Umar Mahmood, M.D., Ph.D., Named RSNA President

CHICAGO — Umar Mahmood, M.D., Ph.D., was named president of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors today at the Society’s annual meeting.

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Umar Mahmood, M.D., Ph.D.

A radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Dr. Mahmood serves as chief of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, where he oversees a service that spans multiple hospitals and facilities in the region. He is director of the Center for Precision Imaging and associate chair of Imaging Sciences in the Department of Radiology at MGH. Dr. Mahmood is also professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. His career arc has broadly emphasized organizational leadership, research, clinical care and mentoring.

As RSNA president, Dr. Mahmood will support RSNA’s work as a convener, connecting people globally through innovative research and education programs. He hopes to further RSNA’s mission of advancing radiology research and technology to improve patient care, with a special focus on precision medicine.

“Radiology has always been first to embrace new approaches and technologies, leading to improved diagnostic capabilities and patient outcomes,” Dr. Mahmood said. “RSNA is a leader in fostering radiology research and education to integrate these new approaches into clinical practice. Through advances in precision medicine, we will continue to work with our oncology colleagues to vastly improve cancer care in the coming years.”

Dr. Mahmood earned his bachelor’s degree from the California Institute of Technology, and his medical degree and doctorate in biophysics and physiology from Cornell University. After completing his doctoral and postdoctoral work in tumor physiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Mahmood went on to complete his radiology residency at MGH in 2001 and has since served on the faculty at MGH and Harvard Medical School.

A member of RSNA since 1997, Dr. Mahmood has served on numerous RSNA committees including the Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee, Committee on Scientific Affairs, Molecular Imaging Committee, Research Development Committee, and multiple RSNA journal Editor Search committees. He has served as chair for the RSNA Finance Committee, Grant Program Committee, Board Committee on International Affairs, and Molecular Imaging Scientific Abstract and Educational Exhibit Review Committees. He has served as associate editor and consultant to the editor for the journal Radiology.

Starting in 2016, Dr. Mahmood served six years on the RSNA Research and Education (R&E) Foundation Board of Trustees, which provides millions of dollars in funding for radiology research and education every year and ensures continued innovation in the field. He has served on the RSNA Board of Directors since 2017. Before becoming chair of the board in 2023, Dr. Mahmood was the RSNA Board Liaison for International Affairs, helping foster best practices and collaboration globally in radiology.

Dr. Mahmood’s primary research interest over the last 30 years has been in molecular imaging and its application to guide precision medicine. He has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and numerous reviews, chapters and editorials. He has been an invited presenter or course instructor at more than 130 regional, national and international meetings, seminars and conferences. He has been a principal investigator for numerous projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that have utilized nuclear medicine and molecular imaging techniques to advance translational efforts to better understand drivers of cancer, including the tumor microenvironment, cancer signaling pathways, changes in cancer metabolism and the interaction of the immune system with tumors.

Dr. Mahmood is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and Fellow of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). He is an Honorary Member of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology and an adjunct professor at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. Dr. Mahmood received the SNMMI’s first Minoshima-Pappas Transformative Leadership Award and received the Distinguished Investigator award from the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research (The Academy).

Dr. Mahmood served for four years as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Clinical Center of the NIH. He served on the Board of Directors of SNMMI and as chair of the SNMMI Scientific Program Committee. Dr. Mahmood also served on the Board of Directors of The Academy and on the Executive Committee of the International Society of Radiology.

During his career, Dr. Mahmood has had a longstanding commitment to growing the next generation of clinical radiologists and physician scientists. Trainees have come from around the world and from diverse backgrounds and experiences. He has directly guided more than 100 research mentees, many of whom have gone on to become academic medical faculty at top institutions.