Biomedical Engineering Professor Emilie Roncali Earns Tracy Faber Memorial Award

Emilie Roncali, an assistant professor with both UC Davis' Department of Radiology and UC Davis' Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded the 2022 Tracy Lynn Faber Memorial Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) for her outstanding contributions to medical imaging research.  

The Award is given either to an individual (woman or man) who has promoted significant advancement of women in medical imaging sciences or to a woman in early- or mid-career who has made one or more significant contributions to medical imaging sciences.

Basic and Translational Research

Nuclear medicine encompasses both imaging and therapy, and Roncali is involved in both aspects of the field. She engages in basic research on imaging technology to improve image quality. She also works in translational research with the clinical goal of determining the optimal effective dose of radiation for patients treated with radionuclide therapy.

Quantitative Dosimetry

Roncali's lab develops computer models to simulate and develop imaging detectors. "One of our lab's main goals is to understand the detailed physics of radiation detectors to build the next generation of imaging scanners. These computer models are open-source and freely available to the research community."

Her lab and radiology clinicians look into radioembolization. Radioembolization is a treatment for liver cancer involving placing tiny radioactive particles into the bloodstream. They measure the radiation dose in the liver to make it safer and more efficient. "We need better treatment planning," she says. "We also need to develop and improve methods to look at the body's response to treatment. "This research could benefit many others besides liver cancer patients, "Improved imaging and dosimetry will help anyone whose body needs to be imaged or treated with radiation," says Roncali. 

Inspiration and Support for Women in Nuclear Medicine

She is honored to receive the Tracy Lynn Faber Memorial Award and hopes it inspires more female students to pursue nuclear medicine. "Women in this field need to support and promote each other," she says.