On November 3, the Human Magnetic Resonance Center (hMRC), a UMass Amherst Core Facility within the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), hosted a one-day “Translational MR Imaging” workshop. Over 50 participants from UMass Amherst, Baystate Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Center, and UMass Chan Medical School attended. The event promoted interdisciplinary collaboration and highlighted advances in MRI and MRS across clinical and research settings.
The program included sessions on exercise-related imaging of muscle and brain, clinical and novel MR methods, pre-clinical imaging, neuroimaging of sleep and cognition, and AI in imaging. A panel discussion explored collaborative opportunities with UHS and Holyoke Medical Center, emphasizing the healthcare potential of MR technologies.
Imaging Skeletal Muscle and Brain with Exercise–moderated by Richard Van Emmerik, chair, the session featured Jane Kent, distinguished professor, on age-related changes in muscle bioenergetics using multinuclear MRI/MRS; Katherine Boyer, professor, on machine learning for automated muscle analysis; Mark Miller, professor, on sex differences in physical decline and tailored exercise; and Dominka Pindus, professor, on the impact of activity and sedentary behavior on brain health across the adulthood. All are faculty members in kinesiology.
Clinical Applications and Novel Imaging Methods–moderated by Seth Glass, Director of UMass Amherst Core Facilities, the session featured Dr. Arpan Mohanty, Boston University, on MR imaging in MASLD and the role of noninvasive biomarkers in drug development; Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, UMass Chan Medical School and Baystate Medical Center, on brain reorganization post-injury using MR imaging; and Dr. Ravi Teja Seethamraju, Siemens Medical Solutions, on next-generation clinical MR systems with improved speed and image quality.
Pre-Clinical MR Imaging–moderated by Govind Srimathveeravalli, faculty member in mechanical and industrial engineering, Director of CPHM, the session featured Dr. Kristin Granlund, MRI Applications Specialist, Bruker, on high-field cryogen-free Maxwell magnets and dynamic nuclear polarization technology for investigating metabolic fluxes.
Neuroimaging (Sleep and Cognition)–moderated by Ilia Karatsoreos, chair, the session featured Rebecca Spencer, professor, on hippocampal subfield volumes in children, suggesting less maturity in habitual nappers. Kelsey Canada, professor, on integrative data analysis for combining independent neuroimaging studies to increase sample size and representation, and Lauren Aulet, professor, on task-based fMRI for understanding the development of mathematical cognition. All are faculty members in psychological and brain sciences.
AI in Imaging–moderated by Peter Reinhart, Founding Director of IALS, the session featured Lauren Saloio who introduced the UMass Gen AI Platform, developed under the leadership of Ozgur Yilmazel, Director of Applied AI Research and Engagement, Center for Data Science.
Clinical Collaborations–moderated by Sendhil Velan, Director of hMRC, the panel featured Dr. Ivan Correa, UHS; Carl Cameron, Holyoke Medical Center; Dr. Mrinal Mali, Holyoke Medical Center; and Peter Reinhart. The discussion focused on advancing clinical imaging and translational research through collaboration among hMRC, UHS, and Holyoke Medical Center.
Numerous posters were presented by students and faculty from UMass Amherst and UMass Chan Medical School. Three of these were selected for awards: (left to right) Melissa Horger, psychological and brain sciences; Meghan Perdue, UMass Chan Medical School; and Luke Arieta, kinesiology.
Sponsored by the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring (CPHM) and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), the workshop featured cutting-edge MR technologies from Bruker and Siemens. Special thanks to Lisa Korpiewski, Joann Chauvin, Emily Scagel, Matthew Belden, Janet Glick, Elena Bliss, Rajakumar Nagarajan, Seth Glass, and Peter Reinhart, for their invaluable contributions.
The workshop successfully fostered collaboration and advanced innovation in clinical and pre-clinical MR imaging.