About the Institute of Imaging Science

At Vanderbilt we believe the greatest successes for imaging in the future will come from environments where the complementary natures of different imaging approaches are exploited, where experts in basic sciences and technical aspects of image formation and analysis collaborate closely with biomedical scientists who ask appropriate questions, and where the basic underlying science of imaging is fostered.

Contact and Directions

Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science
1161 21st Avenue South
Medical Center North, AA-1105
Nashville, TN 37232-2310

Tel: (615) 322-8359
Fax: (615) 322-0734

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*Note: Parking is available across the street from VUIIS in the East Garage at 1210 Medical Center Drive.

Medical Imaging

Since the first X-ray images were produced at the end of the 19th century, medical imaging has provided information of vital importance about the inner structure and function of the body for clinicians and scientists. Biomedical imaging techniques have developed in recent years into a compendium of increasingly powerful technologies that are used not only for diagnosing diseases but also for the study of biological structure and function, of metabolism and physiology, and of fundamental molecular and cellular processes. The development in the past two decades of new and more powerful imaging technologies such as MRI and PET, coupled with the explosive growth in the power of digital computers, have dramatically changed the nature of biomedical imaging science. Imaging plays a central role in patient management and care and provides crucial insights into the pathophysiology of many types of disease, such as cancer and neurological disorders. In addition, in vivo imaging methods also have widespread application in the elucidation of biological structure, in the study of basic biological functions and physiological processes, and in drug discovery. For example, the development of functional brain MRI (FMRI), and the study of brain neurochemistry by MR spectroscopy and PET imaging, are recent advances that promise to have a major impact on our understanding of how the brain works. New technological developments and advances in molecular sciences have expanded the applications of imaging to many new areas of medicine, such as the study of the effects of genetic modifications and of gene expression in animals.

Imaging Research

VUIIS operates state-of-the-art facilities for imaging research at all scales including imaging animals and human subjects. We pursue research in developing new imaging methods as well as applications in cancer, neuroscience, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease and other areas. VUIIS is supported by grants from the NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, industry and foundations, as well as Vanderbilt University.

Training and Teaching

At VUIIS, providing an exemplary training environment for postdoctoral fellows, graduate and medical students, and undergraduates is central to our mission.

We bring together a strong faculty of imaging scientists with diverse backgrounds and broad expertise in a comprehensive, integrated program dedicated to using imaging to improve health-care and for advancing knowledge in the biological sciences.

National and International Collaborations

National and International Collaborations

International

ADEKA Corporation, Japan
Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong/Kyung-Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
Nanjing University, Nanjing China
Oxford/FMRIB, Oxford, UK
Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Shanghai Clinical Research Center, Shanghai, China
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
University of London, Institute of Neurology, London, UK
University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
University of Toronto/Sunnybrook Health Sciences, Center, Toronto, Canada
Utrecht Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
Novosibirsk State University and International Tomography Center, Novosibirsk, Russia
University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

National

Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ
Fisk University, Nashville, TN
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore MD
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
PHDS Co, Knoxville, TN
The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
University of Akron, Akron, OH
University of Arizona, Tucson, AR
University of California, San Francisco, CA
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL
Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Hardvard University, Boston, MA
Southern Illinois, Carbondale, IL Columbia University, New York, NY
Emory University
General Electric Global Research, Niskayuna, NY
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Duke University, Durham, NC
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL