The I-STAR Labs
Imaging for Surgery, Therapy, and Radiology
Johns Hopkins University
Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, Ph.D.
Professor
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Dept. of Computer Science
Russell H. Morgan Dept. of Radiology
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 622
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-287-6269
Dr. Jeff Siewerdsen founded the I-STAR Lab as a collaborative endeavor among engineering, physics, and clinical disciplines, such as radiology, surgery, and radiation therapy. He is primary faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Principal Investigator on topics of image quality and cone-beam CT applications in diagnostic and image-guided procedures. He leads a program of interdisciplinary research spanning projects in medical imaging physics, diagnostic radiology, and image-guided interventions. His core interests include the physics of medical imaging, with a focus on advanced x-ray CT and spectral imaging modalities, the mathematics of image quality, the design of novel imaging systems for new applications, and 3D deformable image registration. Strong collaboration with experts in surgery, radiation therapy, and radiology guides and accelerates the translation of new technologies into early clinical application.
J. Webster Stayman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 605
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1314
Dr. Web Stayman is faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Principal Investigator on topics of advanced 3D image reconstruction with applications in diagnostic radiology, and image-guided interventions. With over 15 years of experience in tomography and other imaging applications, his expertise includes both emission tomography and transmission tomography (CT, tomosynthesis, and cone-beam CT). He leads research activities in advanced 3D reconstruction, including model-based statistical / iterative reconstruction, regularization methods, and modeling of imaging systems. He leads development of a generalized framework for penalized likelihood (PL) reconstruction combining statistical models of noise and image formation with incorporation of prior information, including patient-specific prior images, atlases, and models of components / devices known to be in the field of view. His research includes algorithm development and physical experimentation for imaging system design and optimization.
Dr. Wojtek Zbijewski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 605
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1305
Dr. Wojtek Zbijewski is a physicist whose research interests include x-ray CT image reconstruction, Monte Carlo modeling, and the development and novel imaging systems. He leads activities in imaging system instrumentationthroughout the I-STAR Lab, including cone-beam CT, photon counting CT, and and advanced volumetric imaging for extremities imaging in musculoskeletal radiology, orthopaedics, and rheumatology. He obtained his PhD from University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, under the supervision of Dr. F. Beekman. His background includes the development of statistical reconstruction algorithms for x-ray CT and scatter correction methods for cone-beam CT using accelerated Monte Carlo techniques. His experience includes industrial R&D, where his work involved the design of specialized cone-beam CT systems for image-guided surgery, ENT, and dental applications.
Grace Gang, Ph.D.
Asst. Research Professor
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 605
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Grace Gang is an Asst. Research Professor working on the development of mathematical models of image quality for advanced x-ray imaging systems. Her graduate work involves cascaded systems analysis of tomosynthesis and cone-beam CT– theoretical models combining 3D Fourier metrics (noise-equivalent quanta) with mathematical descriptions of anatomical background and imaging task. Her undergraduate work included deformable registration using mutual information in a dual-energy chest radiography. Her groundbreaking work: demonstrating agreement of theoretical models for 3D detectability with real observer preformance in tomosynthesis and cone-beam CT.
Alejandro Sisniega, Ph.D.
Faculty Research Associate
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 622
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1329
Dr. Sisniega is a Faculty Research Associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and an expert in 3D imaging, models, and simulation. His research includes the development of high-performance Monte Carlo simulation methods for 3D imaging, including GPU implementations for high-fidelity, high-speed x-ray scatter simulation, dose calculation, and dual-energy imaging. His background includes the development of novel 3D imaging systems for preclinical imaging and integration of multiple imaging modalities, including molecular imaging and cone-beam CT.
Ali Uneri, Ph.D.
Faculty Research Associate
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Dr. Ali Uneri is a Faculty Research Associate at Johns Hopkins working on the development and integration of new surgical navigation tools for use in image-guided procedures. His thesis includes the the design and development of the TREK software architecture for intraoperative imaging and surgical guidance, combining open-source 3D Slicer and CISST libraries for surgical navigation based on intraoperative cone-beam CT. His core research includes the development of fast 3D-2D registration and high-quality 3D image reconstruction methods for surgical guidance. He also works on novel surgical tracker configurations, real-time thoracoscopic video augmentation, and methods for deformable image registration in thoracic surgery. His previous experience includes the development of surgical robotics for knee and hip replacement procedures.
Craig Jones, Ph.D.
Faculty Research Associate
Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare,
School of Engineering
Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation,
School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Bldg, Room 780
600 N. Wolfe St.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Dr. Craig Jones is a Faculty Research Associate in the Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation and the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare. He is also a Research Associate in Radiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with research focus on image registration and analysis. His work includes advanced methods for deformable image registration, including physics model-based registration (such as LDDMM and Demons algorithms) as well as methods based on deep learning approaches.
Research Scientists & Fellows
Michael Ketcha is a postdoctoral research fellow in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins and is currently working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD on 3D-2D image registration in application to image-guided spine procedures with a specific goal in mind of automatically labeling vertbral target within a digital radiograph. In this project he has recently developed a method to overcome detrimental effects of anatomical deformation through a multi-stage registration framework. His past research includes shape analysis of cortical structures extracted from brain MR data, graph analysis of neural connectomes, and ultrasound pose recovery in image-guided procedures.mapping.
Research Scientist
Research in 3D image reconstruction and image-guided surgery. Topics include the development and translation of high-quality cone-beam CT for surgical guidance, novel 3D image reconstruction techniques, and deformable image registration.
Niral Sheth
Research Scientist
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 624
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Niral Sheth is a research scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins, working with advanced x-ray detectors. His research includes the characterization of 2D/3D imaging performance of CMOS based flat panel detectors for specific CBCT applications. Niral has his Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley with a background in analog circuit and embedded systems design.
