present, and follow cutting-edge advances in the rapidly expanding field of molecular imaging that impacts nearly every biomedical discipline. Industry exhibits at the congress included corporations who have created the latest advances in preclinical and clinical imaging approaches and equipment, providing a complete molecular imaging educational technology showcase. For more information: http://www.wmis.org

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SOURCE WMIS