Umar Mahmood, MD, PhD
June 26, 2023 — Umar Mahmood, MD, PhD, chief of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, director of the Center for Precision Imaging, and associate chair for imaging sciences in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, has been named as the first recipient of the new Minoshima-Pappas Transformational Leadership Award. Mahmood was presented the award by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) at its 2023 Annual Meeting.
The Minoshima-Pappas Transformational Leadership Award was created to recognize an individual who has made transformative impact in the field and elevated the value of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Award recipients will have initiated, developed, and successfully implemented unique and significant transformative value within the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.
For more than two decades, Mahmood has been involved in the development and implementation of new imaging methods for the examination of disease processes, with a focus on translatable technology and early therapeutic response assessment. A prolific researcher, his work has helped guide precision medicine, specifically his research on the early phases of translation of new radiopharmaceuticals and novel applications of approved agents to develop and improve disease characterization.
“In addition to the outstanding research that Dr. Mahmood has conducted over the course of his career, what most stands out is his dedication to mentoring up-and-coming nuclear medicine professionals and his commitment to giving back to the field,” said Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD, FSNMMI. “In his work and by his example, Dr. Mahmood embodies the true spirit of the Minoshima-Pappas Transformational Leadership Award.”
Mahmood received a bachelor’s degree from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and earned his medical and doctoral degrees from Weil Cornell Medical College in New York, New York. He performed doctoral and post-doctoral work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and completed his radiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Mahmood has held many volunteer leadership positions throughout the course of his career. At SNMMI, Mahmood served on the board of directors, as Scientific Program Committee chair, on the Center for Molecular Imaging Innovation & Translation (CMIIT) board, and on the Commission on Education. He was also a member of multiple SNMMI committees and task forces, including the Future Tracers Task Force, Continuing Education Committee, and Education Committee, among others. Mahmood was also a Highlights lecturer at the SNMMI Annual Meeting. He has served as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health. Currently, Mahmood serves on the Radiological Society of North America board of directors as secretary/treasurer, on the International Society of Radiology executive committee, and on the Academy of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research executive committee.
“It is a truly profound honor to be chosen as the first recipient of the SNMMI Minoshima-Pappas Transformational Leadership Award,” said Mahmood. “Satoshi Minoshima and Virginia Pappas have had a foundational role over many decades in shaping the field of nuclear medicine as we practice it today. To have this award bestowed on me is both wonderful and humbling. I am grateful for the privilege to contribute to the science that drives patient care; for the many bright, creative, and hardworking individuals I have mentored who lead the field and will ably guide us into the future; and the opportunity I have had in working collaboratively with nuclear medicine thought leaders from around the globe in my leadership roles at SNMMI to jointly advance the field I care so deeply about.
The Minoshima-Pappas awards was named for Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD, SNMMI past president, and Virginia Pappas, CAE, SNMMI chief executive officer. In 2017, Minoshima and Pappas launched the SNMMI Value Initiative, a strategic vision and roadmap to advance the crucial role of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging to the medical community, regulators, patients, and the public. Through the Value Initiative, the SNMMI was able to change the dynamics of the field, and the Minoshima-Pappas Transformational Leadership Award recognizes individuals who do the same.
For more information: www.snmmi.org
July 30, 2024 
