R. Jason Stafford, Ph.D.
Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging
About Dr. Stafford
R. Jason Stafford, Ph.D., DABR is a Professor with tenure and is Chief of the Section of MRI and Ultrasound Physics in the Department of Imaging Physics at MD Anderson. He is board certified in diagnostic medical physics and has been on the clinical faculty since 2002.
Dr. Stafford received his training and doctorate degree in Medical Physics from the Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2001. His research was the design and validation of fast magnetic resonance imaging techniques for monitoring focused ultrasound thermal therapy. The work garnered awards locally (MD Anderson Alfred Knudson Outstanding Dissertation Award and the Aaron M. Blanchard Research Award in Medical Physics) and nationally (American College of Medical Physics Graduate Student Award and first place in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine John C. Cameron Young Investigator competition).
Dr. Stafford has over 138 peer reviewed publications, has served as primary or co-investigator and several grants, and speaks at national and international meetings. He has mentored five graduate students and six post-doctoral fellows during his tenure as well as lectures and coordinates in core GSBS courses at MD Anderson. His research interests lie primarily in the use of magnetic resonance imaging for guidance of oncologic interventions and therapies. Over the years, much of this research has translated into clinical services, which he now supports at MD Anderson.
He has an exemplary extramural service record serving as President of the Society for Thermal Medicine, Chair of the AAPM Magnetic Resonance Subcommittee, Chair of the AAPM Working Group for MR Safety, Chair of AAPM Task Group 345 as well as serving on the ACR MR Safety committee and the American Board Magnetic Resonance Safety board of directors. He is a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
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, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Image-Guided Interventions | Image-Guided Therapy | Thermal Therapy
Clinical Interests
Development and implementation of quality assurance program for ultrasound (US) imaging | A cceptance testing of new and upgraded US imaging systems | Maintaining records and performing all physics QC and acceptance tests required for the ACR US Accreditation Program | Clinical support and quality control resource for US imaging | Clinical support and quality control resource for MRI | Development and continued quality assurance of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocols | MR Safety
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2001 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA, PHD, Medical Physics |
| 1996 | California State University, Fresno, CA, USA, MS, Physics |
| 1994 | California State University, Fresno, CA, USA, BS, Physics |
Board Certifications
| 2005 | American Board of Radiology (Diagnostic Medical Physics) |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- MacLellan CJ, Fuentes D, Prabhu S, Rao G, Weinberg JS, Hazle JD, Stafford RJ. A methodology for thermal dose model parameter development using perioperative MRI. Int J Hyperthermia 34(6):1-10, 2018. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28830311.
- Zhou M, Melancon M, Stafford RJ, Li J, Nick AM, Tian M, Sood AK, Li C. Precision Nanomedicine Using Dual Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Temperature Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy. J Nucl Med 57(11):1778-1783, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27283932.
- Lim TY, Kudchadker RJ, Wang J, Stafford RJ, MacLellan C, Rao A, Ibbott GS, Frank SJ. Effect of pulse sequence parameter selection on signal strength in positive-contrast MRI markers for MRI-based prostate postimplant assessment. Med Phys 43(7):4312, 2016. PMID: 27370146.
- Bhutani MS, Uthamanthil R, Suzuki R, Shetty A, Klumpp SA, Nau W, Stafford RJ. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided inoculation of transmissible venereal tumor in the colon: A large animal model for colon neoplasia. Endosc Ultrasound 5(2):85-93, 2016. PMID: 27080606.
- Hosoya H, Dobroff AS, Driessen WH, Cristini V, Brinker LM, Staquicini FI, Cardó-Vila M, D'Angelo S, Ferrara F, Proneth B, Lin YS, Dunphy DR, Dogra P, Melancon MP, Stafford RJ, Miyazono K, Gelovani JG, Kataoka K, Brinker CJ, Sidman RL, Arap W, Pasqualini R. Integrated nanotechnology platform for tumor-targeted multimodal imaging and therapeutic cargo release. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113(7):1877-82, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26839407.
- Tatsui CE, Stafford RJ, Li J, Sellin JN, Amini B, Rao G, Suki D, Ghia AJ, Brown P, Lee SH, Cowles CE, Weinberg JS, Rhines LD. Utilization of laser interstitial thermotherapy guided by real-time thermal MRI as an alternative to separation surgery in the management of spinal metastasis. J Neurosurg Spine 23(4):400-11, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26140398.
- Zhou M, Singhana B, Liu Y, Huang Q, Mitcham T, Wallace MJ, Stafford RJ , Bouchard RR, Melancon MP. Photoacoustic- and Magnetic Resonance-Guided Photothermal Therapy and Tumor Vasculature Visualization Using Theranostic Magnetic Gold Nanoshells. J Biomed Nanotechnol 11(8):1442-50, 2015. PMID: 26295144.
- Hsieh CY, Cheng YC, Neelavalli J, Haacke EM, Stafford RJ. An improved method for susceptibility and radius quantification of cylindrical objects from MRI. Magn Reson Med 33(4):420-36, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25633922.
- Maier F, Fuentes D, Weinberg JS, Hazle JD, Stafford RJ. Robust phase unwrapping for MR temperature imaging using a magnitude-sorted list, multi-clustering algorithm. Magn Reson Med 73(4):1662-8, 2015. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24809984.
- Fahrenholtz SJ, Moon TY, Franco M, Medina D, Danish S, Gowda A, Shetty A, Maier F, Hazle JD, Stafford RJ, Warburton T, Fuentes D. A model evaluation study for treatment planning of laser-induced thermal therapy. Int J Hyperthermia 31(7):1-10, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26368014.
- Yeniaras E, Fuentes DT, Fahrenholtz SJ, Weinberg JS, Maier F, Hazle JD, Stafford RJ. Design and initial evaluation of a treatment planning software system for MRI-guided laser ablation in the brain. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg 9(4):659-67, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24091853.
- Melancon MP, Zhou M, Zhang R, Xiong C, Allen P, Wen X, Huang Q, Wallace M, Myers JN, Stafford RJ, Liang D, Ellington AD, Li C. Selective uptake and imaging of aptamer- and antibody-conjugated hollow nanospheres targeted to epidermal growth factor receptors overexpressed in head and neck cancer. ACS Nano. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24754567.
- Lim TY, Stafford RJ, Kudchadker RJ, Sankaranarayanapillai M, Ibbott G, Rao A, Martirosyan KS, Frank SJ. MRI characterization of cobalt dichloride-N-acetyl cysteine (C4) contrast agent marker for prostate brachytherapy. Phys Med Biol 59(10):2505-2516. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24778352.
- Huang SY, Abdelsalam ME, Harmoush S, Ensor JE, Chetta JA, Hwang KP, Stafford RJ, Madoff DC, Avritscher R. Evaluation of liver fibrosis and hepatic venous pressure gradient with MR elastography in a novel swine model of cirrhosis. J Magn Reson Imaging 39(3):590-7, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24532376.
- Roubidoux MA, Yang W, Stafford RJ. Image-guided ablation in breast cancer treatment. Tech Vasc Interv Radiol 17(1):49-54, 2014. PMID: 24636331.
- Maclellan CJ, Fuentes D, Elliott AM, Schwartz J, Hazle JD, Stafford RJ. Estimating nanoparticle optical absorption with magnetic resonance temperature imaging and bioheat transfer simulation. Int J Hyperthermia 30(1):47-55, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24350668.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | UTEP/UTMDA Partnership for Hispanic Cancer Disparities Research |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Collaborator |
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CV information above last modified October 25, 2024