Awards and Recognitions
Members of the Department of Radiology at Stanford, including faculty, trainees, and staff, are consistently recognized for their outstanding contributions to research, education, clinical innovation, and leadership. This section highlights recent honors and distinctions awarded across our department.
NOVEMBER
RSNA 2025 Magna Cum Laude Award (Science)
The AI Development and Evaluation (AIDE) Lab (authors Magdalini Paschali, PhD, Asad Aali, Arogya Koirala, David Larson, MD, MBA, and Akshay Chaudhari, PhD) received a Magna Cum Laude abstract award for their project Can AI Be Trusted to Summarize Radiology Reports for Patients? A Robustness Evaluation Using Adversarial Edits. The work evaluates the reliability of AI-generated patient-facing report summaries by testing model performance under adversarial conditions. The study highlights how even small alterations in report text can influence the quality of AI summaries. The findings underscore the need for continued development of safeguards to ensure accurate and trustworthy patient communication.
The Magna Cum Laude awards are the highest abstract honors handed out at the annual RSNA conference. During the entire meeting, only 3 Magna Cum Laude awards were presented among a total of 168 scientific posters shown.
RSNA 2025 Magna Cum Laude Award (Education)
The AIDE Lab (co-first authors Andrew Johnston, MD, MBA and Arogya Koirala, along with Lina Cheuy, PhD, Hye Sun Na, Jesse Sandberg, MD, Sergios Gatidis, MD, Akshay Chaudhari, PhD, and David B. Larson, MD, MBA) also received a second Magna Cum Laude recognition for their project Developing AI for Pediatric Radiology: Automated Leg Length Measurement Use Case. The exhibit presented specific considerations for pediatric populations when developing artificial intelligence tools for imaging. Their work emphasizes the importance of building pediatric-specific datasets and validation strategies to ensure safe and reliable clinical deployment.
This award represents one of 18 Magna Cum Laude awards presented among the 1134 education exhibits shown at the conference.
RSNA 2025 Cum Laude Award (Science)
Pejman Ghanouni MD, PhD, and Geoffrey Sonn, MD, received a Cum Laude award for their project CAPTAIN Randomized Controlled Trial of MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation (TULSA) Versus Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: Initial Perioperative Outcomes. The study presents early perioperative findings comparing MRI-guided TULSA with robotic radical prostatectomy in the treatment of prostate disease. The project highlights the importance of evaluating emerging minimally invasive techniques in a controlled trial setting. It also demonstrates the value of early perioperative data in guiding future research and clinical practice.
This award represents one of 6 Cum Laude Science awards presented among the 249 scientific poster discussions shown at the conference.
RSNA 2025 Certificate of Merit Award (Education)
Aya Kamaya, MD, and the project team received a Certificate of Merit for Sound Decisions: Ultrasound in Chronic Liver Disease Assessment and Surveillance. The work highlights the role of ultrasound in evaluating and monitoring chronic liver disease, with a focus on improving diagnostic accuracy and long-term patient surveillance. The project underscores the need for consistent imaging protocols to support reliable assessment across patient populations. It also reinforces the importance of integrating ultrasound findings into broader clinical pathways for chronic liver disease management.
This award represents one of 202 Certificate of Merit awards presented among the 113 education exhibits shown at the conference.
RSNA 2025 Quality Improvement Reports Award
Andrew Johnston, MD, MBA, Sabine McHugh, Gloria Hwang, MD, Uzma Waheed, MD, and the project team received a Quality Improvement Reports Award for Supporting Innovation in Care Delivery: Reducing Turnaround Times for Same Day Imaging Exams Requested by the Oncology Rapid Assessment Center. The project focuses on improving imaging turnaround times to better support timely oncology care and streamline same-day assessment workflows. The team outlined process adjustments aimed at removing bottlenecks and coordinating care more efficiently. The initiative provides a framework that other services can adapt to enhance patient access and operational performance.
This award represents one of 6 Quality Improvement Reports awards presented among the 14 quality improvement reports shown at the conference.
Best Oral Abstract Presentation Award at the Western Region SNM Meeting
Co-first authors Liliana Ma, MD, PhD, Stanford Radiology Resident, Joy Wu, MD, MPH, Stanford Radiology Resident, and Daniel Beckmann, Graduate Student, University of Munster, received the Best Oral Abstract Presentation Award for their project "Real-Time Eye-tracking During FDG-PET/CT Interpretation Yields New Insights into Trainee Development and Radiology Education" at the WRSNM meeting held November 14 - 16 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
OCTOBER
2025 Stanford HBMC RISE Awards
Vipul Sheth, MD, PhD, and Byung Chul (Jason) Yoon, MD, PhD, have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Stanford HBMC RISE (Recognizing Individuals for Support and Empowerment) Award. This honor recognizes their exceptional mentorship and the meaningful impact they provided to their Stanford-HBMC mentees during the Summer 2025 Program. Their genuine commitment to guidance and support exemplifies the spirit of the RISE Award and the values of the Stanford-HBMC Summer Research Program.
