Norbert Pelc
Professor of Bioengineering and Radiology
Stanford University
Seminar Information
Computed tomography (CT) has made enormous technical advances since its introduction into clinical use. The engineering improvements have in turn led to important clinical applications and large impact in patient care. This lecture reviews the technology development trends in CT since its introduction. Then, using these historical trends as well as physics and engineering limits, we will explore likely directions of future technical progress. This analysis suggests that significant further improvements in speed, spatial resolution and dose efficiency can be expected in the next decade.
Norbert Pelc is Professor of Bioengineering and Radiology at Stanford University; from 2012 to 2017 he was chair of the Department of Bioengineering. His primary research interests are in the physics, engineering, and mathematics of diagnostic imaging and the development of applications of this imaging technology. His current work focuses on computed tomography, specifically in methods to improve the information content and image quality and to reduce the radiation dose from these examinations. He holds doctorate and master degrees in Medical Radiological Physics from Harvard University and a BS from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty in 1990, Dr. Pelc was Senior Physicist and Manager of the Applied Sciences Laboratory at GE Medical Systems where he developed technology for all medical imaging modalities. Dr. Pelc served on the first National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the NIH. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.