Chairman & Chief of Service

James B. Spies, M.D., Dr. Spies attended medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of California at San Francisco in 1984.  He then completed a fellowship in Interventional Radiology at New York University.  After training, he served in the Air Force as Chief of Interventional Radiology at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center from 1985 to 1989.  Subsequently, he was in private practice in interventional radiology until January of 1997, when he joined the faculty at Georgetown.  He has served as Chief of Interventional Radiology at Georgetown University Hospital and now serves as Professor of Radiology at Georgetown University School of Medicine and in June 2002 he was named Chief of Service for the Department of Radiology.  He has served on a number of national committees for the American College of Radiology and Hospital and now serves as Professor of Radiology at Georgetown Univesity School of Medicin and in June 2002 he was named Chief of Service for the Department of Radiology and in 2005 he was named Chairman.  He has served on a number of national committees for the American College of Radiology and the Society of Interventional Radiology.  He has authored or co-authored over 50 published papers and has given invited lectures across the country in his areas of expertise.  His particular research interests include the uterine fibroid embolization and measuring health outcomes in interventional radiology.

Abdominal Imaging

The Abdomial Imaging Division is responsible for all Body (thorax, abdomen and pelvis) CT, US, MRI and GI/GU examinations to include interventional procedures.  The Division also performs and interprets pediatric cross-sectional examinations as well as interpreting ERCP's in conjuction with the Division of Gastroenterology in the Department of Medicine.

Susan Ascher, M.D., is Co-Chief of Abdominal Imaging.  She completed her residency at the Yale New-Haven Hospital and her fellowship at Georgetown.  Her research interest is women's imaging.  To that end, Dr. Ascher spent a year as a medical advisor in the Department of Health and Human Service's Office on Women's Health and has written extensively on gynecologic MRI.

Division Attendings:

• Sandra Allison, MD, Director, Radiology Residency Program, Director, Diagnostic Ultrasound
• Susan Ascher, MD, Co-Chief, Abdominal Imaging
• Cirrelda Cooper, MD, Co-Chief, Abdominal Imaging, Director, CT
• Winnie Hahn, MD, Director, Abdominal Imaging Fellowship Program
• Reena Jha, MD, Director, MRI
• Sandra Polin, MD

  Daniel Swerdlow, MD
• Darcy Wolfman, MD

Breast Imaging

Erini Makariou, M.D., is Chief of Breast Imaging.  She joined the division of Breast Imaging in 1998.  She graduated from the Medical School at the Aristotely University of Salonica, Greece.  She completed her residency in radiology and a fellowship in neuroradiology at Georgetown University Hospital and has committed to an academic radiology careet, focusing on breast imaging and neuroradiololgy.

Division Attendings:

• Mary Cormier, MD, Director, Medical School Clerkship Program
• Erini Makariou, MD, Chief, Breast Imaging
• Sandra Polin, MD
• Pouneh Razavi, MD

Foxhall Square at New Mexico Avenue 

(Outpatient Imaging Center)

The Department operates an outpatient office in suburban Washington, D.C. directed by Letitia R. Clark, M.D.  Dr. Clark completed her residency at Emory University and an imaging fellowship at Georgetown.  CT, Ultrasound, Mammography, and routine radiology are performed at the outpatient office.  Residents rotate through the office in their fourth year as a learning experience regarding the pratice of radiology in the private sector.

Division Attendings:

• Letitia Clark, MD, Medical Director
• Mary Cormier, MD
• Carlos Jamis-Dow, MD, Chief, Cardio Thoracic Imaging, Director, Imaging Technology
• Edward Pien, MD

Musculoskeletal Radiology/MRI

Edward H. Pien, M.D., is the Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology.  He received his training at the Georgetown University Medical Center.  Dr. Pien joined the staff at Georgetown in May 2000.  The Division of MSK radiology has the responsibility for the performance and interpretation for all MSK MRI exams, as well as all MSK CT studies and procedures.  The division has an active plain film service supporting a busy Department of Orthopedics and an active Limb Center.  Radiology residents, including first year residents, participate in daily MSK MRI "read out" sessions.  The department recently installed two new Siemens Multi-Slice CT scanners. 