Chumin Zhao, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 624
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Chumin Zhao is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins, working on 2D/3D imaging simulations for a versatile twin robotic x-ray imaging system. His research includes development of a system simulation framework and optimization of imaging orbits using advanced system models. His PhD work at the University of Michigan involves thin-film devices, and active pixel sensor x-ray detectors for medical imaging applications. Before joining Hopkins, he worked as a display engineer at Apple.
Irina Bataeva is a MSE student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently working with Jeffery H. Siewerdsen, PhD on detection and guidance of surgical instruments during pelvic trauma surgery. Her previous experience at University of California, San Diego includes research in computational biomechanics and design of variable-stiffness ankle-foot orthosis.
Heyuan Huang is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a research assistant in the I-Star lab, working with Jeffery H. Siewerdsen, PhD. on topics of advanced 3D image reconstruction and registration for interventional procedures. Before joining the I-Star lab, he studied Physics at the University of Illinois, focusing on imaging science of X-ray and PET scans.
Stephen Lui is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins working with Dr. Wojciech Zbijewski, PhD on the dual-energy KCR for cone-beam CT in presence of surgical hardwares. His previous experience at UC Davis includes scintillator design, DSP, and simulations for the whole-body PET scanner.
Rohan Vijayan
Graduate Student
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-1319
Rohan Vijayan is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD on automatic planning of spinal pedicle screw trajectories to 1) improve the workflow and precision of robot-assisted spinal surgery and 2) perform retrospective analysis of surgical quality and outcomes in large image datasets. Before joining I-STAR, his previous research experience includes Android app development for preoperative planning of brain tumor resection procedures.
Esme Zhang
Research Scientist
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-1309
Esme (Xiaoxuan) Zhang is a research scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, working on technical development and clinical translation of advanced reconstruction methods. Her research includes enhancement of intraoperative 3D images for soft-tissue assessment and quality assurance of surgical products (rods and screws, etc.). Her master’s thesis focused on the development of models and reconstruction methods for multi-row dectector cardic CT, including the application of motion correction methods and known-component reconstruction methods for cardiac implants.
Jessica Flores is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University working with Dr. J. Webster Stayman, PhD. She will be looking at various projects in CT and cone-beam CT, and deciding on a research direction soon.
Yixuan Huang
Graduate Student
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD 21205
Phone: 443-955-1319
Yixuan Huang is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently working with Jeffery H. Siewerdsen, PhD on improving the postoperative assessment of spinal surgery using data-driven approaches. His previous experience at Vanderbilt University includes work in simulation of transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation in non-human primates and ultrasound thermometry in fluid environment.
Yixuan Liu is a Master’s student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University working with Alejandro Sisniega, Ph.D. and Jeffery H. Siewerdsen, Ph.D. on the development of deformable abdominal phantom for motion compensation study during the cone-beam CT acquisition.
Matthew Tivnan
Graduate Student
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 624
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Matthew Tivnan is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University working with Dr. J. Webster Stayman, PhD. His research in the AIAI laboratory involves novel methods for collecting and processing spectral CT data for multiple material decomposition.
Wenying Wang
Graduate Student
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Traylor Building, Room 624
720 Rutland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-955-1319
Wenying Wang is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University working with Dr. J. Webster Stayman, PhD. Her studies involve advanced acquisition and reconstruction methods for computed tomography including dynamic beam modulation and analysis of imaging properties in real CT and cone-beam CT systems.
Ph.D. Student
Research in 3D image reconstruction and image-guided surgery suitable to a PhD project. Topics include the development and translation of high-quality cone-beam CT for surgical guidance, novel 3D image reconstruction techniques, and deformable image registration.
Ph.D. Student
Research in 3D image reconstruction and image-guided surgery suitable to a PhD project. Topics include the development and translation of high-quality cone-beam CT for surgical guidance, novel 3D image reconstruction techniques, and deformable image registration.
Runze Han is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins and is currently working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD on deformable image registration for image-guided surgery. His past research includes speckle analysis of X-ray phase contrast lung imaging and arrhythmia detection in cardiac optical mapping.
Junyuan Li is a Master’s student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins working with Dr. J. Webster Stayman, PhD on the development CT image quality phantoms using 3D printing for assessment of image textures.
Gengxin Shi is a PhD student of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University working with Dr. Wojciech Zbijewski, PhD on quantitative imaging for orthopedics, in particular on dual-energy decomposition to detect bone marrow lesions and on performance assessment of new ultra-high resolution CT in metrics of trabecular microstructure.
Prasad Vagdargi is a PhD student in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins and is currently working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD on image-guided surgical robotics for pelvic procedures. His current research integrates tracking and localization based on computer vision with prior medical imaging for K-Wire insertion. Another aspect of his research involves surgical outcome prediction of spinal procedures using interpretable machine learning/deep learning methods. His past research during his MSE in Robotics included development of AR/Vision systems for thoracic procedures, and Vision systems for automated microdissection amongst other work.
Pengwei Wu is a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a research assistant in the I-STAR Lab. His research includes development of advanced 3D imaging algorithm and artifacts elimination (including cone beam artifacts) strategy etc. His previous experience at Zhejiang University includes work in shading correction algorithm and related reconstruction method in computed tomography.
Staff
MaryJo (MJ) Bostic
Sr. Administrative Coordinator
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6378
MJ Bostic is the Sr. Administrative Coordinator for the Carnegie Center of Surgical Innovation. She is the primary point of contact for Dr. Siewerdsen as well as scheduling, general operations, and other administrative matters related to the Center.
