BATON ROUGE, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has continued its commitment to excellence in medical physics with its annual H.N. Saurage IV Distinguished Lecture Series. On Oct. 25, 2024, the Cancer Center welcomed Maryellen L. Giger, Ph.D., University of Chicago, as this year’s distinguished speaker. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Dr. Charles M. Smith chief of physics, Sotirios Stathakis, Ph.D., along with team members, board members and students were present for Dr. Giger’s presentation on “Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging and the Need for MIDRC.”
This lecture series, made possible through the support of the H.N. Saurage IV Family Fund, is dedicated to advancing education and research for medical physicists, students and various other health professionals. Each year, a distinguished researcher is invited to Louisiana to share discoveries and insights with the local cancer care community. The series serves to highlight new and ongoing research initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for patients as part of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s medical physics program and through an academic partnership with LSU to train the next generation of scientists.
The event also featured a competitive poster session showcasing research by graduate students from the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy, which provided an opportunity for student researchers to present their work and interact directly with experts such as Dr. Giger and Dr. Jonas Fontenot, Mary Bird Perkins’ chief executive officer. Since 1980, Mary Bird Perkins and LSU have partnered to offer the Dr. Charles M. Smith Medical Physics Program, a nationally renowned graduate program that is the only program of its kind in Louisiana and one of just 60 accredited medical physics programs in the United States. Lily Dickson and Corinne Vanya placed first with their poster “Development and Evaluation of a Lung X-Ray Interferometry Imagine System,” Nathan Dobranski came in second place with “Utilizing Large Language Models for Efficient and Accurate Clinical Data Enrichment,” and Olivia Magneson placed third with “Comparison of Respiratory Motion between 4D-MR and 4D-CT in Compression Belt Patients.”
“It’s wonderful to see this fund supporting research and education initiatives that align perfectly with the vision we had when establishing the H.N. Saurage IV Family Fund,” said Hank Saurage. “We always hoped that this would provide additional opportunities to advance cancer care, and through events like the lecture series we are seeing that vision come to life. The collaborations between Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, LSU and world-class researchers like Dr. Giger are not only advancing the field of medical physics but are directly impacting the future of cancer care and treatment in communities we serve.”
With over 30 years of research in computer-aided diagnosis, Dr. Giger has made significant contributions to the fields of breast, lung and prostate cancer, as well as brain injury, lupus, bone diseases and COVID-19. She has received numerous accolades, including the William D. Coolidge Gold Medal from AAPM. Her extensive research includes over 280 peer-reviewed publications and more than 30 patents.
During her lecture, Dr. Giger shared insights into medical imaging, with a particular emphasis on the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the development of the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC). She emphasized the need to not be afraid of artificial intelligence, but rather to embrace it and use it to its full advantage.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Saurage family, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is leading the way in innovative cancer research and collaboration right here in Louisiana,” added Dr. Stathakis. “Dr. Giger’s insights into the role of AI in enhancing diagnostic precision highlighted the incredible potential for improved patient outcomes.”