Altes named MU radiology chair

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Aug. 26, 2015) ― Patrice “Patrick” Delafontaine, M.D., dean of the University of Missouri School of Medicine, announced that Talissa Ann Altes, M.D., vice chair of clinical research and associate professor of radiology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, has been named chair of the Department of Radiology in the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Altes will also hold the endowed title of the Gwilym S. and Maria Antonia Lodwick Distinguished Professorship in Radiology. Her full-time appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2016, although she will begin working part-time at MU in September. Altes is a leader in research involving the contrast agent hyperpolarized gas in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor lung function in newborns and young children. Her early observations and her leadership have resulted in identifying a number of applications of hyperpolarized gas MRI in the management of children’s lung diseases, as well as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “Dr. Altes is another addition to our leadership team whose significant contributions to her field as a physician-scientist exemplify the University of Missouri School of Medicine’s commitment to leading-edge clinical care, research and medical education,” Delafontaine said. “Dr. Altes will make significant contributions to the University of Missouri’s stature as a leading academic medical center and research-intensive university.” Altes previously served as director of clinical research in the Department of Radiology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research and mentoring activities have been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense and the Society of Pediatric Radiology, as well as foundations and industry. “Dr. Altes is a superb example of a faculty member who meets all of the criteria of a strategic hire for MU,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes. “She excels in bench to bedside research, teaching and mentoring students, and clinical care. Her expertise will complement that of other MU faculty and we are eager to welcome her to campus.” Her involvement with national and international organizations includes serving on the board of directors for the International Workshop of Pulmonary Functional Imaging and membership on committees of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Radiological Society of North America. The author of more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Altes has served as a grant reviewer for the NIH, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. She has given more than 60 invited lectures to groups including the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the NIH. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, New York, Altes attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering. She earned her medical degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia. Altes trained as a resident in radiology at the University of Virginia and completed a fellowship in pediatric radiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  In addition to her academic roles at UVA, she has served as a clinical radiologist at University of Virginia Hospital since 2003 and section head of pediatric radiology since 2008. “I am honored to lead MU’s radiology department,” Altes said. “I look forward to using MU’s outstanding array of resources and talent across multiple disciplines to further advance medical care, education and research.” About the MU School of MedicineThe MU School of Medicine has improved health, education and research in Missouri and beyond for more than 165 years. MU physicians treat patients from every county in the state, and more Missouri physicians received their medical degrees from MU than from any other university. For more information, visit http://medicine.missouri.edu/.