Ryan Stewart
Research Program Supervisor
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6378
Ryan Stewart is the Research Program Supervisor for the Carnegie Center of Surgical Innovation. He is the primary point of contact for Dr. Siewerdsen as well as responsible for the 3D Printing Facility, and developing infrastructure for the Carnegie Center.
Matthew Fernandez
Research Technician
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie Building, Room 780
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6378
Matthew Fernandez is a Lab Technician and Teaching Assistant for the Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation. He works with Dr. Siewerdsen on the "Radiology for Engineers" course as well as assisting on research projects related to image-guided surgery. Matthew received his bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on imaging and medical devices.
Clinical Collaborators
William Anderson, M.A., M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Neurosurgery
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Sheikh Zayed Tower
1800 Orleans St.
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-287-4561
Dr. William Anderson is also a member of the Epilepsy Surgery team, and performs both resectional procedures such as temporal lobectomy, diagnostic procedures such as implantation of monitoring grids and depth electrodes, and therapeutic neuromodulation using vagal nerve and cortical stimulation. Procedures for pain and spasticity performed include intrathecal baclofen therapy and spinal cord stimulation therapy.
Alan Cohen, M.D.
Director
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Professor
Dept. of Neurosurgery
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
601 N. Caroline St
5th Floor, Neurosciences Clinic
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-7337
Dr. Cohen is the director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and the Carson-Spiro Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He treats all pediatric patients, with a focus on brain tumors. Dr. Cohen sees patients at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center’s Neurosciences Clinic. He is a leader in developing minimally invasive techniques to enhance the safety and efficacy of selected pediatric neurosurgical procedures. To that end, his lab focuses on new instruments and techniques for minimally invasive surgery. He has authored 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and published two textbooks.
A. Jay Khanna, M.D.
Professor
Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery
Johns Hopkins University
Good Samaritan Hospital
5601 Loch Raven Blvd, Room G-1
Baltimore, MD 21239
Phone: 443-444-4538
Dr. Jay Khanna is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. He is a spine surgeon with fellowship training in both orthopaedic and neurologic spine surgery. His clinical practice is based in the Washington DC region at the Suburban Hospital where he serves as Division Chief of Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery in the National Capital Region. Dr. Khanna enjoys all aspects of spine surgery although his clinical and research areas of interest lie in the sub-fields of minimally invasive spine surgery and spinal deformities such as scoliosis. In addition to his clinical expertise and leadership in the field of spine surgery, he leads research and entrepreneurial partnerships throughout Johns Hopkins, including his role as prior Clinical Director of the CBID (Center for Bioengineering, Innovation and Design) Program. He works closely with the I-STAR Lab in the development of C-arm cone-beam CT for image-guided spine surgery, evaluation of surgical workflow, minimization of radiation dose, and translation to clinical application in orthopaedic surgeries.
Joao A C Lima, M.B.A., M.D.
Director
Cardiovascular Imaging
Professor
Dept. of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe Street
Blalock 524
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-5115
Dr. Joao Lima is a professor of medicine, radiology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His pioneering work in cardiac imaging using advanced MRI, CT and echocardiography has led to noninvasive techniques for predicting cardiovascular disease and calculating its extent, as well as measuring the effectiveness of modern cardiac treatments. He holds numerous patents on devices and methods for cardiac imaging and image-guided therapies.
Greg Michael Osgood, M.D.
Chief
Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery
Johns Hopkins Hospital
601 N. Caroline St.
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 443-997-2663
Dr. Greg Osgood is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Chief of Orthopaedic Trauma for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. His areas of expertise include orthopaedic trauma, with a special focus on fracture non-unions, pelvis and acetabular injuries, and fractures and surgical infections.
Katsuyuki (Ken) Taguchi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Radiology
Johns Hopkins University
Phone: 433-287-2974
Dr. Ken Taguchi is recognized leader in the field of CT image science, 3D / 4D image reconstruction, CT data acquisition, photon counting, and spectral CT. He is among the pioneers of multi-detector CT (MDCT) in the 1990s and leads a vibrant program of research in advanced CT imaging technologies. Dr. Taguchi’s collaboration with I-STAR includes the development of new photon counting detector systems for CT and spectral CT, including the development of new experimental systems for photon counting CT and new algorithms for high-quality dual-energy CT decomposition. More information: Division of Medical Imaging Physics (DMIP)
John Wong, Ph.D.
Professor
Director of Medical Physics
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Weinberg Building
401 N Broadway Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-502-1458
Dr. Wong’s clinical research interests focus on the development advanced radiation treatment techniques to improve tumor eradication while minimizing radiation-induced toxicity. He is on the invention team of the Active Breathing Control device to manage breathing motion during treatment, as well as Cone-beam CT (CBCT) with a flat panel imager on board a medical accelerator to facilitate CT guided radiation treatment. More recently, he has been exploring the use of on-board 3D ultrasound and CBCT as the surrogate imaging methods to bring multi-modality imaging information, such as MRI, to guide radiation treatment.
Nafi Aygun, M.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Radiology
and Radiological Science
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Sheikh Zayed Tower
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6500
Dr. Aygun is an Associate Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. He specializes in neuroradiology, diagnostic radiology and head and neck imaging. His research includes the development of novel imaging methods for detection and monitoring of traumatic brain injury, including a new brain imaging system under development at the I-STAR Lab in collaboration among Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurology.
Shadpour Demehri, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Radiology
and Radiological Science
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Sheikh Zayed Tower
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6500
Dr. Demehri is an Assistant Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science specializing in in diagnostic radiology and musculoskeletal (MSK) radiology, with training also nuclear radiology and noninvasive cardiovascular imaging. His research collaboration with the I-STAR Lab includes the development and translation of a new high-quality cone-beam CT system dedicated to imaging of the extremities. His work includes the translation of new imaging methods for diagnosis and monitoring in areas of orthopaedics, trauma, and rheumatology.
