Martin Pomper, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist with an intense interest in translational research, has been selected as the new Chair of UT Southwestern’s Department of Radiology, effective Dec. 1. He will hold the Effie and Wofford Cain Distinguished Chair in Diagnostic Imaging.

Dr. Pomper is coming to UT Southwestern from Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he serves as Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science, Director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Associate Dean of Entrepreneurship and Technology Development, and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Translational Molecular Imaging.

At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Pomper leads a research group that developed molecular imaging agents to detect cancer and central nervous system disease. These small-molecule imaging agents look at function rather than anatomy, which more traditional imaging methods such as MRIs do. His work earned him an international reputation in the field of molecular imaging.

Dr. Pomper received his undergraduate degree, his Ph.D., and his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed his postgraduate medical training at Johns Hopkins that included a medical internship, residencies in diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine, and a fellowship in neuroradiology. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1996.

“The multidisciplinary expertise, scientific innovations, and collaborative leadership that Dr. Pomper brings to the Department of Radiology takes UT Southwestern a step closer to being the premier destination for innovative care and medical research nationally and beyond. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Pomper,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School, in announcing the appointment.

Center Times spoke with Dr. Pomper in advance of his arrival about his innovative work and his plans for the Department of Radiology.

What are your goals for the Department?

I want to empower the faculty and ensure that they can participate in the transformative aspects of our field. I also intend to help integrate the Department deeper into the Medical Center through the creation of new service lines and collaborative care.

In addition to having a medical degree, you hold a doctorate in organic chemistry. How does being a physician-scientist affect your vision for the Department?

It enables me to leverage the remarkable infrastructure and personnel of the Department for innovation and impact in research.

You have had many achievements in your career. Which are you proudest of and why?

Our discovery of small-molecule optical and radionuclide-based agents for targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen is one. This has catalyzed widespread interest in development of radiopharmaceuticals and molecular radiotherapeutics, some of which have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are now benefiting patients.

What dazzling advances do you see occurring in your field in the coming decade?

Despite the well-known, current challenges to academic medicine, I have never been more optimistic, nor have I seen more rapid and paradigm-shifting advances in imaging than I have over the last few years. The clearest example is the implementation of artificial intelligence – made possible only recently by GPUs (graphics processing units) and cloud computing – where radiology is at the tip of the spear. That will enable not only augmentation of the radiologist in more accurate interpretation of complex imaging studies, but also determination of patients most likely to benefit from molecular radiotherapy – each with a personalized dosing regimen.

Minimally invasive procedures will proliferate so that there will be little daylight between interventional radiologists and surgeons. Precision image-guided, robot-assisted biopsies will be routine. Wearable sensors will enable precision health and may be progenitors to self-correcting, human-machine interfaces. We will see more quantitative lesion characterization through photon-counting CT, MR fingerprinting, and an array of new molecular imaging agents against targets identified through proteogenomics. Chemical exchange saturation transfer MR will render gadolinium obsolete.

The best part is that these advances will result from transdisciplinary collaboration – with biomedical engineering, materials science, chemistry, computer science, and informatics, to name a few areas.

What are your personal goals?

A smooth transition for my family from Baltimore to Dallas, make new friends, and enjoy the warm weather.