John R. Zech, MD, MA

Diagnostic Radiology
Radiology
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Overview

John R. Zech, MD, MA, is a subspecialty trained musculoskeletal radiologist with expertise in the application of artificial intelligence to radiology. He is an assistant professor of radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and an attending radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian. 

Dr. Zech has expertise in the interpretation of a wide range of musculoskeletal imaging, including sports injury, arthritis, spinal disorders, and soft tissue and bone tumors. He is experienced in many aspects of musculoskeletal intervention, including ultrasound-guided joint, tendon, and trigger point injections, joint and cyst aspirations, and biopsies.

His research on the application of artificial intelligence to radiology has been featured in journals including Radiology, Nature: Medicine, and PLOS Medicine, and has been cited over 2,500 times by other researchers. He serves on the editorial board of Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. 

Dr. Zech completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard College and went on to obtain a master's degree in statistics at Columbia University. He obtained his medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he graduated with Distinction in Research. He completed a preliminary medicine internship at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He continued his training in the Diagnostic Radiology Residency at CUIMC/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and subsequently completed a musculoskeletal imaging fellowship at NYU Langone Health. He is a member of the Radiological Society of North America, the Society of Skeletal Radiology, and the American Roentgen Ray Society.

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

  • Arthography
  • Arthritis
  • Barbotage
  • Calcific Tendinitis
  • Cyst Aspiration
  • Joint Injections
  • Joint Pain
  • Morton’s Neuroma
  • MR Neurography
  • Musculoskeletal (MSK) Ultrasound
  • Musculoskeletal Imaging
  • Musculoskeletal Pain
  • Nerve Blocks
  • Piriformis Syndrome
  • Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
  • Sports Injuries
  • Steroid Injections
  • Trigger Point Injections

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Radiology at CUMC

Gender

  • Male

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Location(s)

51 West 51st Street
New York, NY 10019
161 Fort Washington Avenue
New York, NY 10032
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Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Residency: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • Fellowship: NYU Langone Health

Research

Selected Publications

Zech JR, Jaramillo D, Altosaar J, Popkin CA, Wong TT. Artificial intelligence to identify fractures on pediatric and young adult upper extremity radiographs. Pediatr Radiol. 2023 Nov;53(12):2386-2397. doi: 10.1007/s00247-023-05754-y. Epub 2023 Sep 23. PMID: 37740031.

Zech J, Pain M, Titano J, Badgeley M, Schefflein J, Su A, Costa A, Bederson J, Lehar J, Oermann EK. Natural Language-based Machine Learning Models for the Annotation of Clinical Radiology Reports. Radiology. 2018 May;287(2):570-580. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2018171093. Epub 2018 Jan 30. PMID: 29381109.

Zech JR, Badgeley MA, Liu M, Costa AB, Titano JJ, Oermann EK. Variable generalization performance of a deep learning model to detect pneumonia in chest radiographs: A cross-sectional study. PLoS Med. 2018 Nov 6;15(11):e1002683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002683. PMID: 30399157; PMCID: PMC6219764.

Zech JR, Santos L, Staffa S, Zurakowski D, Rosenwasser KA, Tsai A, Jaramillo D. Lower Extremity Growth according to AI Automated Femorotibial Length Measurement on Slot-Scanning Radiographs in Pediatric Patients. Radiology. 2024 Apr;311(1):e231055. doi: 10.1148/radiol.231055. PMID: 38687217.

For a full list of publications, visit Google Scholar.