Imaging specialist recognized for lifetime achievements

London, ON – For 30 years, Western University’s Ravi Menon, PhD, has paved the way for key developments in the field of brain imaging research – from working on the team that discovered functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to developing and championing the use of ultra-high field MRI techniques for use in patient care.

Earlier this month, Menon became one of only six Canadians ever selected as a senior fellow by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM). He was recognized for his significant contributions to advancements in fMRI and ultra-high field MRI at the ISMRM’s 23rd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Toronto.

ISMRM is a multi-disciplinary non-profit association that promotes innovation, development and application of magnetic resonance techniques in medicine and biology throughout the world.

“This is a wonderful recognition of Ravi’s impressive contributions to the field of magnetic resonance imaging, not only in terms of the development of new methodologies but in their application to understanding brain function in health and in disease,” said Dr. Michael Strong, dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. “It is a richly deserved honour.”

Menon is a professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and director of the Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping at Western’s Robarts Research Institute and Canada Research Chair in Functional and Molecular Imaging.

He was one of the original pioneers in the field of fMRI, an integral tool for the study of cognitive neurosciences for the past two decades. Menon continues to develop new techniques to develop better imaging results for a broad range of neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s, and mental health disorders, like schizophrenia.

Currently, there is only one ultra-high field MRI machine in Canada located at Robarts Research Institute, and it is one of the few machines regularly used on patients internationally. The hope is that this technology and the techniques pioneered by Menon will one day be used widely to help individual patients.