Chair named for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

Rob Goodman, MB BChir, M.B.A., has been appointed chair of the Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging and chief of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale New Haven Hospital. Goodman, professor and section chief of pediatric radiology, served for six years as vice chair for clinical affairs for the department and recently completed two years as its executive vice chair. Before his appointment took effect on Jan. 1, he had served as interim chair.

“As chair, Rob will build upon his many experiences in radiology to enhance and integrate the department’s world-class research and clinical strengths,” says Robert J. Alpern M.D., dean and Ensign Professor of Medicine. “I’m delighted that he will lead the department and look forward to working with him.”

Research areas on which Goodman plans to focus include such areas as novel MR pulse sequences, functional MRI, MR spectroscopy, novel PET tracers, and 3D image manipulation. By including industry partners, he is eager to expand the department’s translational research program to help convert basic science discoveries into clinical applications that improve patient care.

Goodman joined Yale in 2004 from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK, where he was lead clinician for its radiology department. When he came to the United States, he was struck by the marked differences in radiation awareness between the two countries, which is especially relevant in pediatric radiology due to children’s susceptibility to the effects of radiation. He has since played a major role in the movement to reduce radiation exposure from CT scans in children, as well as adults.

During his tenure at Yale, Goodman has overseen the expansion of pediatric radiology services, spearheaded the installation of a dedicated pediatric MRI scanner at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, implemented a critical test result reporting system, and identified mechanisms to improve the radiology peer review process. Building upon his experience implementing a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) in the UK, he now will be involved in the implementation of a new enterprise PACS across Yale New Haven Health. As well as improving clinical efficiency, this cutting-edge tool will have the potential to augment departmental machine learning/artificial intelligence research.

“What I find inspiring about radiology is that we touch every medical and surgical specialty,” says Goodman. “Any improvements we make have a trickle-down effect throughout the entire medical enterprise.”

Goodman obtained his medical degree from Cambridge University in 1988 and an M.B.A. in health care from Yale in 2017. Upon completing his residency at the Central Oxford Hospitals in the UK, he did a fellowship in pediatric radiology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is the Pediatric Community of Practice President for the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine, which recently elected him to its Board of Governors.