Jeff Fessler receives 2016 IEEE EMBS Technical Achievement Award

Jeffrey Fessler, William L. Root Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been selected to receive the 2016 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Technical Achievement Award, “For fundamental and pioneering contributions to the theory and algorithms of statistical reconstruction methods of the PET/ SPECT, CT and MRI medical imaging modalities.” His research has already touched the lives of countless patients through safer imaging and improved diagnoses.

The award will be presented during the opening ceremony of the 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC’16). The theme of this year’s conference is Empowering Individual Healthcare Decisions through Technology.

Prof. Fessler has revolutionized the theory and practice of medical imaging with his group’s groundbreaking mathematical models and algorithms that significantly improve both patient safety and image quality. He has produced major improvements in the theory, design and clinical use of scanners in three of the principal clinical scanner modalities: radionuclide imaging (PET/SPECT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-ray computer tomograhy (X-ray CT).

After solving fundamental problems in statistical image processing, Prof. Fessler worked with GE on the first commercial image reconstruction method for positron emission tomography in the late 1990s. He also collaborated with other U-M scientists on an algorithm for single-photon emission computed tomography that has benefited thousands of cardiac patients. His research has directly benefited patients by lowering radiation dosages and improving medical diagnoses. His group is currently working to reduce image reconstruction time to help make low-dose CT scans a viable screening tool for lung cancer and to reduce scan time in magnetic resonance imaging.

He holds eight U.S. patents and is author or co-author of about 375 journal and conference papers. He received the 2013 Edward J. Hoffman Medical Imaging Scientist Award, several best paper awards, and is a Fellow of IEEE. He is currently Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging. In addition to his home department, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Prof. Fessler holds courtesy appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Radiology.

Additional Information about Jeff Fessler

Posted: April 25, 2016