Honorable Mention Abstract Award at the ISMRM Breast MRI
Sarah Zou, PhD Student (PI: Craig Levin, MIPS), has been named a 2025 Mark and Mary Stevens Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow (SIGF), part of the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellows program. SIGF, affiliated with the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, supports doctoral students whose research crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Vice President-Elect of the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM)
Carina Mari Aparici, MD, FACNM, Clinical Professor (Nuclear Medicine), has been elected Vice President-Elect of the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) for the 2025–2026 term. The American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) is a professional organization formed from the merger of the American College of Nuclear Physicians and the American College of Nuclear Medicine. It now directly represents the interests of nuclear medicine physicians before legislative and regulatory bodies, other medical organizations, the media, and the general public.
Academy’s Council of Distinguished Investigators
Michelle James, PhD, Associate Professor (MIPS), was honored among this year’s 48 investigators from academia, imaging societies, and industry for the Academy’s Council of Distinguished Investigators. The class of 2025 will be inducted during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on Tuesday, December 2.
Best Student Poster at the 2025 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS)
Benjamin Frey, PhD Student (PI: Jeremy Dahl, Pediatric Radiology) was awarded Best Student Poster at the 2025 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS) in Utrecht, Netherlands, held September 15–18, 2025. Selected as one of three student finalists in his group.
2nd place MINT (Molecular Imaging in Nanotechnology and Theranostics) Young Investigator Award
Jie Wang, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Heike Daldrup-Link, Pediatric Radiology) received the 2nd place MINT (Molecular Imaging in Nanotechnology and Theranostics) Young Investigator Award for his presentation: "Enhanced Tumor Targeting and Penetration: Extracellular Matrix Remodeling by Collagenase Functionalized Nanoparticles for Glioblastoma" at the World Molecular Imaging Conference (WMIC) in Anchorage, Alaska.
SEPTEMBER
2nd Place Poster Award at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Seed Grants Program Poster Session
Prima Dewi Sinawang, PhD Student (PI: Utkan Demirci), received the 2nd Place Poster Award at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Seed Grants Program Poster Session for her research titled Size-Specific Isolation and Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles for an Atlas of Proteomic and Transcriptomic Cargo in Prostate Cancer.
Propel Postdoctoral Scholar
Skylar Holmes, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Garry Gold), has been selected as a Propel Postdoctoral Scholar. The Propel program supports early postdoctoral scholars with exceptional research achievements and leadership potential, and a strong commitment to academic careers in the biological, biomedical, or population-based sciences.
Honorable Mention Abstract Award at the ISMRM Breast MRI
Xuetong Zhou, MS, PhD Student (PI: Brian Hargreaves), received an Honorable Mention Abstract Award at the ISMRM Breast MRI: Technological Advances & Clinical Applications conference for her presentation "Distortion-Free Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in the Breast Using Self-Navigated Acquisition & Subspace Reconstruction."
1st Place Trainee Abstract Award at the ISMRM Breast MRI
Judith Zimmermann, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Brian Hargreaves), received the 1st Place Trainee Abstract Award at the ISMRM Breast MRI: Technological Advances & Clinical Applications conference for her presentation "Clinical Utility of Supine Breath-Held T1-Weighted Breast DCE MRI."
Best Scientific Session Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Skeletal Radiology (ISS)
Heike Daldrup-Link, MD, Professor of Radiology (Pediatric Radiology), received the Best Scientific Session Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Skeletal Radiology (ISS) in Lisbon, Portugal, for her presentation "MRI of Senescent Cells in Arthritic Joints".
Best Poster Award at the SSRP Symposium
Emily Rodriguez (PI: Heike Daldrup-Link), a summer student in the Stanford Summer Research Program-Amgen Scholars Program, received the Best Poster Award at the SSRP Symposium for her project titled'Enhanced Iron Metabolism After CD47 mAb Therapy'.
2025 ICIT Top Abstracts Award
Raheleh Roudi, PhD (PI: Heike Daldrup-Link), received the 2025 ICIT Top Abstracts Award on behalf of the WMIS 'Imaging in Cell and Immune Therapies' (ICIT) interest group.
AUGUST
AIMI Trainee Travel Grant
Iryna Vasyliv, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Heike Daldrup-Link) has been selected to receive an AIMI Trainee Travel Grant to support her participation in the 111th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), to be held on December 4th, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, where she will present her work "Impact of Reader Experience on the Time-Saving Potential of a Novel Computer-Aided Tool for Ann Arbor Staging in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma."
