Reston, Va. (September 3, 2013) – The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013-2015 SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship. This two-year fellowship, founded in 2008 by the late Henry N. Wagner, Jr., MD, and the late Kanji Torizuka, MD, PhD, is designed to provide extensive training and experience in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging for Japanese physicians in the early stages of their careers.

The 2013-2015 fellows, each receiving an annual stipend of $24,000 (US), are:

• Kenji Hirata, MD, PhD, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan, whose research interest focuses on oncology and neurology—in particular quantitative analysis for positron emission tomography (PET) and its clinical application—is conducting research at the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles, under the supervision of advisor (Henry) Sung-Cheng Huang, DSc.
   
• Masamichi Ikawa, MD, PhD, University of Fukui, Division of Neurology, Fukui, Japan, whose major field of interest is neurology—in particular clinical molecular imaging with PET to clarify the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorder, such as Parkinson’s diseases and Alzheimer’s disease, and others—is studying at the Molecular Imaging Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, under the supervisionof advisor Robert B. Innis, MD, PhD.
   
• Ryogo Minamimoto, MD, PhD, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Tokyo, Japan, whose research interest focuses on oncology—in particular using PET/computed tomography to depict the kinetics of various diseases and drug development through kinetic analysis—is conducting research at the Departments of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at Stanford University School of Medicine under the supervision of advisor Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD.

The SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship program, sponsored by Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd. in Japan, is now entering its seventh year. The program has successfully graduated 14 fellows since its inauguration in 2008; currently, six fellows are studying at host institutions across the United States.

“The Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship program is an outstanding example of international partnership that is necessary for the successful future of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.  I look forward to seeing the results of the research that will be generated by this outstanding collection of young physician/scientists,” said Frederic H. Fahey, DSc, SNMMI immediate past president and chair of the SNMMI Awards Committee.

Applications and further information about requirements for the 2014-2016 SNMMI Wagner-Torizuka Fellowship are available online at www.snmmi.org/grants. Applications are due January 31, 2014. For more information about these and other scholarships, visit www.snmmi.org/grants or contact Kristi Padley, SNMMI development manager, at (703) 652-6780 or at kpadley@snmmi.org.

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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, a vital element of today’s medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated and helping provide patients with the best health care possible.

SNMMI’s more than 19,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.