Osama R. Mawlawi

Biography

Dr. Mawlawi is a Tenured Professor of Imaging Physics and the Section Chief of Nuclear Medicine Physics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). He started his Medical Physics career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York as a research assistant from 1990-1998. He later joined Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons as an Assistant Professor from 1998-2001 before coming to MDACC in 2001. Dr. Mawlawi has extensive expertise in PET imaging of biomarkers in preclinical applications and in Phase I-III clinical trials. His primary interest focuses on investigating factors affecting absolute quantification of PET/CT images. His ongoing research is aimed at developing novel techniques for PET/CT image acquisition, correction and reformation, as well as modeling the distribution of novel radiotracers. He has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters and is the recipient of several grants from industry and professional societies. Dr. Mawlawi is also an active member of several professional societies such as the SNMMI, AAPM, IEEE, RSNA and ACR where he serves in various roles such as task group chair, board member, or review committee and is the past president of the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM). Dr. Mawlawi also serves on multiple institutional committees such as the IRG, CRC, RSC, and ECFS. He has won numerous awards, most recently the MD Anderson's President's Recognition for Faculty Excellence Award in 2014. Dr. Mawlawi is frequently invited as a presenter at national and international conferences. He is board certified in Nuclear Medicine Physics and instrumentation by the ABSNM and in Diagnostic Radiologic Physics by the ABR.

Research Interest

His research interests are focused on Nuclear Medicine physics with specific focus on PET/CT imaging. Areas of specialization include: PET/CT and PET/MR image formation, quantification and accuracy Radionuclide dosimetry Kinetic modeling The research in his laboratory is directed at functional imaging using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). A strong interest lies in the factors affecting absolute quantification of PET images such as partial volume, scatter, and patient motion artifacts. Ongoing research is looking at novel techniques of image acquisition, correction and formation. Other interests lie in modeling the distribution of novel radiotracers to image specific biochemical processes such as metabolism, blood flow, receptor binding and expression. A tutorial in his lab would provide the student with an in-depth experience of functional imaging using PET. Moreover, the student will get hands-on experience with image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis software tools.