'Father of MRI' dies at 86
The science and medical communities lost a man who pioneered one of medical imaging’s most important advancements when Raymond Vahan Damadian passed away August 3.
Damadian, who was 86 at the time of his passing, was considered by many to be the “father of MRI.” While working on a research project in a chemistry lab at SUNY Downstate in the 1960s, he made a discovery that would eventually lead to the creation of what we know today as magnetic resonance imaging. At the time, nuclear magnetic resonance was a tool used to identify an object's chemical makeup within a test tube, but Damadian looked beyond that to imagine how the tool could be used to see inside the human body after he spotted differences between the relaxation times of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals of cancerous and benign tissue. He spoke about his findings in the journal Science in March of 1971—the same year he was awarded with the world’s first MRI patent.
This would eventually lead Dr. Damadian to develop the world’s first MRI scanner, “Indomitable,” and subsequently complete the world’s first MRI scan on July 3, 1977.
Damadian was raised by his Armenian American parents in Forest Hills, New York. He completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin before earning his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Upon completion of his MD, he joined the faculty of State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate in Brooklyn, where he would eventually make his groundbreaking discoveries.
In 1978, the doctor started his company, Fonar Corporation, which builds and sells MRI scanners commercially. Ten years later, he would be awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan. He was inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 1989 and received multiple other prestigious honors throughout his decorated career in science.
Damadian is survived by three children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In a statement about his father’s passing, Damadian’s son Timothy, who currently serves as President and CEO of Fonar, revered the inventor as a beloved father and friend:
"Today the world mourns the loss of the Father of MRI. Dr. Damadian was a brilliant inventor, a compassionate physician, a devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and a trusted friend.”
To learn more about Dr. Damadian, click here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.