Dara L. Kraitchman, M.S., Ph.D., V.M.D.
Section Head
Cardiovascular Interventional
Professor
Dept. of Radiology and Radiological Science
Johns Hopkins University
Department of Radiology
600 N. Wolf Street, Park 311
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-6500
Dr. Dara Kraitchman is a Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. Her research focuses on non-invasive imaging and minimally invasive treatment of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Kraitchman serves as the Cardiovascular Interventional Section Head within the department. Dr. Kraitchman is also co-Director of the Center for Image-Guided Animal Therapy(CIGAT), which provides state-of-the-art imaging and minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic options for pets as well as veterinary clinical trials.
Mark Luciano, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Cerebral Fluid Center
Professor
Dept. of Neurosurgery
Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe Street
Phipps Suite 126
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-7482
Dr. Mark Luciano is the director of the Johns Hopkins Cerebral Fluid Center. A renowned leader in treating hydrocephalus, Dr. Luciano is distinguished both nationally and internationally for his research and educational and clinical work in neuroendoscopy.
He treats adults with hydrocephalus, pseudotumor cerebri, intracranial hypotension, Chiari malformations, and cerebral and spinal cysts. He has significant expertise treating children and adults with cerebrospinal fluid leaks and congenital disorders.
Babar Shafiq, M.D., M.S.
Director
Orthopaedic Bone Health Center
Assistant Professor
Dept. of of Orthopaedic Surgery
Johns Hopkins Hospital
601 N. Caroline St.
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 443-997-2663
Dr. Babar Shafiq is a board certified, fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in orthopaedic traumatology. As an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Shafiq cares for patients with challenging acute injuries and a wide variety of chronic problems secondary to trauma.
Nicolas Theodore, M.D.
Director
Neurosurgical Spine Center
Professor of Neurosurgery
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21287
Nicholas Theodore, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgical Spine Center, is a nationally recognized expert in brain and spinal cord injury, minimally invasive spine surgeries and robotics. As an award-winning teacher and researcher, Dr. Theodore has written or co-authored 30 book chapters, over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and is co-holder of 10 patents for medical devices and procedures. His research focuses on trauma, spinal cord injuries, robotics and developing an understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of spinal diseases. Dr. Theodore was also the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Excelsius Surgical, a company focusing on next generation image-guided robotics for use in surgery and medicine. His company was acquired by Globus Medical in January 2014.
John Carrino, M.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Radiology
and Orthopaedic Surgery
Johns Hopkins Hospital
JHOC 5165
601 N. Caroline Street
Baltimore MD 21287
Phone: 443-287-6032
Dr. John Carrino is Section Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology at Johns Hopkins University. He received his MD from Geoge Washington University and MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. His core interests include spine imaging, novel MR imaging techniques, health services research, and radiology informatics. He is involved in a number of collaborative projects, notably in the field of musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging. He collaborates closely with the I-STAR Lab in the development of a dedicated cone-beam CT system for extremities imaging, a system for high-quality portable dual-energy imaging for the ICU, and in image quality analysis, ROC studies, and CT dosimetry.
Kelvin Kai-wen Hong, M.B.B.Ch., M.B.B.S.
Divisional Director
Interventional Radiology
Associate Professor
Dept. of Radiology and Radiological Science
Johns Hopkins Hospital
1800 Orleans Street
Sheikh Zayed Tower
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 443-287-2916
Dr. Kelvin K. Hong is an Assistant Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of Interventional Radiology within the Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. A specialist in interventional and vascular radiology, Dr. Hong serves as the Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Interventional Radiology Center.
Sheng-Fu (Larry) Lo, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Neurosurgery
Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore MD, 21287
Dr. Sheng-fu “Larry” Lo is a neurosurgeon specializing in primary and metastatic tumors of the spinal column, sacral tumors, spinal cord tumors, disorders of spinal alignment and degenerative spine disease.
His research focuses on understanding the biology and clinical outcomes of spinal tumors, and new surgical procedures and innovative technology to improve patient safety and spinal fusion. His research has received numerous awards including the Neurosurgery Chairman’s Award for Improving Patient Safety.
Mahadevappa Mahesh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Chief Physicist
Dept. of Radiology
Johns Hopkins University
JHOC Suite 4235
601 N Caroline Street
Baltimore, MD 21287-0856
Phone: 410-955-5115
Dr. Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD, FAAPM, FACR, is Associate Professor of Radiology in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As Chief Physicist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he oversees the quality assurance program for Diagnostic Radiology, including compliance with state and federal regulations and ensuring safe use of radiation to patients. He is a recognized expert in the field of radiation dosimetry and regularly provides counsel to patients regarding radiation exposure concerns. His research interests include multiple-detector computed tomography (MDCT), interventional fluoroscopy, and digital mammography. He collaborates closely with the I-STAR Lab in the development of advanced 3D imaging systems, dual-energy radiography systems, novel imaging phantoms, and the minimization of radiation dose.
Robert Stevens, M.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe Street
Phipps Building, 455A
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-7481
Dr. Stevens is fellowship-trained and board-certified in critical care medicine, neurocritical care, and anesthesiology. He treats patients with critical illnesses such as sepsis, ARDS, acute kidney injury, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. He has special expertise in the resuscitation of patients after cardiac arrest. Following medical studies, Dr. Stevens received postdoctoral research training in molecular neurobiology, cellular electrophysiology, advanced magnetic resonance imaging, and brain mapping. He holds faculty appointments in the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering, Institute for Computational Medicine and the FM Kirby Center for Functional Neuroimaging. Dr. Stevens is on the Council of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and chairs the Committee on Computational Critical Care Medicine at the SCCM. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Thorax, and serves on the Editorial Boards of Critical Care Medicine, Neurocritical Care, and Frontiers in Neurology.