Associate Medical Director of Cancer Radiology
Luyao Shen, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Body Imaging, has been appointed the inaugural Associate Medical Director of Cancer Radiology, effective September 1, 2025.
2025 ISB Promising Scientist Award
Anthony Gatti, PhD, Instructor, received the 2025 International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) Promising Scientist Award. The Promising Scientist award is designed to acknowledge people who have performed superior biomechanics research early in their career.
JULY
Community Impact Award
Zahra Shokri Varniab, MD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Heike Daldrup-Link), was recognized as a Postdoc Champion with the Community Impact Award. These awards recognize the essential work of postdoctoral scholars engaged in advancing belonging and inclusion at Stanford and beyond.
2025 MIDL Best Oral Paper Award
Ashwin Kumar, PhD Student (PI: Greg Zaharchuk) and Maya Varma, PhD Student (PI: Curtis Langlotz) were honored with the Best Oral Paper Award at the 2025 Medical Imaging with Deep Learning (MIDL) conference for their presentation on MedVAE in the Generative AI oral session.
LPCH Medical Staff Distinguished Service Award
Frandics Chan, PhD, Professor (Cardiovascular Imaging), received the Medical Staff Distinguished Service Award at the 2025 LPCH Annual Medical Staff Awards Dinner. This award honors those who have made a lasting impact on the medical staff and hospital community through years of leadership, dedication, and service.
LPCH Medical Impact Award
Ali Syed, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor (Pediatric Radiology), received the Medical Staff Impact Award at the 2025 LPCH Annual Medical Staff Awards Dinner. This award recognizes colleagues whose contributions are advancing care, collaboration, and innovation in powerful ways.
SNMMI Young Investigator Award
Renesmee Kuo, Graduate Student (PI: Michelle James, MIPS), earned first place in the Brain Imaging Council Young Investigator Award for her project, "Revealing the suppressors: A new PET imaging approach for detecting MDSCs before and after immunotherapy in a model of brain metastases". The Young Investigator Awards (YIA) recognize the best abstracts presented during the 2025 SNMMI Annual meeting.
JUNE
Stanford Radiology Honored at SNMMI 2025 Annual Meeting
Stanford Radiology was honored at SNMMI 2025, with Helen Nadel, MD receiving the Presidential Service Award for her outstanding contributions to nuclear medicine and pediatric radiology. Renesmee Kuo, PhD student (mentored by Michelle James, PhD) won 1st place in the Brain Imaging Council Young Investigator Award competition, and Kip Guja, MD, PhD (Clinical Assistant Professor) earned 1st place in the General Clinical Specialties poster category. Matteo Novello, MD captained the winning team in the SNMMI 2025 Knowledge Bowl, showcasing Stanford’s excellence in molecular imaging and radiology.
Thomas Brosnan named recipient of this year’s Marsh O’Neill Award
Thomas Brosnan, a longtime research scientist in Stanford Radiology, has been honored with the Marsh O’Neill Award for Exceptional and Enduring Support of Stanford’s Research Enterprise — recognizing over 30 years of impactful service supporting faculty, trainees, and the broader imaging mission.
Student Excellence in Community Impact Award
Brenda Yu, PhD, has been awarded the Community Impact Award. This prestigious recognition is granted to outstanding graduate students who have significantly enriched the Stanford community. Recipients of the award are recognized for fostering a strong sense of belonging, inspiring enthusiasm among their peers, and demonstrating exemplary leadership through student organizations, events, programs, or other unique contributions to campus life.
2025 Postdoc Career Development Award
Kathryn Kapp, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar (PI: Sharon Pitteri), has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious ASMS Postdoctoral Career Development Award. This award, granted annually to up to five postdoctoral fellows, supports professional advancement in the field of mass spectrometry. Recipients receive $5,000 to support activities such as conference attendance, specialized training, collaborative travel, and acquisition of professional resources.
2025 GME Outstanding Program Coordinator Award
Ann Vo, Residency Program Coordinator, received the Outstanding Program Coordinator Award at the 2025 Graduate Medical Education Teaching Excellence Awards. This award recognizes a residency and a fellowship program coordinator who have made meaningful and lasting contributions to their programs by supporting excellence in education and trainee well-being.
MAY
2025 David M. Yousem Research Fellow Award
Yongkai Liu, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Zaharchuk Lab, received the David M. Yousem Research Fellow Award, which supports travel to present research at the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) Annual Meeting. His awarded abstract, “Predicting 90-Day Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke from Baseline Non-Contrast CT: A Deep Learning Approach vs. ASPECTS,” highlights innovative work using deep learning to improve stroke outcome predictions.
