Body MRI Fellowship / Clinical Instructorship

The Body MRI fellow will be exposed to a large volume of body MRI cases including: 

• MRI of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis
• MRA of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, lower extremities, and upper extremities
• Dynamic pelvic imaging to assess for pelvic floor instability
• Dynamic lung imaging to evaluate pulmonary biomechanics and to assess for chronic interstitial lung disease
• Functional imaging of the pancreas
• MRI urography
• Whole body MRI to evaluate patients with prostate cancer and multiple myeloma

Additionally, the fellows will receive training in the interpretation of other imaging modalities of the body including: 

• CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis
• PET-CT
• Ultrasound and ultrasound-guided procedures
• Fluoroscopy
• Plain film interpretation

At the end of the one-year fellowship, the fellow should be able to demonstrate the following skills and competencies: 

• Interpreting cross-sectional MR imaging of the body
• Performing and interpreting fluoroscopic procedures
• Performing ultrasound-guided procedures including thoracentesis, paracentesis, and biopsies
• Comprehensive knowledge of the physics of ultrasound, CT, and MR imaging and an ability to apply this knowledge for image optimization and for quality assurance issues
• Patient care in the areas of consultation particularly in multidisciplinary conferences, patient safety, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• Proficiency in protocoling exams

Throughout the year, fellows frequently interact with other medical services and are actively involved in several multidisciplinary conferences which include hepatobiliary, colorectal, urology, gynecology, and nephrology. Frequently, these discussions focus on the newest techniques and approaches to treatment. 

Body/MRI fellows at the University of Arizona are also given the opportunity to participate in research and technology development with at least one academic day per week.  All trainees are required to participate in at least one scholarly project.  Fellows can participate in one or several of the following project types:  laboratory research, clinical research, image interpretation, imaging techniques, or practice management issues.  Within the department, the fellows will be offered opportunities to participate in on-going basic and translational research.  Within the field of MR imaging of the body, the abdominal division is actively engaged in several translational research projects.  Such examples include quantitative measuring of hepatic fibrosis, spectroscopic measurement of iron and fat composition within the liver, dynamic pelvic imaging to assess for pelvic floor instability, and dynamic MR imaging of the lungs. 

Clinical research meetings for fellows and attendings are held monthly. Fellows are encouraged to author publications and to present at meetings.  All publications and presentations will be written with faculty guidance.  If a fellow has a presentation accepted for a national conference, department funding is often available.

The Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL) of the University of Arizona supports the students, faculty, researchers and clinicians in the College of Medicine and other colleges.  AHSL enables electronic access to vast stores of biomedical literature (around 10,000 serials) and participates as instructors in the curriculum of the colleges, works with researchers and clinicians on projects to improve access to essential information, and provides comfortable space for small group collaborations and quiet studying in a collegial atmosphere.  Evidence-based medicine tools include EBM Search (a locally developed federated search), Cochrane, ACP Pier, BMJ Clinical Evidence, and Clinical Practice Guidelines.  StatRef is a collection of over 90 electronic textbooks. Countless full-text journals are also accessible through the campus library catalog 24 hours a day.