Megan C. Jacobsen, Ph.D., DABR
Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging
About Dr. Megan C. Jacobsen
Megan Jacobsen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Imaging Physics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Physics from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2018. Her dissertation on dual-energy computed tomography (CT) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was awarded the Aaron M. Blanchard Research Award in Medical Physics. Dr. Jacobsen continued her clinical and research training in the MD Anderson Imaging Physics Fellowship, served as Chief Resident in her final year of her fellowship, and graduated in 2021. She joined the MD Anderson faculty in 2021. Dr. Jacobsen currently serves as the Assistant Editor for Physics at RadioGraphics, Associate Editor at Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, and a member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) CT Subcommittee, vice-chair of task group 96.B on CT dosimetry and member of task group 392 on characterization of automatic exposure control systems in CT.
In oncologic imaging, development of quantitative imaging biomarkers in all modalities is critical for diagnosis, identification of disease subtypes, and monitoring treatment response. Dr. Jacobsen's research has been focused on applications of quantitative CT and MRI for differentiating between disease states and monitoring novel medical devices and treatments, with an emphasis on advanced CT technologies such as multi-energy CT and photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT). Dr. Jacobsen is currently assisting with the development of a pre-clinical PCD-CT program at MD Anderson to enable quantitative CT in small animals with the goal of enabling translational research and quantification of novel CT contrast agents such as gold, bismuth, gadolinium, and tantalum. She has also worked to develop MRI models for treatment response in locally advanced cervical cancer that utilize anatomical and functional imaging.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Photon-counting detector CT imaging
Imaging novel CT contrast agents
Quantitative imaging of treatment response
Clinical Interests
Development and standardization of CT protocols for quantitative imaging and machine learning applications
Clinical applications of multi-energy CT and photon-counting detector CT
Multi-energy CT quality control
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2018 | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, US, Medical Physics, Ph.D |
| 2011 | Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, US, Physics and Mathematics, BA |
Postgraduate Training
| 2018-2021 | Clinical Residency, Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
Board Certifications
| 2022 | American Board of Radiology - Diagnostic Medical Physics |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2021 - 2023
Other Appointments/Responsibilities
Chief Resident - Imaging Physics Fellowship, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2020 - 2021
Medical Physics Fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2018 - 2021
Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2012 - 2018
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Clinical Computational Resource Committee, 2023 - Present
Member, Division of Diagnostic Imaging Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group, 2022 - 2023
Member, Faculty Development and Support Working Group, 2022 - 2022
Member, Photon-Counting Detector CT Program Development Task Group, 2021 - 2022
Honors & Awards
| 2024 | Editor's Recognition Award, RadioGraphics |
| 2022 | Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging, American Association of Physicists in Medicine/The Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research |
| 2020 | Imaging Physics Fellowship Chief Resident, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2019 | Aaron M. Blanchard Research Award in Medical Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Seo, A, Xiao, W, Gjyshi, O, Court, K, Wei, P, Swanson, D, Napravnik, TC, Grippin, A, Venkatesan, AM, Jacobsen, MC, Fuentes, DA, Lynn, EJ, Sammouri, J, Jhingran, A, Joyner, MM, Lin, LL, Colbert, LE, Gillison, M, Klopp, AH. Human Papilloma Virus Circulating Cell-Free DNA Kinetics in Patients with Cervical Cancer Undergoing Definitive Chemoradiation. Clinical Cancer Research 31(4):697-706, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39680029.
- Melancon AD, Jacobsen M, Damasco J, Perez J, Bernardino M, Valentin ES, Court KA, Godin B, Layman R, Melancon MP. Correction for Partial Volume Averaging in the Quantification of Radiopaque Nanomaterial-Embedded Resorbable Polymers. Biomed Phys Eng Express, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39094587.
- Layman RR, Leng S, Boedeker KL, Burk LM, Dang H, Duan X, Jacobsen MC, Li B, Li K, Little K, Madhav P, Miller J, Nute JL, Giraldo JCR, Ruchala KJ, Tao S, Varchena V, Vedantham S, Zeng R, Zhang D. AAPM Task Group Report 299: Quality control in multi-energy computed tomography. Med Phys, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39072826.
- San Valentin EM, Damasco JA, Bernardino M, Court KA, Godin B, Canlas GM, Melancon A, Chintalapani G, Jacobsen MC, Norton W, Layman RR, Fowlkes N, Chen SR, Huang SY, Melancon MP. Image-Guided Deployment and Monitoring of a Novel Tungsten Nanoparticle-Infused Radiopaque Absorbable Inferior Vena Cava Filter in a Swine Model. J Vasc Interv Radiol 35(1):113-121.e3, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 37696432.
- Jacobsen, MC, Rigaud, B, Simiele, SJ, Rauch, GM, Ning, M, Vedam, S, Klopp, AH, Stafford, RJ, Brock, K, Venkatesan, AM. Feasibility of quantitative diffusion-weighted imaging during intra-procedural MRI-guided brachytherapy of locally advanced cervical and vaginal cancers. Brachytherapy 22(6):736-745, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37612174.
