MEDICAL IMAGING

I. Goal:

Educate students in the theory and applications of medical imaging and instrumentation. Students are prepared to work in major medical research hospitals and clinics, academic departments, and for major medical imaging instrumentation manufacturers.

II. Faculty:

D. Aberle, J. Alger, M. Brown, C. Cagnon, M. Cohen, J. P. Finn, J. Goldin, M. A. Greenfield, H.Kangarloo, C. Kimme-Smith, M. McNitt-Gray, C. Morioka, T. Oshiro, J. Sayre, U. Sinha, A. Thomas, D. Valentino, L. Williams, and Clinical Diagnostic Radiology faculty.

III. Courses:

Requirements: Minimum course requirements of 60 hours. The courses for the Medical Imaging Specialty include the nine (9) Biomedical Physics Program Common Core courses (BMEDPHY 200A, 204, 205, 216, 217, 218, 260A, 260B, and 260C), as well as the Medical Imaging Specialty Core courses (BMEDPHY 209, 210, and 219). A minimum of four (4) Elective courses are required from the following two lists: (a) From two to four (2-4) Biomedical Physics Program Elective courses (BMEDPHY 208A, 211, 214, 215, 222, and M230); and (b) From zero to two (0-2) Electives from the following courses outside of the Program:

• Computer Science (School of Engineering & Applied Science) 112
• Computer System Modeling Fundamentals 118
• Computer Network Fundamentals 141
• Basic Methods of Data Organization 161
• Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence 168
• Vision in Man and Machine 168L
• Computer Vision Laboratory 171
• Real-Time Computer Systems 171L
• Real-Time Systems Laboratory 172
• Simulation and Models 174
• Elements of Computer Graphics 212A
• Queueing Systems Theory 212B
• Queueing Applications: Scheduling Algorithms & Queueing Networks 214
• Data Transmission in Computer Communications 215
• Computer Communications and Networks 241A
• Object-Oriented and Semantic Data Base Systems 241B
• Pictorial and Multimedia Data Base Systems 267A
• Neural Models 268 Machine Perception 270A
• Computer Methodology: Advanced Numerical Methods 276A
• Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 276B
• Structured Computer Vision Electrical Engineering (School of Engineering and Applied Science) 113,113L
• Digital Signal Processing (and Laboratory) 115A
• Analog Electronic Circuits I 115B
• Analog Electronic Circuits II 115C
• Digital Electronic Circuits 212A
• Theory and Design of Digital Filters 213A
• Advanced Digital Signal Processing Circuit Design 215A
• Analog Integrated Circuit Design 230D
• Signal Processing in Communications Mathematics (School of Letters and Science) 141A & 141B
• Applied Numerical Methods 142 Mathematical Modeling 149
• Mathematics of Computer Graphics 270A & 270F
• Mathematical Aspects of Scientific Computing

The appropriate elective courses will be selected by the student and the advisor. Students wishing to pursue a hospital-based career should prepare to be Board Certified after graduation by taking the additional clinical courses: BMEDPHY 200B; 202A, 202B and 200C; 203; 208A and 208B.

IV. Ph.D. Written Qualifying Examination:

1. The Written Qualifying examination will be directed at determining the personal ability of students for scholarship rather than factual knowledge per se. While the material covered may be related to courses taken, it need not be limited to material covered in these courses. The exam will consist of two parts. Part I will cover four (4) areas: Physics of Diagnostic Radiology, Digital Techniques in Radiological Sciences, Imaging Science/Image Processing and MRI Physics and Principles. Part II will cover areas of specialization to be decided by the advisor and the student. This latter part of the exam will be tailored for each student taking the qualifying exam.
2. The examination is administered by at least three faculty members, to be chosen by the student's faculty advisor.
3. The Written Qualifying examination will typically be taken during or after the second year.
4. Format of Written Qualifying Examination
• The Medical Imaging Advisor will chair and select a committee consisting of at least three members. The members should have a familiarity with the student's course work.
• The Examination will be written.
• The Written Qualifying Examination must be passed within two attempts.

V. The Dissertation Advisor Will Be Determined By Mutual Decision Between the Student and the Faculty Member Selected

VI. First Oral Qualifying Examination Format

1. The Dissertation Advisor will chair and select the Dissertation Committee.
2. The Committee composition will be consistent with University regulations.
3. The First Oral Examination is based upon a proposed dissertation topic.
4. When the student passes, he or she is then advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.
5. Other regulations and procedures will be consistent with University policies governing the Oral Qualifying Examination.

VII. Research Areas (can be carried on jointly with other specialties):

• Theory and Application of Individual Imaging Modalities:
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
• Mammography
• Computerized Tomography
• Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)
• Ultrasound, and
• Computed Radiography
• Functional Brain Mapping and Image Fusion
• Cardio-Pulmonary Imaging
• Medical Informatics and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)
• Image Processing, Segmentation and Visualization
• Image Analysis: Feature Extraction and Pattern Recognition
• Coronary Artery edge detection, 3-D reconstruction and morphology from DSA
• Psycho-physics studies of observer detection tasks
• Organ and Tumor Radiation Dose Estimation via Antibody Imaging
• Microdosimetry of the Bone Marrow in Antibody Therapy

VIII. The Dissertation and Final Oral Format Will Be Consistent With University Regulations

IX. Resources:

1. Diagnostic Imaging Equipment: The department has state-of-the-art imaging devices, including an ultra-fast electron beam CT, several spiral CT scanners, low and high-field magnetic resonance imaging scanners, an interventional magnetic resonance unit, digital subtraction angiography, color flow ultrasound, computed radiography, digital mammography, and standard diagnostic radiography equipment.
2. Clinical PACS: The department has a large-scale clinical picture archiving and communications system that includes the following: high-speed and ultra-high-speed networks for communications; high-performance magnetic and optical disk archival for short and long-term storage; relational and object-oriented databases for multi-media cataloging; high-performance 1K and 2K image display stations for primary radiological diagnosis and 1K image display stations for physicians throughout the hospital. The Clinical PACS is also developing a network supercomputing capability for advanced image processing at radiologists' workstations.
3. Image Processing Laboratory: A fully-equipped digital imaging laboratory encompassing projects in image analysis and understanding, visualization, coding and compression, networking and communications, and medical informatics.
4. Rigler Laboratory: An interventional digital neuroangiography laboratory including a vivarium for in vivo experiments.
5. Off-campus affiliated hospital laboratories including:
• City of Hope National Medical Center:Image Processing Center with Workstation for monoclonal antibody radiation therapy dose estimates. Co-operative group including Surgery and Pathology Staff for 3-D tumor dose estimates.
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Department of Medical Physics and Imaging:Two NIH funded grants involving research efforts in these areas: coronary edge detection, 3-D coronary artery morphology, psycho-physics studies of observer detection tasks, brachytherapy in coronary arteries, image compression, image segmentation, and dynamic imaging. We have ongoing collaborations with interventional cardiologists in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. There is also a General Electric Digital Biplane Angiography laboratory dedicated to research only.
• Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital: Vascular Laboratory for both MRI and US flow research. US, PET, MRI image archival system.
• Olive View - UCLA Medical Center: Digital Imaging Laboratory encompassing 3D imaging for surgical planning and multi-modality research in brain and lung functional imaging.

X. Financial Support:

Research assistantships from private and federal research grants are available for qualified students from the beginning of their second year.

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Revised 09/22/06