AsianScientist (Jun. 19, 2015) – Dr. David W. Townsend, professor in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at the National University Hospital of Singapore and director of the A*STAR-NUS Clinical Imaging Research Center in Singapore, has been named this year’s recipient of the prestigious Paul C. Aebersold Award. Townsend was presented the award by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) during its 2015 Annual Meeting, held June 6-10 in Baltimore, US.
The award is named after Dr. Paul C. Aebersold, a pioneer in the biologic and medical application of radioactive materials and the first director of the Atomic Energy Commission’s Division of Isotope Development. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in basic science applied to nuclear medicine and was first presented in 1973.
“Townsend’s contributions to the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging have been transformative in regard to the way medicine is practiced today,” said Dr. Gary L. Dillehay, chair of the SNMMI Committee on Awards and past president of the society.
“With the introduction of 3D PET imaging and the development of a practical and effective PET/CT camera, he brought form and function together to solve the challenges facing our field. Today, his work allows nuclear medicine and molecular imaging professionals to produce high-quality images for more than three million patients each year.”
Townsend was honored to receive the award and shared his views researching in his field.
“This award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging truly recognizes the many physicists and engineers who have contributed to the emerging field of clinical multimo-dality imaging—in particular, my friend, the late Professor Bruce Hasegawa, who was a pioneer of hybrid imaging and Dr. Ronald Nutt, with whom I developed PET/CT,” noted Townsend.
“It has been a privilege to work in a field with so many such outstanding scientists. It has also been a privilege to be involved in the development of an imaging device that has been rapidly embraced by the clinical community and that has contributed in some way to the healthcare of many patients. I am most honored to accept this prestigious award from the SNMMI.”
Townsend began his work on positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation development in the early eighties, designing and building the first rotating partial ring PET scanner using bismuth germanate (BGO) block detectors. This necessitated new reconstruction algorithms, new approaches to detector normalization, close attention to scatter correction and much work to optimize and demonstrate the value of imaging in 3D.
Townsend’s contributions to 3D PET imaging were influential in improving the signal-to-noise of reconstructed PET images without increasing the amount of detector material, which to a large extent determines cost. As a result, the impact on the overall cost-effectiveness of PET as a clinical tool has been substantial. The PET/CT scanner and Townsend’s work on the technology were also recognized by the Time magazine in 2000 as the “Medical Invention of the Year.”
Townsend has also made significant contributions to his field, having authored or coauthored more than 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and 120 abstracts, including contributing to more than 75 invited published papers, proceedings of conferences and symposia and book chapters. Townsend has held editorial roles for 11 journals and has served as a reviewer for 14 journals, including Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM), IEEE Transactions in Medical Imaging and Molecular Imaging and Biology and others.
He has also received numerous awards, including the inaugural IEEE Innovations in Healthcare Technology Medal in 2010, Nuclear Medicine Pioneer Award from the Austrian Society of Nuclear Medicine in 2008 and the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI) Distinguished Clinical Scientist of the Year award in 2004.
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Source: A*STAR.
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