Diego Jaramillo, MD, MPH, Selected for Distinguished Investigator Award

Deigo Jaramillo, MD, MPH, FACR, professor of radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, is among 40 researchers selected to receive this year's Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research (the Academy). This prestigious honor recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of medical imaging.

Each of the honorees nominated by academia or a member society have demonstrated accomplishments as an independent investigator with a substantial ongoing research program, including at least six cumulative years of funding as the principal investigator of a major competitive extramural research grant. In addition, they have shown sustained productivity, including at least 25 peer-reviewed scientific research publications in which the awardee is the first author or senior author.

“These Distinguished Investigators represent the future of imaging, advancing the field overall as well as developing ways to significantly improve patient care through their research efforts.” said Elizabeth A. Krupinski, PhD, Council of Distinguished Investigators Co-Chair.

Jaramillo has devoted his career as an investigator to the study of growth disorders, pioneering the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to probe the structure and function of the growth plate (or physis). DTI is an MRI-based technique that depicts the movement of water through tissues, allowing a precise view of tissue structure without having to image at a microscopic level. DTI is primarily used for brain imaging, but Jaramillo and his team are harnessing the technology to predict height velocity, growth potential, and response to growth hormone therapy in children.

Currently, Jaramillo is principal investigator for a multi-institutional study funded by the National Instititutes of Health, “Understanding Skeletal Growth Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Physis and Metaphysis”.