GE HealthCare names new CEO of imaging, plus more radiology leadership moves

Longtime Northwestern leader stepping down

Bharat B. Mittal, MD, the William N. Brand, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University’s school of medicine, is stepping down as head of the department.

Mittal has led radiation oncology at the Illinois institution for decades, including becoming inaugural chair in 2006. He first joined Northwestern’s faculty in 1985 and since then has helped pilot the organization's academic growth. Mittal’s leadership has resulted in increased high-quality publications, more grant support and a “strengthened culture of excellence, collaboration and patient safety.”

“We aspired to be a globally renowned destination for world-class talent dedicated to advancing the field of radiation oncology, and to my great pleasure, I can say Northwestern has hit the mark,” Mittal said in. June 5 announcement.  “I am thoroughly honored to have had the great privilege of serving as the department’s inaugural chair, and I know the faculty and staff will continue their tireless work to improve our shared understanding of cancer and its treatment and to educate the next generation of radiation oncology physician-scientists.” 

James Carr, MD, chair of the department of radiology, will lead a search committee to find a successor. Mittal will stay in the role until a replacement has been found and assist in the transition. He remains a member of the faculty and continues clinical practice and research, Northwestern noted.

Upstate Medical University names new chair

Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, has named Arabinda Choudhary, MD, MBA, as the new chair of its Department of Radiology effective July 1.

He comes to the organization by way of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he had served as department chair since 2019. Choudhary also previously was director of pediatric neuroradiology at the Penn State College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medical Imaging at Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children.

An expert in the field of pediatric neuroimaging, Choudhary’s research has focused on the diagnosis of brain and spinal trauma, chronic disease and brain surgery. He has published “extensively” and lectured internationally on these topics.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Choudhary to the Upstate faculty,” Lawrence Chin, MD, dean of the Norton College of Medicine, said in a May 30 announcement. “Dr. Choudhary brings with him key leadership experiences from top level medical institutions. We look forward to his leadership of our radiology department.”

Other announcements of note

A few more radiology leadership updates, in brief:

• AI radiology solutions provider Oxipit has named Peter Corscadden as its new CEO. He takes over for outgoing leader Gediminas Pekšys who will transition to a “crucial role” as head of AI.
• And finally, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging elected Cathy Sue Cutler, PhD, as its president. Heather Jacene, MD, also was named VP-elect while Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD, is the society’s president-elect.