Rising

On Jan. 11, Johns Hopkins University dedicated the William R. Brody Professorship in Radiology in honor of the university’s 13th president and installed Marty Pomper as the inaugural recipient.

“Needless to say, Johns Hopkins was lucky to lure Bill to Baltimore to continue his work here, first as the visionary leader of the Department of Radiology, and of course, later as President,” said Ron Daniels, the university’s 14th president, at the dedication and installation ceremony. “… His extraordinary career was not defined simply by technical brilliance nor innovative thinking.  What makes Bill Brody stand apart is his determination that there is a better approach — we just have to find it. And when a problem presents itself, Bill refuses to let it go until he discovers the best solution — one that most people would not have imagined, let alone attempted.

“This same determined spirit is evident in the work of our inaugural Brody Professor, Marty Pomper. Working at the frontier of cellular and molecular imaging, Marty and his team are collaborating with renowned oncologist Bert Vogelstein to develop new ways to image infection. Drawing on expertise across disciplines from chemistry to physics, they are creating a path-breaking optical agent to improve prostate cancer detection and treatment. Refusing to accept the technological status quo, they are expanding the potential of imaging, striving not only to understand the manifestations of human disease, but how those diseases and their life-saving treatments work in vivo.  Like Bill, Marty and his team are figuring out exactly what needs to be done not only to redefine radiology, but to reimagine a better future for patients and their families.”