Leadership

Program Directors

Jeremy Dahl, PhD

SCIT Director
Associate Professor of Radiology 

Bruce Daniel, MD

SCIT Director
Professor of Radiology
Chief, Breast MRI Service

Advisory Committee

Christopher Beaulieu M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Radiology (Musculoskeletal Imaging) and, by courtesy, of Orthopaedic Surgery
Heike Daldrup-Link
Professor of Radiology (General Radiology) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)
Sandy Napel
Professor of Radiology (Integrative Biomedical Imaging Informatics), Emeritus
James D. Brooks
Keith and Jan Hurlbut Professor
Joseph M. DeSimone
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine, Professor of Chemical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Chemistry, of Materials Science and Engineering, and of Operations, Information and Technology at the Graduate School of Business
Kim Butts Pauly
Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering and of Bioengineering
Payam Massaband
Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated), Rad/Veterans Affairs Staff, Radiology - Diagnostic Radiology

External Advisory Committee

Michael McNitt-Gray, PhD

Professor of Radiology, David Geffen School Medicine at UCLA

Dr. McNitt-Gray brings his experience as the Program Director of the UCLA Physics and Biology in Medicine Interdepartmental Graduate Program, an interdisciplinary program supported for over 40 years with an NIH T32 training grant. He has also devoted much of his research career to investigations into imaging in the detection, diagnosis and staging of disease,  especially cancer. His primary focus has been on X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) with a specific focus on quantitative imaging.

John Gore, PhD

Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science

Dr. Gore brings experience directing both R25T and T32 NCI supported Training Programs, and has been active in the development of imaging methods for over 40 years, more recently focusing on the development of imaging biomarkers in cancer.

Cristina Zavaleta, PhD

Assistant Professor, University of Southern California  

Dr. Cristina Zavaleta develops new nano-based molecular imaging strategies. The advantage of utilizing nanoparticles as imaging contrast agents is their ability to reveal functional molecular information which can help diagnose diseases (cancer, for example), make treatment decisions, and advance drug discovery. One goal of her work is precision medicine, driven by the understanding that disease manifests differently in each person. Her work provides the tools to understand a cancer’s molecular expression on individual cells that can result in delivering more effective targeted therapies and other tailored treatments.

Dr. Zavaleta’s USC career includes a long history of mentorship and university service. One of her many contributions to USC is her current service on the Racial Parity Committee in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The group holds town halls among faculty and staff to better understand access issues and how to improve outreach and service to underserved communities.