Stanford Radiology Shines at ISMRM 2025 Annual Meeting
Stanford Radiology made a strong showing at ISMRM 2025, contributing a total of 114 presentations across digital posters, oral talks, power pitches, and traditional posters. The Department’s presence was underscored by Kim Butts Pauly delivering the prestigious Lauterbur Lecture, while Nan Wang was named runner-up for the Young Investigator Award. Faculty, trainees, and students also received society honors, merit awards, and abstract recognitions — affirming Stanford’s leadership in MRI research and innovation.
Dr. Quynh-Thu Le Awarded ASTRO Gold Medal
Dr. Quynh-Thu Le, Interim Chair of Radiology and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Stanford, has been awarded the ASTRO Gold Medal, the society’s highest honor. This distinction recognizes her exceptional contributions in research, clinical care, teaching, and service, particularly in head and neck cancer, translational science, and leadership of national oncology networks.
H. Tom Soh Named W.M. Keck Foundation Professor in Electrical Engineering at Stanford
Dr. H. Tom Soh, Professor of Radiology and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, has been named the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor in Electrical Engineering in recognition of his pioneering work in biosensor systems, disease detection, and synthetic biomaterials. A Stanford faculty member since 2015 with joint appointments in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, Dr. Soh’s interdisciplinary research advances precision medicine and diagnostics. His many honors, including the NIH Director’s TR01 Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and election to the National Academy of Inventors—reflect his broad impact across science and engineering.
2025 RSNA Emerging Issues Grant
Robert D. Boutin, MD, Clinical Professor of Radiology (MSK Imaging) has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Emerging Issues Grant from the RSNA Research & Education (R&E) Foundation. This competitive grant supports timely research aimed at addressing urgent healthcare challenges, particularly those impacting underserved populations. Dr. Boutin’s award recognizes the potential of his work to contribute meaningful solutions to emerging issues in radiology and public health.
APRIL
AAR Gold Medal and CERRAF Fellow
Dr. Curtis Langlotz received the AAR Gold Medal in recognition of his distinguished contributions to academic radiology, particularly in advancing AI and imaging standards, and Dr. Nancy Pham was selected as a CERRAF Fellow for her emerging leadership and research in head and neck imaging and tumor perfusion biomarkers.
Society of Interventional Radiology fellowship
Andrew Picel, MD, was awarded an SIR fellowship. This recognition acknowledges Dr. Picel’s exceptional professional achievements and contributions to the field of interventional radiology.
Resident Research Award
Aakash Gupta, MD, was honored with the Resident Research Award. This prestigious award recognizes residents and fellows for their exceptional scientific research in the field of interventional radiology.
Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award
Alexander Vezeridis, MD, PhD, was honored with the Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award. This distinguished award is presented to the author of the most outstanding clinical science research paper submitted.
MARCH
Stanford Radiology Professor Utkan Demirci Elected to AIMBE Board of Directors
Utkan Demirci, PhD, Professor of Radiology (and by courtesy, Electrical Engineering) at Stanford, has been elected to the AIMBE Board of Directors as Chair of the Industry Council. In this role, Dr. Demirci will help guide the organization’s advocacy and engagement efforts in medical and biological engineering. He will officially take office following AIMBE’s 2025 Annual Event.
FEBRUARY
Stanford CME CPD Research Scholarship
Brittany Dashevsky, MD, DPhil, Clinical Associate Professor (Breast Imaging), recently became a recipient of the Stanford CME CPD Research Scholarship for her project on "Assessing the Impact of Virtual Radiology CME on Knowledge Gaps and Regional Educational Needs in Low-Resource Settings".
JANUARY
2025 ARRS Clinician Educator Development Program (CEDP)
Cathy Hao, MD, Clinical Instructor, Radiology (Breast Imaging), was accepted into the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) 2025 Clinician Educator Development Program (CEDP). She was selected for the program from over 40 applicants, and her application received a rating of "Exceptional".
The program will take place during the annual ARRS meeting in San Diego on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Medical Staff Award: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award Honorable Mention
Peter Poullos, MD, Clinical Professor of Radiology (Body Imaging), recently received an honorable mention for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award as part of the Medical Staff Awards. This honorable mention is a testament to all of his work and dedication to DEI initiatives. Dr. Poullos will be honored with the other awardees at the annual Medical Staff Gala.
AAR 2025 Radiology Management Program
Brittany Dashevsky, MD, Clinical Associate Professor (Breast Imaging), was selected for the AAR 2025 Radiology Management Program.
The AAR Radiology Management Program is an intensive, two-day program that takes place during the AAR annual meeting. The program features distinguished faculty who guide program participants through crucial aspects of modern radiology leadership and represents an exceptional cohort of radiology leaders to provide a comprehensive management training experience.