Clifford Raabe Weiss, M.D.
Medical Director
The Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering, Innovation and Design (CBID)
Associate Professor Dept. of Radiology and Radiological Science
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
1800 Orleans Street
Sheikh Zayed Tower
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-614-1046
Dr. Clifford Weiss is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science. He also holds appointments in Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, he serves as Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID).
His clinical focus lies in vascular and interventional radiology. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations, including pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia; varicoceles; MRI-guided interventions, especially for the treatment of vascular malformations; advanced venous interventions; and advanced biliary interventions.
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Sugandha Arora
Sugandha worked as a Masters student in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, where her research involved the development of 3D image analysis techniques for detection of subtle changes in bone / joint morphology. Sugandha is now a Senior Software Engineer and Administrator for the Salesforce Center of Excellence (CoE) at DaVita Kidney Care.
Micah Belzberg
Micah Belzberg was a visiting medical student from Sackler School of Medicine at the University of Tel Aviv. His primary project involves the development of a statistical atlas of the cerebral ventricles for use in surgical device development. Between undergraduate and medical school, Micah worked at a Los Angeles based architecture firm where he participated in the design and construction of several award winning buildings.
Babak Bhaktiar
Babak worked with Jeff Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto, where his research included the investigation of x-ray scatter in cone-beam CT and reduction of scatter artifacts using grids and correction algorithms.
Harley Chan
Dr. Chan worked with Dr. Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto on topics in image-guided surgery, including the first clinical translation of C-arm cone-beam in skull base / head and neck surgery as well as the development of new 3D printing methods for surgical simulation. Harley is now a Research Associate at TECHNA Institute / University Health Network, Toronto ON.
Sweeny Chhabra
Sweeny earned a Master of Engineering degree at the University of Toronto, where her research focused on image quality in tomosynthesis. Her research includes early work in modeling anatomical clutter and its effect on task-based detectability. She also worked on modeling of patient wait-times for emergency surgery. She earned her MBA in Finance from INSEAD (the #1 ranked global MBA program) and is now employed at M&T Bank in Financial Planning and Analysis, Baltimore MD.
Victor Dadfar
Victor Dadfar was an undergraduate Biomedical Engineer with minor in Computer Science, Victor is passion was Computer Vision/Computer Graphics and programming. He worked on projects involve creating an application for automatic Cobb Angle computations given CT scans/Fast Spine data and researching cutting edge algorithms in vertical (stand-up) imaging systems.
Michael Daly
Mike Daly worked with Dr. Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto, where his research involved early development of C-arm cone-beam CT. His work uncovered important principles of geometric calibration and C-arm CBCT image quality. Mike continued his PhD studies at the University of Toronto and currently works at the University Health Network, Toronto ON.
Hao Dang, Ph.D.
Hao Dang was a PhD student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a research assistant in the I-STAR Lab. His research included development of advanced 3D image reconstruction methods for image-guided interventions. His past research includes automatic image-world registration in surgical navigation, integrating C-Arm cone-beam CT with real-time tracking in seamless workflow. Other work includes intraoperative registration update methods for robotic skull drilling and novel similarity metrics and saliency-based hierarchy models for accurate 3D-3D image registration.
Paul DeJean
Paul DeJean worked in the I-STAR Lab as a Research Scientist, where his research involved the development and first clinical studies of dedicated cone-beam CT of the extremities as well as early work on mobile dual-energy radiography. He is now CEO of Luca Medical Systems (Palo Alto CA), which develops autonomous medical physics quality assurance hardware and software.
Amar Dhanantwari, Ph.D
Dr. Dhanantwari worked with Dr. Siewerdsen as a Research Scientist at the University of Toronto. His work included the development of a new cardiac-gated dual-energy imaging system to improve the detection and discrimination of early-stage lung cancer. He is now a lead scientist in CT imaging at Philips Healthcare, Cleveland OH.
Yifu Ding
Yifu worked as a Research Assistant in Biomedical Engineering Department at Hopkins, where his research at I-STAR included 3D image analysis and image reconstruction. He is currently enrolled in the MD/PhD Program at the Penn State College of Medicine.
Joseph Goerres
Joseph Goerres was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins. He worked on the development of novel intraoperative approaches in order to facilitate image-guided orthopedic interventions and improve their accuracy. His research interests included image segmentation, shape modeling, object detection, and investigating the applicability of these methods for intraoperative C-arm imaging. His background covers 3D shape model segmentation and feature detection in the context of orthopedic treatments at the lower ankle joint.
Nathaniel Hamming
Nathanial earned his Master’s Degree at the University of Toronto, where his research with Dr. Siewerdsen involved mathematical models and optimization of registration accuracy in image-guided surgery. His work won a Best Thesis award at U of T and led to the development of automatic registration methods for image-guided head and neck surgery. Nathaniel is now a Biomedical Engineer at HMT Inc., working with the University Health Network, Toronto ON.
Matthew Jacobson
Dr. Jacobson was a Research Associate at I-STAR working on novel 3D image reconstruction algorithms. A focus of his work included 3D imaging from non-circular C-arm orbits, including motorized mobile C-arms as well as the Zeego robotic C-arm for interventional radiology.
Hany Kashani, M.D.
Dr. Kashani worked on her Master’s degree with Dr. Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto. Her worked involved the clinical evaluation of a new dual-energy chest imaging system, where she showed the benefit to lung nodule detection. Dr. Kashani continued her PhD studies at the University of Toronto in research aimed at characterization of coronary plaque.
Wen Liu, Ph.D.
