I am a board-certified physician in nuclear medicine, a type of imaging that uses small doses of radioactive materials to assess, diagnose and treat diseases. My expertise spans several nuclear medicine-based diagnostic tests and procedures such as positron emission tomography (PET). At SCCA, I also serve as the director of molecular imaging. This fast-growing field examines how the body is functioning at a molecular or cellular level. Molecular imaging, which has its roots in nuclear medicine, provides insight about how diseases like cancer behave, which in turn can affect treatment decisions.

In addition to providing care, I am also an active researcher. One area of interest is how PET scan tracers can be used to determine whether or not a cell is dying. The idea is that this information could help determine how a tumor is responding to therapy and therefore guide treatment. I led the first in-human trial of these tracers, which has served as the foundation for multiple clinical trials currently being conducted at three major U.S. medical centers. These clinical trials are focused on how we can best use this tracer to identify patients who may respond to anticancer drugs called PARP inhibitors. My colleagues and I plan to expand that research at SCCA.