Meet the EDI Committee

Elizabeth A. Morris, M.D.,F.A.C.R.
Chair, EDI Committee

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY, USA
morrise@mskcc.org

Elizabeth A. Morris, M.D.,F.A.C.R.

Hi everyone! I’m Liz and I’m the chair of the ISMRM EDI task force. We on the task force want to create an environment that is fair, respectful, safe and valued. I’m from Australia originally and grew up in California. I went to medical school in San Francisco and completed my training in New York City where I currently live. I’m committed to making sure that everyone feels psychologically safe and has a seat at the table. We all have voices and we want to hear yours.

Udunna Anazodo, Ph.D.

Scientist, Imaging
Lawson Health Research Institute
London, Ontario, Canada
uanazodo@lawsonimaging.ca

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Udunna Anazodo, Ph.D.

Dr Udunna Anazodo is a neuroimaging scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute and an Assistant Professor at the departments of Medical Biophysics and Clinical Neurological Sciences at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Her research is focused on development of novel PET/MR image processing techniques to better characterize the structure, function and molecular signatures of neurodegenerative diseases.

Karla Miller, Ph.D.

Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow
University of Oxford, England
karla@fmrib.ox.ac.uk
@fmrib_karla

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Karla Miller, Ph.D.

I have been a member of the ISMRM for over 20 years, with a research focus on improving MRI methods for neuroscience. I am passionate about creating opportunities for all our members to actively contribute to ISMRM activities, particularly early career researchers. We don’t fully benefit from the abilities and ideas of many of our members, and our society is far from the diverse and inclusive community we could be. This needs to change. I try to be an effective ally to members of the LGBT+, disability, and ethnic minority communities. I believe we need to find ways to include our colleagues outside of North America and Europe more actively. And I am eager to support young women in taking their place at the table – in the ISMRM and throughout their careers.

Hamied Haroon, Ph.D.

Accessibility to Society Activities
Research Assoc, Biomedical MR Imaging
Univ Manchester, England
hamied.haroon@manchester.ac.uk
@HHHotWheels

Bio Coming Soon

Penny Gowland, Ph.D.

Research Dissemination
Prof Physics
Univ Nottingham, England
Penny.Gowland@nottingham.ac.uk
@ppzpag

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Penny Gowland, Ph.D.

I’m an interdisciplinary scientist who works on developing quantitative MRI methods to answer a wide range of biomedical problems.

I did a degree in Astronomy and Physics at UCL before going onto do an MSc in Radiation Physics in 1985. During that course I saw my first MRI image and was bewitched. I managed to find a PhD in quantitative MRI at the Institute of Cancer Research where I met my future husband. He works in PET so we have been in modality-competition ever since. I came to Nottingham specifically to work with Peter Mansfield and soon after was lucky enough to be made lecturer. My husband works in London, so we have had to contend with the 2-body problem, since we had two daughters who are now finishing degrees in medicine and maths/physics (my own mini MRI group!).

I’ve supervised scores of PhD students and my best days are the ones I spend talking about data and science with them. The worst days are the ones I spend correcting their theses!

I’m told it is helpful to talk about what has gone wrong in my career: I wasn’t allowed to do A’level maths at school because I was too untidy, so I had to take a year out before university to do it. I really struggled with finding a direction at the start of my PhD. I didn’t initially get the lectureship job as I was so bad at public speaking. I didn’t realise you had to ask to get promoted for quite a few years after I should have done. I have recently had a string of grants go down and have had to force myself to get up and try again, and again.

Krishna Nayak, Ph.D.

Prof Dept Elect Engineering
Univ Southern California, USA
knayak@usc.edu
@krishusc

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Krishna Nayak, Ph.D.

I am honored to serve on the EDI task force of the ISMRM. ISMRM is has been my professional “home” society for over 20 years, and I am indebted to this group. I believe that EDI is essential to maximizing the potential of our current and future membership (i.e. scientific output, innovation). Social science research has revealed that dedicated efforts towards EDI are the way to go, and I am excited to participate in this process. My primary interests are in organizational change, and raising awareness among dominant groups that benefit from widely held unconscious biases.

Professional Bio: Krishna S. Nayak is Professor of Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at the University of Southern California, and is Director of the Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory (mrel.usc.edu) and the Signal and Image Processing Institute (sipi.usc.edu). Krishna entered the field of MRI during his Electrical Engineering PhD, when he worked on Real-Time Interactive Cardiac MRI. He joined the USC faculty in 2003 and has been instrumental in building their MRI physics program, including equipment, training programs, industry relationships, and interdisciplinary projects between engineering and medicine. Krishna is an active member of the ISMRM. He serves on the Board of Trustees, AMPC, EDI task force, and has previously served on the YIA subcommittee. He has chaired or co-organized 6 ISMRM workshops and 5 MRI-related outside workshops. He is equal parts researcher and educator, and is driven to maximize human potential, including efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. He also has a strong interest in reproducible research and science communication.

Graham Wright, Ph.D.

Professor, Medical Biophysics
University of Toronto, Canada
gawright@sri.utoronto.ca

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Graham Wright, Ph.D.

I am happy to identify ISMRM and predecessor societies as my academic family for more than 30 years, where I have built a career in cardiovascular MRI. I am a strong believer in the importance of ensuring everyone in our diverse community has an equal opportunity to contribute their talents to the development of MRI in medicine. We all benefit from these contributions, which in turn benefit the health of the broader international community. In that pursuit, I also serve on the EDI committee of Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and am a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. Outside of work, I have been active in Canada’s biggest LGBTQ+ water polo club for almost 15 years.

Margaret Hall-Craggs, M.D.

Prof Medical Imaging
Univ College London, England
margaret.hall-craggs@uclh.nhs.uk

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Margaret Hall-Craggs, M.D.

Margaret Hall-Craggs is a consultant radiologist and professor of Medical Imaging from London, (UCLH and UCL). She joins the EDI Taskforce in her role as chair of the Women of ISMRM ad hoc committee.

Demian Wassermann, Ph.D.

Assoc Research Prof (CRN)
INRIA Saclay (Nat Inst Comp Sci & Applied Math), France
demian.wassermann@inria.fr
@demwassermann

Bio Coming Soon

Jodi Watt, Ph.D.

Student
University Nottingham, England
jodi.watt@nottingham.ac.uk
@JodiKWatt

Jodi Watt, Ph.D.

After my undergraduate in Psychology, I completed a MSc in Biomedical Imaging at University College London, before beginning my PhD at the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre in Nottingham in 2016. Currently, my field of interest – and topic of my PhD thesis – is using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and dynamic nuclear polarization to investigate metabolic ageing over the lifespan. Besides my interest in science, I am also a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I hope to use my passion and experience to become a real driving force in making the ISMRM a more openly diverse society.

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Esther Warnert, Ph.D.

Erasmus MC Rotterdam
The Netherlands
e.warnert@erasmusmc.nl
@EstherW010

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Esther Warnert, Ph.D.

My research line Bench-to-bedside imaging biomarkers focuses on the development, validation and application of physiological neuroimaging in clinical practice. I joined the EDI Task Force as in the past years I have come to realise that, although good steps are made to become more diverse and inclusive, we as a society are not there yet. Starting with the organisation of the ‘Resonate’ Member Initiated Symposia at the annual meetings of 2018 and 2019, I plan foster a two-way conversation between the membership and the leadership of the ISMRM as a bottom-up approach is vital in ensuring an open and inclusive environment.