Andrei Iagaru, MD, a professor of radiology and chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at Stanford University (CA), was presented with the inaugural Sam Gambhir Trailblazer Award on June 14 at the SNMMI Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Intended for midcareer professionals, the award recognizes outstanding achievement and excellence in transformative research (basic, translational, or clinical science) and exceptional mentorship. The prestigious annual award, announced in 2021 and sponsored by the Education and Research Foundation, honors the memory of Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, who died at 57 in 2020. Gambhir was an internationally recognized pioneer in molecular imaging and the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Clinical Investigations in Cancer Research and chair of the Department of Radiology at Stanford University, where he was also director of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, the Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics Center, and the Molecular Imaging Program. He dedicated his career to developing methods of early disease detection, ushering in a new era of molecular imaging to identify signs of disease in its earliest stages. Within radiology, he was known for development of PET reporter genes and other paradigm-changing discoveries and applications. He was a vocal and highly effective advocate for clinical integration and approval of new molecular imaging techniques and was among the pioneers of the concept of precision medicine.
Iagaru, a colleague of Gambhir at Stanford, completed medical school at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Bucharest, Romania) and an internship in medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia, PA). He completed his residency in radiology and a PET/CT fellowship at Stanford. His research interests include PET/MRI and PET/CT for early cancer detection, clinical translation of novel PET radiopharmaceuticals, and targeted radionuclide therapy. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and been recognized with numerous other honors, including the SNM 2009 Image of the Year Award; the 2009, 2014, and 2015 Western Regional Society of Nuclear Medicine Scientist Award and 2021 Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Distinguished Scientist Award; a 2015 Department of Defense Impact Award; and numerous distinctions at Stanford.
Iagaru coauthored The Journal of Nuclear Medicine in memoriam for Gambhir, writing “We lost a beloved colleague, a mentor and friend, a wonderful human being, and an incredible scientist. Humanity lost a giant who had so much more to contribute toward a better world. For so many of us, Sam was the reason we chose this field.”
- © 2022 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.