Founded 20 years ago as a dedicated resource for researchers who require MRI, the Johns Hopkins MRI Service Center was led by founder Paul Bottomley, professor and director of MR Research division until January 2021, when he passed the baton to Hanzhang Lu, professor and chief of NeuroFunction section.

The leadership transition process was complicated by the fact that COVID-19 restrictions were fully in place, making it difficult for Lu to spend time in the physical space to view the equipment and meet the staff. Nevertheless, says Lu, “Dr. Bottomley was very supportive and incredibly helpful in guiding me through the strengths and management of the MRI Service Center.”

The center houses three MRI scanners (two are 3T and one is 1.5T) for Johns Hopkins and nonaffiliated investigators. Exclusively meant for scientific research purposes, these scanners allow research activity to take place during prime work hours. With more than 50 active users, the MRI Service Center uniquely offers comprehensive, full-body imaging research for different organs, from the brain to the prostate to musculoskeletal systems to cardiology. In his time as lead of the center, Lu has navigated several major successes, including the installation of functional MRI capabilities, migrating the scheduling to centralized software and recruiting a new technologist. This progress served to not only expand the type of research the MRI Service Center can perform but also improved the efficiency of workflow for both investigators and staff.

As the pandemic continues to wind down and research activity picks up, Lu sums up his goals: “[I aim] to develop the MRI Service Center into a state-of-the-art platform to facilitate cutting-edge research on and beyond the Johns Hopkins campus,” he says. “In order to achieve this, we will continue to upgrade and replace equipment as needed, train staff on the latest developments in MRI, and make the MRI Service Center financially self-sustainable.” n

— HANZHANG LU