RLI Taking the Lead Podcasts
Episode 57: William R. Brody, MD, PhD
A Prolific Leader
July 28, 2023
In this episode, host, Geoffrey Rubin, MD, MBA, FACR, talks with William R. Brody, MD, PhD, Professor and President Emeritus at The Johns Hopkins University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
After earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, Dr. Brody went on to complete medical school at Stanford University School of Medicine. Starting as a resident in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Stanford University, he later transferred to Radiology as a resident at the University of California at San Francisco.
An accomplished electrical engineer and physician, Dr. Brody pioneered the development of digital radiography, ultrasound, and MRI systems while serving as professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in the 1970s and early 1980s. He co-founded Digirad, Biopsys Medical and Resonex, leading Resonex as President and CEO for three years before becoming the Martin Donner Chair of Radiology at the Johns Hopkins University. Following seven years in that role, he served as Provost at the University of Minnesota before returning to Johns Hopkins as University President, a position that he held for 13 years. This was followed by a term as President at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and subsequent roles as board member and advisor to numerous companies from large public corporations to startups.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American College of Radiology, and recipient of the Gold Medal of the Radiological Society of North America, the depth and breadth of Dr. Brody's influence on radiology and healthcare is unparalleled for its unique focus and impact.
In addition to his contributions to the field, he has been captain of the swim team at MIT, a pilot and flight instructor, and has hosted a former US president for dinner. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with this truly prolific leader.
View episode transcript » (Coming Soon)
William R. Brody, MD, PhD
Dr. William Brody grew up in Stockton, a small town in the heart of the agricultural belt of California. He desired to create a career in biomedical engineering before this field existed, and attended MIT where he received a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developing methods for visualizing protein structure with some of the first computer graphic displays.
At Stanford University, he combined Electrical Engineering (Ph.D.) with an M.D. and received postgraduate training in cardiac surgery where he developed ultrasound methods to image blood flow. In 1973, Bill was at the Heart Institute of NIH where he observed the installation of one of the first CT brain scanners in the U.S. He realized that imaging devices would one day be used for minimally invasive procedures and completed his training in diagnostic imaging. Following his training at UCSF, Dr. Brody was appointed Associate Professor of Radiology and Electrical Engineering at Stanford, establishing one of the first laboratories to develop and evaluate new digital imaging methods for medical diagnosis and treatment.
Did You Know?
In 2006 Bill embarked upon a program to learn Mandarin Chinese and lived for several weeks in the poorer section of Beijing in a traditional Chinese residence (“hutong”) and bicycled across the city to take Mandarin lessons. After a year of self-study with a tutor, he gave a 15 min speech in Mandarin in 2007 at the Johns Hopkins Center for Chinese- American Studies in Nanjing, China, on the platform with Henry Kissinger, who was the Keynote speaker for that event.
Bill is an amateur pianist and in 2014, performed a 17-minute piano concerto (“Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin) with the San Diego Symphony at a fundraising event for the Salk Institute. 3. Bill is a licensed pilot, holding Flight Instructor and Airline Transport Ratings with over 3,400 hours of flight time.
Bill and his wife Hyunah, a performing soprano, make their home in Baltimore.
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