About the Master of Arts in Bioimaging
The Master of Arts in Bioimaging is a multidisciplinary program, developed by the Departments of Radiology and Anatomy and Neurobiology with contributions from the department of Physiology and Biophysics. It is the first of its kind in the United States. The objective of the program is to train professionals in all aspects of bioimaging from theory to practice. Bioimaging has become one of the major tools of clinical medicine and biomedical research. The acceleration of imaging technology has been remarkable, particularly in areas of MRI, CT, and PET. In the world of health delivery, the term MRI has become commonplace and in fact has entered our everyday language as more and more individuals find themselves “going for an MRI” for a variety of symptomatologies related to almost every body organ. Disorders of the brain, including tumors, AV malformations, aneurisms, white matter lesions, and strokes are now routinely detected by MRI. Studies of cardiac function and integrity are also now routinely performed with MRI and CT. In fact, several centers are now becoming proactive in providing CT and MRI imaging to normal healthy individuals as a general screening device. MRI guided ultrasound has now been used to identify, target, and destroy circumscribed cancers in a many body organs such as liver. With respect to research, imaging tools seem to be limitless in their application. Biomedical researchers are now viewing organs, tissue, and body cavities at a level of detail that approaches histologic quality. With fMRI, one can now visualize brain activity over a wide range of cognitive and behavioral functions. DTI provides our first glimpse into the neural connectivity of the human brain. Cardiac MR and MR angiography provides a powerful tool for the study of heart function in health and disease.
Needless to say, the demand for individuals who are skilled in the background, mechanics, operation, and interpretation of imaging techniques in a research or medical setting is growing at accelerated rates.
The Masters Program in Bioimaging is a self-contained curriculum one-year program. It can also be completed in two years on a part-time basis. The curricular activities will consist of a combination of academic course work and direct hands on training, and will cover the broad areas of image acquisition, image processing, and image interpretation. Special emphasis will be placed on direct experience with imaging instruments, the use of computers, and understanding through the study of imaging theory. The program is designed not only for post-baccalaureate students from the fields of psychology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and neuroscience who wish to develop expertise in bioimaging, but also for residents, fellows, and attendings in the “image” intense medical specialties (e.g. radiology, neurology, cardiology) who wish to enhance their skills in the theoretical and practical applications of imaging to their clinical practice.
