Michael Weiner, MD, a pioneering brain imaging researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC), is a recipient of the 2006 William S. Middleton Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The award the VA's highest scientific honor is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in biomedical research. It was named after the physician who served as the VA's Chief Medical Officer from 1955 to 1963.
Weiner is director of the Center for the Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIND) at SFVAMC and a professor of radiology, medicine, psychiatry, and neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
He will receive the award officially on May 15, 2007 in a ceremony in Washington, DC.
As a 2006 recipient, Weiner will receive $50,000 per year for three years in research support, a cash award of $5,000, an announcement of the award in a prestigious scientific journal, and an inscribed plaque commemorating his scientific achievements. SFVAMC will also receive a plaque honoring Weiner's achievements.
Weiner is to be recognized for his "exemplary service to the VA and to the biomedical profession" as well as his contributions to the field of clinical magnetic resonance imaging.
Weiner, a nephrologist by training, joined SFVAMC in 1980 as chief of hemodialysis. In the same year, he first worked with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology to obtain images of a kidney in a living rat one of the earliest biological applications of NMR. He went on to establish the magnetic resonance imaging program at SFVAMC, and has had a hand in the development of clinical magnetic resonance brain imaging techniques used around the world.
Currently, Weiner is the primary principal investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a nationwide, multicenter clinical trial designed to establish a brain biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. He is also the principal investigator
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Contact: Steve Tokar
steve.tokar@ncire.org
415-221-4810, ext. 5202
University of California - San Francisco
15-May-2007