Dr. Liu earned her PhD in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, where her research focused on Augmented Reality & Intraoperative Image Guidance for Robotic Surgery. She worked with Dr. Siewerdsen and Dr. Taylor on the registration of endoscopic video and cone-beam CT in both skull base neurosurgery as well as transoral robotic surgery in otolaryngology. Dr. Liu is now a Research Scientist at Siemens Healthcare, Medical Imaging Technology.
Amir Manbachi, Ph.D.
Dr. Manbachi was the “Director of Innovations” at the Carnegie Center as well as a research faculty in Biomedical Engineering, focusing on various imaging modalities for interventional spine applications. He obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto, under the supervision of Dr. Richard S.C. Cobbold. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (2015-16) and the founder and CEO of Spinesonics Medical (2012-2015), a spin-off from his doctoral studies. He currently is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design at Johns Hopkins University.
Eugenio Marinetto
Eugenio Marinetto was a visiting PhD candidate from the Unidad de Medicina y Cirugia Experimental, Hospital Gregorio Maranon, in Madrid Spain, where his thesis involves the development of novel systems for improved intraoperative radiation therapy. His work at the I-STAR Lab includes the development of new intraoperative ultrasound imaging techniques, integration of ultrasound with surgical navigation systems, and registration of ultrasound and CT or cone-beam CT images.
Alex Martin
Alex worked as Lab Coordinator at I-STAR, working on research and instrumentation related to cone-beam CT and image-guided surgery. He worked on image analysis in dual-energy CT imaging for rheumatology, and he developed a robotic end-effector for an image-guided surgical robot.
Aswin Mathews
Dr. Mathews worked with Dr. Stayman on novel 3D image reconstruction and fluence-field modulation methods for low-dose CT. His graduate studies in electrical engineering at Washington University in St Louis focused on novel PET systems and reconstruction methods.
Daniel Mirota, Ph.D.
Dr. Mirota earned his PhD in Computer Science at Hopkins under the supervision of Greg Hager, where his work involved registration of endoscopic video with cone-beam CT for image-guided skull base surgery. He also worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Hopkins to see such work through to groundbreaking first clinical studies. Dr. Mirota is now a Research Engineer at Intel, San Francisco CA.
Michael Mow
Michael Mow was a MSE student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a research assistant in the I-STAR Lab. His research included the development of a digital perfusion phantom using 3D/4D image simulation and a physical perfusion phantom using high-end 3D printing. He began a clinical study involving a dedicated cone beam CT head scanner used for the detection of acute intracranial hemorrhage. Following Hopkins BME Master’s, he attended at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and is now teaching Physics courses as a lecturer at California Baptist University
Abdullah Muhit, Ph.D.
Dr. Muhit worked as a Research Scientist at I-STAR on the development and application of a dedicated cone-beam imaging system. He performed some of the first clinical studies of weight-bearing knee cone-beam CT and quantitative imaging of bone health. Abdullah also worked as the Research Director of Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He is now a Clinical/Biomedical Engineering professional in Perth, Australia.
Sajendra Nithiananthan, Ph.D.
Dr. Nithiananthan (“Saj”) earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins on the topic of deformable image registration. His work included novel variations on the Demons algorithm with primary application in image-guided surgery of head and neck cancer. Dr. Nithiananthan is currently a Data Analysis Engineer at Microsoft.
Yoshito Otake, Ph.D.
Dr. Otake (“Yoshi”) was a postdoctoral fellow at Hopkins BME and Computer Science and helped to develop several novel algorithms for 3D-2D image registration, including the LevelCheck algorithm for image-guided spine surgery. Dr. Otake is now an Associate Professor at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), where his research includes biomedical imaging and augmented reality.
Amir Pourmorteza, Ph.D.
Dr. Pourmorteza was a biomedical engineer working on model-based 3D image reconstruction for CT and cone-beam CT. He received his Ph.D. in BME at Hopkins under the supervision of Dr. Elliot McVeigh on the topic of cardiac CT. At the I-STAR Lab, he worked with Dr. Web Stayman on the development of new prior-image-based 3D image reconstruction algorithms. Dr. Pourmorteza is now a scientist at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda MD.
Prakhar Prakash
Prakhar earned his Master’s degree at Hopkins BME, where his work at the I-STAR Lab focused on image quality models and optimization of cone-beam CT for orthopaedics imaging. His work laid the groundwork for system design of a new scanner for weight-bearing CT, using task-based image quality as an objective for system optimization. Prakhar is now a Systems Engineer in CT Systems at GE Healthcare.
Joshua Punnoose
Joshua Punnoose was an undergraduate Biomedical Engineer at Johns Hopkins. In the I-STAR Lab, Josh is worked on implementation of an automatic instrument registration algorithm to improve registration accuracy and design tools with unambiguous images features under radiographic imaging. Josh was a Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota studying biomedical engineering.
Radhika Rajaram
Radhi worked as Lab Coordinator at the I-STAR Lab and Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation. She worked extensively with the 3D Printing Facility at the Carnegie Center, helping to develop numerous novel 3D-printed anatomical models for radiology and surgery. She also worked on topics of 3D image-guided surgery and helped manage the laboratory websites.
Vignesh Ramchandran
Vignesh Ramchandran is an undergraduate majoring in Biomedical Engineering working on adapting the UR5 robotic arm for use in high-precision, image-guided tool placement to assist pedicle screw placement procedures.
Benjamin Ramsay
Ben was an undergraduate in Hopkins BME collaborated on an atlas-based registration in which sub-atlases are used in a series of stages according to similarity in principal component analysis to guide more accurate deformable registration.
Sureerat Reaungamornrat, Ph.D.
Sureerat (Ja) Reaungamornrat earned her PhD in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, where her research involved the development of novel deformable image registration methods for image-guided interventions.