• Mary Cormier, MD, Director, Medical School Clerkship Program
• Stanley Foster, MD
• Carlos Jamis-Dow, MD, Director, Imaging Technology, Chief, Cardiothoracic Imaging
• Clifton Leftridge, Jr, MD, Chief, Pediatric Radiology
• Edward Pien, MD, Chief, Musculoskeletal Radiology

Neuroradiology

Division Attendings:

• Vance Watson, MD, Interim Chief, Neuroradiology
• Frank Berkowtiz, MD
• Parham Farid, MD, Director, Neuroradiology Fellowship Program
• Erini Makariou, MD
• Craig Platenburg, MD
• Dieter Schellinger, MD

Learn more about Neuroradiology

Learn more about Interventional Neuroradiology

Nuclear Medicine

David Earl-Graef, M.D., is the Chief of Nuclear Medicine. Graduated from Medical School at Indiana University in 1984 and completed is residency at the University of Illinois in Internal Medicine in 1987.  Following Private practice he entered the USAF where he served as consultant in Medicine to several Surgeons General.  He received additional training and qualifications in the USAF to include certification as a Flight Surgeon and certifications in Hyperbaric and Tropical Medicine.  He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and a rating as a Senior Flight Surgeon before separating from the USAF.  He did have many decorations to include the Meritorious Service Medal and was decorated for Valor in the line of duty.  His fellowship and residency were completed at Georgetown University Hospital.  He has an interest in academics and has several submissions that are works in progress with planned submission this academic year.

Division Attendings:

• David Earl-Graef, MD, Director and Chief, Nuclear Medicine
• Richard Reba, MD
• Navid Homanyani, MD

Pediatric Radiology

This section is directed by Clifton A. Leftridge, M.D.  Dr. Leftridge is the Chief of Pediatric Radiology and is a dedicated clinical teacher who has been awarded every possible teaching award offered by Georgetown Univeristy Hospital.  In the long history of the Golden Apple Award Dr. Leftridge is the only clinical teacher to win the award from two classes in on academic year.

The division of pediatric radiology is a busy service with daily clinical rounds which last for approximately 2.5 hours.  Within the framework of these rounds there is Socratic teaching which extends throughout the day.  In addition to the radiology resident on the service, one fourth year medical student and one pediatric resident are on service throughout the academic year.  The expectation of Dr. Leftridge is that there will be a spirited, free exchange of ideas so that all on service will benefit from one another!

Pulmonary and Cardiac Radiology

Carlos Jamis-Dow, M.D. is the Chief of Cardiothoracic Imaging.  He attended Medical School at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, graduating in 1985.  He then cam to NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, where he conducted research on cancer cell biology and pharmacology of antineoplastic agents as a visiting scientist in the Medicine Branch at the NCI and at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA in Rockville, Maryland.  After two years of residency in internal medicine at Prince George's Hospital Center he completed a Radiology Residency at Georgetown University Hospital and a fellowship in Crossectional Imaging at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore, Maryland.  He has a strong interest in cardiopulmonary disease and will concentrate his academic efforts in thoracic imaging.

The Cardiac Radiology section is responsible for interpretation of cardiac MRI studies and pediatric cardiac angiograms as well as providing consultative services to the adult cardiologists.

Vascular & Interventional Radiology

   The Vascular and Interventional Radiology section at Georgetown University Medical Center provides the full range of Interventional radiology care for patients, including diagnostic arteriography, renal and peripheral vascular interventions, biliary, gastrointestinal and genitourinary interventions.  The section provides both outpatient and inpatient consultations and has its own admitting service.

The goal is to provide a positive training environment in a setting that also meets the patient care and research goals of an academic institution.  Residents spend three months of their residency on the service, beginning in the second year.  Out five faculty members are experienced subspecialty-qualified interventional radiologists, each with a specific area of research interest.  The section performs over 2000 patient examinations per year, and our staff includes one resident, five technologists, five nurses and four administrative staff.

Division Attendings:

• Filip Banovac, MD
• Klemmens Barth, MD
• Thomas Chang, MD
• Elliott Levy, MD
• Michael McCullough, MD
• James Spies, MD, Interim Chief, Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Chairman, Department of Radiology

Imaging Physics (ISIS) Center, Department of Radiology

The Imaging Science and Information Systems Center (ISIS) of Radiology Department is working in research areas dealing with imaging, computer science and communication technologies.

Image guided medical procedures research had been focused primarily in spine disease from the perspective of the precise placement of therapeutic agents.  Our current effort includes the development of medical robots in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University and precision biopsy capability in the lungs.  This is a challenging project as the biopsy target moves with breathing.  Prostate biopsy has inherent uncertainly as the cancers are not visible in any imaging modialities.  We have built a database of precise locations of prostate tumors using several hundreds of surgical prostate surgical specimen that were reviewed by pathologists.  Using the 3D model of these prostates, we simulated biopsy procedures.  We determined that the use of four additional biopsy needles in a specific geometric configuration improves the accuracy of the prostate cancer detection from approxiamately 75% to 95%.

Divison Leadership:

• Seong Ki Mun, PhD, Director, ISIS Center
• Kevin Cleary, PhD, Assistant Director, ISIS Center

Learn more about the ISIS Center