WASHINGTON, D.C. -- R. Edward Coleman, director of the nuclear medicine division at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., was awarded the 2007 Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award for his contributions to the nuclear medicine profession. The award was presented June 3 during the 54th Annual Meeting of SNM, the world’s largest society for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine professionals, June 2–6 in Washington, D.C.
"With this award, SNM recognizes that Dr. Coleman’s work has had a meaningful and significant impact on molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice," said SNM President Martin P. Sandler. "The list of previous recipients of this award is impressive and includes numerous Nobel laureates—such as Ernest Lawrence, who built the world’s first cyclotron for the production of radionuclides, and Glenn Seaborg, who discovered more than half a dozen new elements," he noted. "Dr. Coleman joins a select group of scientists whose research is deemed to have had a significant impact on medicine," he added.
Coleman, who is also a professor of radiology and vice chair of the Department of Radiology at Duke University Medical Center, was recognized for his efforts in advancing molecular imaging and clinical applications of positron emission tomography (PET), PET/computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide therapy. Before joining Duke University Medical Center, he held academic appointments at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
Coleman’s research has been centered on the role of PET scanning in lung cancer, prostate cancer and brain tumors. He was the nuclear medicine physician involved with the first PET scans when the scanner was first developed at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in the early 1970s. He has shown the utility of PET in several indications and worked on obtaining reimbursement for clinical PET procedures. He has studied the use of radiopharmaceuticals—such as Food and Drug Administration–approved agents, investigational new drug agents (monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and therapy, I-131 MIBG for therapy of neuroendocrine tumors), Radioactive Drug Research Committee–approved agents (0-15 water for tumor blood flow, F-18 labeled agents for PET imaging of tumors, etc.) and fluorodeoxyglucose or FDG—and what they reveal about the body’s metabolism.
His many and diverse research projects include the quantification of pulmonary perfusion by SPECT imaging of patients with pulmonary cancer—before and after radiation therapy—and determination of kinetics and radiation dosimetry of radionuclide-labeled monoclonal antibodies administered for therapeutic purposes. He also investigates radionuclide therapy of neuroendocrine tumors, the metabolic characterization of brain tumors—before and after therapy—and development of new methods for characterizing neuroendocrine tumors.
Coleman, who is board certified in both nuclear medicine and internal medicine, uses PET in researching the effects of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery on tumor and normal tissue metabolism.
A Fellow of both the American College of Radiology and the American College of Chest Physicians, Coleman received his medical degree in 1968 from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., where he completed an internship in internal medicine. At the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, he finished his residency in internal medicine in 1970. From 1972–74, he completed a fellowship in nuclear medicine at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis.
Coleman has published more than 400 scientific papers in several leading journals, has authored 80 book chapters and has published seven textbooks on topics related to nuclear medicine. He has been on the editorial boards of several top medical journals including the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Radiology and Academic Radiology. A past chair of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine, he is a member of many organizations related to imaging. Coleman has been recognized as one of the best doctors in America by various magazines and has been invited as an expert in nuclear medicine to speak at various academic institutions throughout the world.
"I have been fortunate to have worked with many of the best scientists and clinicians in nuclear medicine," said Coleman. "My journey has been exciting and fun because of my colleagues, and I would not have received this recognition without their support," he added.
Each year, SNM presents the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Medicine Pioneer Award to an individual (or individuals) for outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear medicine. De Hevesy received the 1943 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in determining the absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of radioactive compounds in the human body. His work led to the foundation of nuclear medicine as a tool for diagnosis and therapy, and he is considered the father of nuclear medicine. SNM has given the de Hevesy Award every year since 1960 to honor groundbreaking work in the field of nuclear medicine.
About SNM—Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy SNM is holding its 54th Annual Meeting June 2–6 at the Washington Convention Center. Session topics for the 2007 meeting include brain amyloid imaging, hybrid imaging, molecular imaging in clinical drug development and evaluation, functional brain imaging in epilepsy and dementia, imaging instrumentation, infection imaging, lymphoma and thyroid cancer, cardiac molecular imaging, general nuclear medicine, critical elements of care in radiopharmacy and more. SNM is an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members dedicated to promoting the science, technology and practical applications of molecular and nuclear imaging to diagnose, manage and treat diseases in women, men and children. Founded more than 50 years ago, SNM continues to provide essential resources for health care practitioners and patients; publish the most prominent peer-reviewed journal in the field (the Journal of Nuclear Medicine); host the premier annual meeting for medical imaging; sponsor research grants, fellowships and awards; and train physicians, technologists, scientists, physicists, chemists and radiopharmacists in state-of-the-art imaging procedures and advances. SNM members have introduced—and continue to explore—biological and technological innovations in medicine that noninvasively investigate the molecular basis of diseases, benefiting countless generations of patients. SNM is based in Reston, Va.; additional information can be found online at http://www.snm.org