Thomas Reigel
Tommy worked as a Research Assistant and Laboratory Technician at the I-STAR Lab, where his work included x-ray image quality and development of the I-STAR high-speed computing network. Thomas is now Senior Developer at Analytical Informatics in Baltimore, working with clinicians on innovative healthcare software.
Sam Richard, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard was Dr. Siewerdsen’s first PhD student in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Sam’s research involved the first development of cascaded systems analysis and task-based detectability index for dual-energy imaging. His work guided the development of new dual-energy radiography systems for early-stage lung cancer detection. Sam continued in a postodoctoral fellowship and as Assistant Professor at Duke University, where he extended task-based analysis to computed tomography in collaboration with Dr. Ehsan Samei. He is now a Project Leader at the Carestream Health Research & Innovation Labs, where he oversees all pre-clinical evaluations of new medical imaging products […]
Sebastian Schafer, Ph.D.
Dr. Schafer was a Research Scientist at the I-STAR Lab in Hopkins BME, where his worked involved the physics of image quality and dose in C-arm cone-beam CT as well as clinical application in skull base neurosurgery. Sebastian is now Managing Clinical Coordinator at Siemens Healthcare.
William Shyr
William Shyr was an undergraduate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He worked on the analysis of 3D joint space from high-resolution 3D images and its correlation with biomechanical profile and pathology.
Jordan Silverman
Jordan worked with Dr. Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto, where his Master’s research involved the low-dose limits of lung nodule detectability in chest CT. Jordan developed a lung nodule phantom and implemented ultra-low-dose scan protocols on the Toshiba Aquilion CT scanner. Following his Master’s degree, he entered Med School at Tufts (Boston MA) and continued his MD studies at the University of Toronto.
Daniel Tward
Daniel began work with Dr. Siewerdsen as a Research Assistant at the University of Toronto, where his work included modeling of 3D imaging performance (noise-power and NEQ) for cone-beam CT. Daniel’s work was groundbreaking in establishing physical models for noise-power and NEQ that is now at the heart of many projects in task-based performance evaluation and optimization in 3D imaging. Daniel is now a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, working with Dr. Mike Miller on modeling and computational anatomy.
Carlos Varon
Carlos Varon worked with Dr. Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto, where his work involved the development of dual-energy imaging for improved diagnostic performance in early-stage lung cancer detection. Carlos is now a medical physics linear accelerator and cyclotron engineer at the University Health Network, Toronto ON.
Aaron Waese
Aaron was Dr. Siewerdsen’s first undergraduate research assistant at the University of Toronto and is the original author of the SPEKTR algorithm for x-ray spectral calculation. (spektr) After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biophysics, he earned a Masters in Business Administration at York University.
Adam Wang, Ph.D.
Adam worked as a Research Scientist at the I-STAR Lab and pioneered several areas of model-based 3D image reconstruction methods to improve cone-beam CT image quality and reduce radiation dose in in image-guided surgery. Adam is now a Research Scientist at Varian Medical Systems.
Felicia Wang
Felicia was a summer student at the I-STAR Lab and Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation, where she worked on two main projects: (1) a large statistical atlas of spine anatomy; and (2) a novel deformable spine phantom produced using a 3D printer. The spine atlas helped form the basis of the “SpineCloud” image analytic platform at I-STAR.
Dinsie Williams
Dinsie worked with Jeff Siewerdsen at the University of Toronto on the development of a new dual-energy chest imaging system for improved detection of early-stage lung cancer. She completed her graduate studies at Dartmouth and also worked at General Electric Medical Systems. She is now a Senior Hospital Consultant at Hayes, Inc.
Kyle Xiong
Kyle worked as the laboratory technician, running the I-STAR x-ray bench and assisting in dual-energy imaging of rheumatoid arthritis.Kyle completed an internship at Takeda pharmaceuticals and is pursuing his PhD at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science in computational biology.
Jennifer Xu, Ph.D.
Jennifer Xu earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Her research involved the development, characterization, and modeling of photon counting detectors and new methods for photon counting spectral (dual-energy) CT. She also worked on the modeling, design, and development of a new cone-beam CT scanning system for imaging of traumatic brain injury at intracranial hemorrhage at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Shiyu Xu, Ph.D.
Dr. Xu worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Web Stayman in Biomedical Engineering Hopkins, where his research included advanced 3D image reconstruction algorithms, including Known-Component Reconstruction (KC-Recon). His work includes novel MBIR methods for noise reduction in low-dose CT and spectral CT. Dr. Xu is now a Research Scientist at Philips Healthcare, Cleveland OH.
Ran Yan
Ran was a summer student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. During her work at the I-STAR Lab, she developed a 3D-printed phantom for evaluation of CT spatial resolution throughout the axial plane (whereas traditional phantoms evaluate resolution at a single location).
Thomas Yi
Thomas Yi was an undergraduate in Hopkins Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science. His project focused on adapting the UR5 robotic arm for use in high-precision, image-guided tool placement with the end goal of improving pedicle screw placement procedures. He is currently working on his MD at Brown University.
Hao Zhang, PhD
Dr. Zhang was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was working on reconstruction of difference (RoD) in sequential CT studies. His research interests included imaging physics, algorithm development, system design, as well as various clinical applications. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Physics track) from SUNY-Stony Brook University, and his dissertation research focused on regularization design for statistical image reconstruction of low-dose X-ray CT. He is currently a medical physics resident at Stanford. Hao bout that?
Zhe Zhao
Zhe worked at the I-STAR Lab as part of her PhD rotation from Tianjin University. Her worked involved the modeling and measurement of view aliasing effects in cone-beam CT. Her worked helped uncover fundamental understanding of the effects of quantum noise and view aliasing effects in cone-beam CT – helping to answer the “minimum number of views” question in CT acquisition. She continued her PhD studies in imaging research at Tianjin University.
