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Osama R Mawlawi, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment

Faculty, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX

Research Interests

My research interests are focused on Nuclear Medicine physics with specific focus on PET/CT imaging.

Areas of specialization include: 

  • PET/CT image acquisition and formation
  • Quantification accuracy in PET/CT imaging
  • Motion artifacts in PET/CT imaging
  • Kinetic modeling

The research in my laboratory is directed at functional imaging using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). A strong interest lies in the factors affecting absolute quantification of PET images such as partial volume, scatter, and patient motion artifacts. Ongoing research is looking at novel techniques of image acquisition, correction and formation. Other interests lie in modeling the distribution of novel radiotracers to image specific biochemical processes such as metabolism, blood flow, receptor binding and expression.

A tutorial in my lab would provide the student with an in-depth experience of functional imaging using PET. Moreover, the student will get hands-on experience with image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis software tools.

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

1999 Columbia University, New York, NY, PHD, Biomedical Engineering
1990 Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY, MS, Biomedical Engineering
1988 American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, BE, Electrical Engineering

Board Certifications

7/2009 American Board of Radiology Diagnostic Radiological Physics
7/2003 American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM)

Experience/Service

Academic Appointments

Associate Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2005-2011

Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities

Imaging Physics Residency Program Steering Committee, Department of Imaging Physics, Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008-present
Nuclear Medicine Research Peer Review Committee, Department of Imaging Physics - Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008-present
Imaging Physics Research committee member, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008-present
Medical Physics Graduate Program Steering committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2007-present

Other Appointments/Responsibilities

Member, Board of Directors, American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine, Reston, VA, 2009-2011

Institutional Committee Activities

Member, Credentials Committee of the Medical Staff, 2009-2011
Member, Study section review committee for Basic Research Projects; Institutional Research Grants Program, 2008-2011

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Devine CE, Mawlawi O. Radiation Safety With Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography. Semin Ultrasound CT MR 31(1):39-45, 2/2010. PMID: 20102694.
2. Tonkopi E, Chi PC, Mawlawi O, Riegel AC, Rohren EM, Macapinlac HA, Pan T. Average CT in PET studies of colorectal cancer patients with metastasis in the liver and esophageal cancer patients. J Appl Clin Med Phys 11(1):3073, 2010. PMID: 20160693.
3. Chang G, Chang T, Clark JW, Mawlawi OR. Design and performance of a respiratory amplitude gating device for PET/CT imaging. Med Phys 37(4):1408-12, 2010.
4. Chang G, Chang T, Pan T, Clark JW, Mawlawi OR. Implementation of an automated respiratory amplitude gating technique for PET/CT: clinical evaluation. J Nucl Med 51(1):16-24, 2010. PMID: 20008993.
5. Milito MA, Kontoyiannis DP, Lewis RE, Liu P, Mawlawi OR, Truong MT, Marom EM. Influence of host immunosuppression on CT findings in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Med Mycol 48(6):817-23, 2010. PMID: 20109093.
6. Chang G, Chang T, Pan T, Clark JW, Mawlawi OR. Joint correction of respiratory motion artifact and partial volume effect in lung/thoracic PET/CT imaging. Med Phys 37(12):6221-6232, 2010.
7. Reigel AC, Bucci MK, Mawlawi OR, Johnson V, Ahmad M, Sun X, Luo D, Chandler AG, Pan T. Target definition of moving lung tumors in positron emission tomography: correlation of optimal activity concentration thresholds with object size, motion extent, and source-to-background ratio. Med Phys 37(4):1742-52, 2010.
8. Costelloe CM, Raymond AK, Fitzgerald NE, Mawlawi OR, Nunez RF, Madewell JE, Harrell RK, Bassett RL, Marom EM. Tumor necrosis in osteosarcoma: inclusion of the point of greatest metabolic activity from F-18 FDG PET/CT in the histopathologic analysis. Skeletal Radiol 39(2):131-40, 2010. PMID: 19760279.
9. Li H, Mawlawi OR, Zhu RX, Zheng Y. Blind deblurring reconstruction technique with applications in PET imaging. Int J Biomed Imaging:718157, 2009.
10. Chang G, Pan T, Qiao F, Clark JW Jr, Mawlawi OR. Comparison between two super-resolution implementations in PET imaging. Med Phys 36(4):1370-83, 2009.

Last updated: 1/11/2013