Faculty & Staff
Faculty
David Piwnica-Worms, M.D., Ph.D. – Professor and Chair, Cancer Systems Imaging; Professor, Cancer Biology, Deputy Division Head, Research, Diagnostic Imaging
Research Interests: Molecular Imaging, Signal transduction, Genetically encoded reporters, Bioluminescence, PET.
Email: dpiwnica-worms@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Dana Hedge
Pratip Bhattacharya, Ph.D. – Associate Professor
Research Interests: Hyperpolarization: liquid and solid state, real-time molecular and metabolic imaging in vivo, silicon nanoparticle hyperpolarization for targeted MRI and nanochemistry, parahydrogen Induced Polarization and Dynamic Nuclear Polarization.
Email: pkbhattacharya@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Brian Engel, Ph.D. – Instructor
Research Interests: Directed evolution of peptide ligands for targeting tumor-associated post-translational modifications, autophagy, and cell death for use as PET imaging agents or as therapeutics.
Email: bjengel@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Jan Irvin
Daniel Frigo, Ph.D. - Associate Professor
Research Interests: Understanding how various signaling pathways, such as those regulated by the androgen receptor, CaMKK2, AMPK, mTOR and Myc, drive the progression of prostate cancer. The long-term goal of this work is to exploit these newly uncovered pathways for therapeutic purposes. Interestingly, many of these signaling pathways converge at various metabolic nodes. The end result is a shift in oncogenic metabolism that allows the cancer cells to utilize a diverse array of nutrients to the benefit of the cancer cell.
Email: frigo@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Seth Gammon, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Development of new hyperpolarized MRI agents for study of the adaptive and innate immune systems; Leveraging existing bioluminescent and fluorescent reporters for studying the complex interaction of the innate immune system, tumor biology, and cancer chemotherapeutics; Using quantitative PET/SPECT/CT techniques for imaging of the pharmacodynamics of novel therapies in preclinical animal models; Development of novel methods of extracting new information from existing imaging techniques and contrast agents in the context of tumor progression and intervention in preclinical models.
Email: stgammon@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Dana Hedge
Loukia Karacosta, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Leveraging cancer systems biology approaches and single-cell technologies like mass cytometry (CyTOF) and multiplexed imaging, to interrogate phenotypic plasticity and the spatiotemporal dynamics that drive therapy resistance in the tumor microenvironment.
Email: lgkaracosta@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Jan Irvin
Lucia Le Roux, Ph.D. – Instructor
Research Interests: Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathies (CIPN)
Email: lucia.leroux@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Chun Li, Ph.D. – Professor
Research Interests: Development of targeted imaging probes for noninvasive characterization of molecular events; development of novel drug-delivery systems for selective delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents.
Email: cli@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Jan Irvin
Tracy Liu, Ph.D. - Instructor
Research Interests: Imaging the tumor microenvironment, intravital imaging, molecular imaging, bioluminescence, fluorescence.
Email: twliu@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Dana Hedge
H. Charles Manning, Ph.D. – Professor, Cancer Systems Imaging; Scientific Director, Center for Advanced Biomedical Imaging
Research Interests: Development, validation, implementation, and clinical translation of imaging and chemical probes to non-invasively quantify molecular events in vivo.
Email: hcmanning@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Jan Irvin
Steven Millward, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Imaging of apoptosis and autophagy, ovarian cancer metabolism, directed evolution of imaging agents.
Email: smillward@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Mark Pagel, Ph.D. - Professor and Deputy Chair
Research Interests: Imaging the tumor microenvironment; imaging tumor acidosis, enzyme activity, oxygenation and vascular permeability; CEST MRI, PET/MRI and MultiSpectral Optoacoustic Tomography; clinical translation of molecular imaging.
Email: mdpagel@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Beth Roos
Federica Pisaneschi, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Radiochemistry, development of radiopharmaceuticals for target radiotherapy and PET imaging.
Email: fpisaneschi@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Joint, Adjunct and Visiting Faculty
Vikas Kundra, M.D., Ph.D. – Professor, Diagnostic Radiology, Section of Abdominal Imaging
Research Interests: Imaging of Gene Expression, Gene
Email: vkundra@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Jan Irvin
Homer Macapinlac, M.D. – Professor, James E. Anderson Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Medicine, Chair, Nuclear Medicine
Research Interests: Early response evaluation in solid tumors (e.g. lung cancer, lymphoma) using various novel PET tracers in comparison to FDG. Novel theranostic multi-tracer techniques using PET/CT or SPECT/CT for pre-therapy dosimetry/patient selection, alpha/beta therapy and post therapy dose estimates in patients with prostate, neuroendocrine and breast cancer. Novel PET/MR techniques to improve multi-parametric image quantification in early recurrence of prostate cancer.
Email: hmacapinlac@mdanderson.org
Dawid Schellingerhout, M.D. – Professor, Radiology, Neuroradiology Head & Neck section
Research Interests: Molecular Imaging of novel gene and cell based therapies, particularly for Central Nervous System (CNS) conditions; Non-invasive mapping of therapeutic gene delivery; Assessment of therapeutic gene expression by imaging; Pharmacological manipulation of gene therapy vector distribution; Focused ultrasound for the disruption of the blood brain barrier; Assessment of PET agents for the delineation of brain tumors
Email: dawid.schellingerhout@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Gomika Udugamasooriya, Ph.D. – Adjunct Associate Professor, Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Associate Professor, Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston
Email: gomika@uh.edu
Staff
Marcia Richards, M.P.H.
Research Department Administrator
713-792-4963
Email: mmrichards@mdanderson.org
Assistant: Timothy Ard
Dana Hedge
Office Supervisor
713-745-8521
Email: ddhedge@mdanderson.org
Elizabeth Roos
Program Manager
713-792-2102
Email: eroos@mdanderson.org
Kristi Mercer, BBA/CPHT
Associate Director, Research Planning & Development
713-792-6884
Email: knmercer@mdanderson.org
Galina Mikheeva, M.S.
Laboratory Manager
713-563-4890
Email: gmikheeva@mdanderson.org
Marilyn Bobbitt, MHA
Grant Program Manager
713-563-0083
Email: msbobbitt@mdanderson.org
Heidi Bradley, M.S.
Grant Program Coordinator
832-750-5347
Email: hlbradley@mdanderson.org
Adam Kohnen, MBA
Grant Program Coordinator
713-745-3069
Email: adkohnen@mdanderson.org
Jan Irvin
Sr Administrative Assistant
713-563-9562
Email: jwirvin@mdanderson.org
Timothy Ard
Administrative Assistant
832-750-1789
Email: tdard@mdanderson.org
Dawn Jefferson, M.S.
Sr Coord, Procurement
713-745-8297
Email: dmjefferson@mdanderson.org