Gabriel Shafiq
Gabe was a high-school intern working at I-STAR and the Carnegie Center for Surgical Guidance on topics of ultrasound guidance. He developed a 3D-printed needle guide that worked in concert with an ultrasound probe tracked in real-time with a surgical tracking system.
Gaurav Thawait, M.D.
Dr. Thawait collaborated with the I-STAR Lab as a Research Fellow in the Department of Radiology at Johns Hopkins University. He worked on numerous studies involving novel weight-bearing cone-beam CT systems for MSK radiology, including analysis of joint morphology in osteo-arthritis.
Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis worked on image-guided, robotic-assited surgery in the I-STAR laboratory of Dr. Jeff Siewerdsen. He are utilizing non-circular CBCT imaging trajectories with optimization-based tomographic reconstruction algorithms for robotically assisted surgery. By designing a task-based metric of utility for the patient’s treatment procedure, both parameters of the trajectory and the reconstruction program can be selected to provided a clinicaly useful image of the patient.
Michael Brehler, Ph.D.
Dr. Brehler worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. His core research interests include active shape models, anatomical landmark identification and atlas-based registration. He is currently working on the development of semi-automatic tools for anatomical landmark annotation and algorithms for automatic landmark identification. He also worked on quantitative assessment of trabecular microarchitecture and automatic joint morphology measurements in volumetric musculoskeletal imaging. His background includes machine learning (classification), intraoperative assessment and visualization of fractures in cone-beam CT data, high resolution microscopy segmentation and cell tracking. He worked at the German Cancer Research Center and obtained his […]
Tharindu De Silva, Ph.D.
Tharindu De Silva worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He worked on the development of image registration techniques for applications in spine surgery and other image-guided interventions. His research interests included rapid 3D-2D image-based registration, deformable registration algorithms and validation of these techniques to make clinical translation feasible. He has a background in fast image registration methods for motion compensation during ultrasound-guided interventions.
Alisa Brown
Alisa Brown graduated from Johns Hopkins with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and currently continuing her studies as a master’s student.
Nicole Chernavsky
Nicole Chernavsky worked as a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins. She was a part of a collaborative project between the Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation and the Department of Radiation Oncology – integrating a small-profile diagnostic-quality CT scanner into image-guided radiation therapy. Specific goals include improving the accuracy of deformable image registration and laying the foundation for adaptive radiation therapy. Her previous research experience includes investigating stem cell replacement therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s disease and designing a biosynthetic pathway for the production of indigo. Outside the lab, Nicole enjoys backpacking and performing with her piano trio Chordae Tendineae.
Steven Tilley II
Steve Tilley worked as a PhD student Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins working on the development of novel 3D imaging systems.His research included development of photon counting detectors for high-quality spectral CT and the development of novel 3D image reconstruction methods, including the Known-Component Reconstruction (KCR) method for model-based reconstruction. His previous experience in Biological Engineering at Cornel Unviersity includes work in 2-photon fluorescence microscopy and hyperspectral imaging using a 16-channel fluoroescence detector system.
Jongheun Yoo
Alex Smith
Alexander Smith was a Research Technician and Teaching Assistant for the Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation at Johns Hopkins. He worked with Jeffery H. Siewerdsen, PhD on designing a course, Surgery for Engineers, which will take place during Fall of 2019, and will assist with research projects and laboratory infrastructure throughout the year. Before joining I-STAR, his research at Saint Louis University included surgical robotics, high-resolution CT to robot subspace registration, and fast image-guided EVD placement, aiming for reduced operating time while maintaining surgical precision in minimally invasive discectomy, pedicle screw placement, and laminectom
Qian Cao
Qian Cao was a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins who worked with Dr. Wojciech Zbijewski, PhD. His research included working on methods to characterize joint space morphology in CBCT images, which could help improve early diagnosis and monitoring of arthritis as well as assess the impact of trauma in the joints. Before joining I-STAR, his previous research experience includes optical imaging and development of novel contrast agents in the extended near-infrared (exNIR) range.
Sophia Doerr
Sophia Doerr was a graduate student working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) MSE program. She graduated from Johns Hopkins in December 2017 majoring in BME and Applied Mathematics & Statistics. She researched automatic computation of global spinal alignment metrics via anatomical features in CT images. Previously, she worked on the application of Deep Learning to spinal navigation surgery, leading to a developing interest in the field of medical imaging.
Sarah Capostagno
Sarah Capostagno was a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Hopkins working with Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, PhD on the development of task-based imaging using interventional C-arm systems. Her research included development of a novel calibration technique using 3D to 2D image registration to extract the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the system with the purpose of allowing for atypical C-arm orbits and reducing artifact in the reconstructed images. Her previous research includes the development of realistic cardiac models from high resolution late gadolinium enhancement MR images, diffusion tensor MR images, and ECG data to aid surgeons in targeting locations for myocardial ablation for the treatment of tachycardia.
Amalie Shi
Amalie Shi was a Master’s student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins working with Dr. J. Webster Stayman, PhD. She worked on the development of new phantoms for CT image quality assessment.
Doris Wang
Doris Wang was a first-year MSE student at the Department of Biomedical Engineering with a focus area in imaging and biomedical instrumentation. She worked with Dr. Siewerdsen on metal artifact avoidance in mobile C-arm cone-beam CT using deep learning. Her previous research experience includes microfluidics device design and modulation, as well as spectral imaging analysis.
Andrew Leong, Ph.D.
was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was working on advanced methods for low-scatter imaging and sparse CT data collection.