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Nuclear Medicine
Introductory overview
The Division of Nuclear Medicine of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons combines cutting edge scientific research with advanced clinical care .The division is comprised of talented and dedicated physicians, scientists and technologists considered among the elite in their field. Situated in the renowned New York – Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, the division has seven gamma camera systems including four SPECT cameras, one thyroid probe, and one multichannel well counter. A Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) is used for correlation and advance reading.
A wide variety of examinations for both adult and pediatric patients are performed by the staff including Brain perfusion SPECT scans; Thyroid/Parathyroid scans; Lung scans for PE and pre and post-surgical quantification; Gastrointestinal scans (bleeding scans, gastric emptying studies); Renal scans; MIBG, ProstaScint, and Octreotide scans for endocrinology and oncology, Gallium scans; Sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy and Bone scans. Furthermore, some in vitro studies such as GFR and red cell mass measurements are also provided. In addition, the division is actively involved in radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid cancer and benign thyroid conditions as well as radioactive palliative therapy for oncology. Three faculty members are actively involved in this division for clinical care, teaching and research.
Attending list and rank
Ronald L. Van-Heetum , MD, Professor of Clinical Radiology
Masanori Ichise, MD, Professor of Clinical Radiology
Rashid Fawwaz, MD, Professor of Clinical Radiology
Number of Patient Visits
The division is visited by over 9,000 patients per year. The forthcoming introduction of a SPECT/CT system is expected to attract an increased number of patient referrals.
Strengths of division
This division possesses many strengths. The most noteworthy being the expertise of the faculty in the field of SPECT brain imaging. This unit is the referral center for the greater New York area as well as surrounding states. Another is the diversity of interests possessed by the faculty members in all aspects of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Another vital strength is the faculty’s association with the internationally renowned Kreitchman PET Center which provided state-of the-art clinical care and provides a platform for research in the developing field of molecular imaging. Other strengths include an excellent group of dedicated nuclear medicine technologists, nurses, radiopharmacists; a diversified case load representing all segments of the community with referrals coming from around the metropolitan New York area, out-of-state and from abroad; and excellent relationships with referring physicians from within the CUMC community and outside.
The Division of Nuclear Medicine offers recent medical school graduates a choice between two types of graduate programs. One is a full three-year residency program in Nuclear Medicine (ACGME accredited last in 2003 for 5 years). The other is a one-year Fellowship program in Nuclear Radiology (ACGME accredited last in 2007 for 5 years). The division typically has two nuclear medicine residents and one nuclear radiology fellow enrolled in these programs. In addition, residents enrolled in the radiology program rotate in the nuclear medicine as part of their radiology-training program
Research
All three faculty members are actively involved in clinical trials which evaluate new diagnostic/therapeutic radiotracers. The results of these research projects have been published in a number of professional, peer – reviewed journals, books, and book chapters. They are often requested by their peers to write reviews and chapters of books that are used to disseminate the growth of knowledge in the field of nuclear medicine. Members often present their research at national and international nuclear medicine meetings. The faculty also participates in many research projects concerning the evolution of PET scan technology.
Future goals and opportunities
The division’s primary goal is to expand the technical and clinical capabilities of the field of molecular imaging. The installment and utilization of a hybrid SPECT/CT system which allows for the accurate anatomical localization of molecular imaging radiotracers is one way the division will pursue this goal. The division is also developing radiotracers that target specific tumors such as that manifested by prostate cancer. The division uses these advances in cutting edge research work to provide state of the art patient care.
Faculty Profiles
Ronald L. Van Heertum, MD, Is Professor of Radiology
at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is Interim Chairman of the Department of Radiology. He is Director of both the Division of Nuclear Medicine and The Morton A Kreitchman PET Center. Dr Van Heertum is internationally renowned for his groundbreaking work with the applications of both SPECT and PET brain imaging. He is past Chairman of the Nuclear Medicine Accreditation Committee, past Chairman of the Accreditation Chief’s Committee and a member of the Commission of Quality and Safety of the American College of Radiology and immediate past chairman of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. He is a Life Member of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine.
Masanori Ichise, MD, FRCPC, Is Professor of Clinical Radiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is co-Director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Director of the Morton A. Kreitchman PET Center. An internationally recognized expert in the field of PET and SPECT imaging to conduct research into the fields of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He has also pioneered numerous techniques in the analysis of Brain chemistry via use of PET and SPECT scans. The results of his research have been published in numerous articles. Prior to his appointment at Columbia he was Director of the Brain Molecular Imaging Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He was a member of the faculty of the Harvard University Medical School where he conducted research. Prior to his tenure at Harvard he was a principal investigator in molecular imaging at the NIH.
Rashid Fawwaz, MD,Is Professor of Clinical Radiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr Fawwaz is a recognized expert in the field of tumor imaging and therapy. His clinical and research work has led to numerous journal articles and several patents. As a member of the faculty at the University of California, Berkley, he was part of the team which developed the first positron emitting compound. Currently, he is developing new techniques to optimize PET imaging.
Irina Agrest, BS, CNMT, is Manager of the Division of Nuclear Medicine. She is an active board member of the Technologist Section of New York chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. She holds a teaching position at Manhattan College where she helps develop a future generation of technologists.
Ronald Tikofsky, PhD is Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also Program Coordinator of the Residency Program in Nuclear Medicine and Nuclear Radiology. He is past President of the Brain Imaging Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, past President and current Treasurer of the American College of Nuclear Medicine and a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is nationally recognized for his research in applying SPECT and PET technology to the study of functional brain imaging. The results of his research have been published in numerous publications.
Peter Esser, PhD, is Professor of Clinical radiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also holds a faculty appointment at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He is a board certified medical physicist with extensive experience in Nuclear Medicine and PET. He is chief physicist for the Kreitchman PET Center. He is a past president of the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine and a member of Nuclear Accreditation Committee ( Chairman of the Physics Subcommittee) of the American College of Radiology. His research is centered upon image enhancement techniques. The results of his research are published in numerous papers and in the four books he edited.
Dileep Kumar, PhD, is Director of Radioisotope and Radioligand production. He is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry as well as a Research Scientist in the Division of Neuropathology and Molecular Imaging at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. His research focuses on the development of PET tracers for in vivo quantification of biochemical function and disorders.
Michael Sanfilippo,RPh, BCNP, is the Executive Director of Radiopharmacy for the Kreitchman PET Center. He is a Registered Pharmacist and Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist with experience in all facets in PET isotope production and cyclotron operations. Before joining Columbia he managed operations in conventional Radiopharmacies as well as PET Centers and served as a Pharmacy Radiation Safety Officer.