Radiology Clinical Research Core Programs

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Global Pediatric Radiology Outreach & Education Program now directed by Abass Noor, MD, was established in 2008 by Kassa Darge, M.D., Ph.D., Radiologist-in-Chief and Chairman of the Department of Radiology at CHOP. The program supports educational and outreach activities around the world with a special focus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In partnership with Addis Ababa University's Department of Radiology, CHOP provides pediatric radiology education during residency and a 2-year pediatric radiology fellowship.

Learn more about our outreach program in Ethiopia at www.pedradethio.org.

The department also provides support for a biennial regional pediatric radiology course in Argentina, co-sponsored by Hospital Garrahan, located in Buenos Aires. Semiannually, our department organizes a "Radiology Global Health Exchange" to keep our department and local global health partners informed about our initiatives and foster collaborations. Additionally, to further our international alliances and develop more relevant education content, we have created a Global Radiology Research Fellowship which began in the Spring of 2021.

For more information, visit our site or contact us at globalradiology@chop.edu.

The Center for Pediatric Contrast Ultrasound (CPCU) is a dedicated entity for the advancement of pediatric contrast ultrasound. It was established in 2017 by Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. Kassa Darge, MD, PhD, and is led by Director Dr. Susan J Back, MD and Co-Director Trudy Morgan, RMDS. The mission of the CPCU is to: serve as an educational center of excellence for contrast ultrasound by providing hands-on training opportunities for pediatric sonographers, radiologists and subspecialists; support the implementation of contrast ultrasound in routine imaging, explore potential new clinical indications, and coordinate and conduct subspecialty focused educational sessions for referring clinicians; and provide ancillary support for contrast ultrasound clinical and basic science research to advance the field of pediatric contrast ultrasound.

For more information, please contact the Program Director Dr. Susan J. Back at backs@chop.edu.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Program for Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Imaging is led by pediatric body and neuroradiologist, Susan Sotardi, MD, and was founded by Kassa Darge, MD, PhD, Radiologist-in-Chief and Chairman of the Department of Radiology at CHOP. The program aims to establish the leading center for AI research and implementation in pediatric imaging. The objective of research in the AI Program is to design and implement excellent machine learning tools for improvement of clinical pediatric radiology. Specifically, the program’s research interests focus on pediatric-specific diseases, with applications such as child abuse imaging, epilepsy research, and the automation of pediatric radiology measurements. 

For more information, view the brochure or contact Susan Sotardi at sotardis@chop.edu.

The Translational Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy Laboratory led by Misun Hwang focuses on advancing novel ultrasound theragnostic techniques in preclinical models while exploring pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning the observed phenomena for further development of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

For more information, contact Misun Hwang at hwangm@chop.edu.

The CHOP Opportunity for Academic Careers in researcH (COACH) Curriculum for Pediatric Radiology was developed by Bernarda Viteri. With mentorship from the Vice Chair of Clinical Research, the advice of Radiology’s Education Director, and feedback from our Clinical Research Core’s Research Scholars, Bernarda and the COACH Committee are designing a structured curriculum that will deliver content on scientific writing, data analytics, basics of pediatric radiology research, post-processing imaging software, career development, grantsmanship, and CHOP research tips and tools. Each curriculum core has a team leader and a variety of topics that will be delivered through 10–15-minute talks from experts followed by workshops, live demonstrations, or lab sessions. The hour long COACH sessions began in September 2022, and occur weekly on Thursdays.

For more information, contact Bernarda Viteri at viterib@chop.edu.

The Children's Hospital Additive Manufacturing for Pediatrics (CHAMP) lab was formed to cultivate experience in additive manufacturing and 3D design with the goal of implementing these skills into collaborative opportunities throughout the hospital. The CHAMP team collaborates with departments across the hospital on a variety of models needed in areas such as training, education, surgical planning, and device development.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Silvestro at silvestro@chop.edu.

RIVER is a creative resource that helps Radiology staff members with visual communication. The department medical illustrator works with team members one-on-one to create custom visual assets for grant proposals, journal articles, educational materials, academic presentations, and more. RIVER provides a range of media beyond illustrations and diagrams, including animated video and 3D printed models.

Past projects include:

• A proposed research plan for a grant application
• Training video for a procedure with technique diagrams
• Diagram how a machine or device works
• Anatomy, pathology, or histology diagrams
• Patient positioning diagrams
• Anatomy templates for annotation or data collection
• Diagram of a lab setup

For more information, contact RIVER’s Lead Medical Illustrator, Brittany Bennett bennettbc@chop.edu.