- Thompson, EA, Jacobsen, MC, Fuentes, DA, Layman, RR, Cressman, EN. Quantitative dual-energy computed tomography with cesium as a novel contrast agent for localization of thermochemical ablation in phantoms and ex vivo models. Medical physics 50(12):7879-7890, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37409792.
- Thompson, EA, Fowlkes, NW, Jacobsen, MC, Layman, RR, Cressman, EN. Quantitative Dual-Energy CT Image Guidance for Thermochemical Ablation. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 34(5):782-789, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36539151.
- Damasco, J, Huang, SY, Perez, JD, Manongdo, JT, Dixon, K, Williams, ML, Jacobsen, MC, Barbosa, R, Canlas, GM, Chintalapani, G, Melancon, AD, Layman, RR, Fowlkes, NW, Whitley, EM, Melancon, MP. Bismuth Nanoparticle and Polyhydroxybutyrate Coatings Enhance the Radiopacity of Absorbable Inferior Vena Cava Filters for Fluoroscopy-Guided Placement and Longitudinal Computed Tomography Monitoring in Pigs. ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering 8(4):1676-1685, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35343679.
- Ahmad, M, Jacobsen, MC, Thomas, MA, Chen, HM, Layman, RR, Jones, AK. A Benchmark for automatic noise measurement in clinical computed tomography. Medical physics 48(2):640-647, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33283284.
- Schellingerhout, D, Jacobsen, MC, Le Roux, LG, Johnson, JM, Baladandayuthapani, V, Hwang, K, Hazle, JD, Schomer, DF, Cody, D. The Calcium Versus Hemorrhage Trial. Investigative radiology 56(6):385-393, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33534507.
- Perez, JD, Jacobsen, MC, Damasco, J, Melancon, AD, Huang, SY, Layman, RR, Melancon, MP. Optimization of the differentiation and quantification of high-Z nanoparticles incorporated in medical devices for CT-guided interventions. Medical physics 48(1):300-312, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33216978.
- Huang, SY, Damasco, J, Tian, L, Lu, L, Perez, JD, Dixon, K, Williams, ML, Jacobsen, MC, Dria, S, Eggers, M, Melancon, AD, Layman, RR, Whitley, EM, Melancon, MP. In vivo performance of gold nanoparticle-loaded absorbable inferior vena cava filters in a swine model. Biomaterials Science 8(14):3966-3978, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32558854.
- Le Roux, LG, Qiu, X, Jacobsen, MC, Pagel, MD, Gammon, ST, Piwnica-Worms, D, Schellingerhout, D. Axonal Transport as an In Vivo Biomarker for Retinal Neuropathy. Cells 9(5), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32456061.
- Javadi, S, Elsherif, S, Bhosale, PR, Jensen, CT, Layman, RR, Jacobsen, MC, Le, O, Sun, J, Parikh, RJ, Tamm, EP. Quantitative attenuation accuracy of virtual non-enhanced imaging compared to that of true non-enhanced imaging on dual-source dual-energy CT. Abdominal Radiology 45(4):1100-1109, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32052130.
Invited Articles
- Jacobsen, MC, Maheshwari, E, Klopp, AH, Venkatesan, AM. Image-Guided Radiotherapy for Gynecologic Malignancies. Radiologic Clinics of North America 61(4):725-747, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37169434.
- Jacobsen, MC, Beriwal, S, Dyer, BA, Klopp, AH, Lee, SI, McGinnis, GJ, Robbins, JB, Rauch, GM, Sadowski, EA, Simiele, SJ, Stafford, RJ, Taunk, NK, Yashar, CM, Venkatesan, AM. Contemporary image-guided cervical cancer brachytherapy. Brachytherapy 21(4):369-388, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35725550.
- Vlahos, I, Jacobsen, MC, Godoy, M, Stefanidis, K, Layman, RR. Dual-energy CT in pulmonary vascular disease. British Journal of Radiology 95(1129), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34538091.
- Jacobsen, MC, Thrower, SL, Ger, R, Leng, S, Court, LE, Brock, K, Tamm, EP, Cressman, EN, Cody, D, Layman, RR. Multi-energy computed tomography and material quantification. Medical physics 47(8):3752-3771, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32453879.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2024. Photon-counting CT. Invited. MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
- 2024. Chest CT Image Quality. Invited. MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
- 2022. Quantitative Multi-Energy CT in Oncologic Imaging: Technical requirements, clinical applications, and advancements. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, Texas, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2022. Use of MR for Image-guided Cervix Brachytherapy. Invited. SWAAPM Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
National Presentations
- 2024. The Benefits and Costs of Single Energy CT. Invited. AAPM Annual Meeting. Los Angeles, California, US.
- 2024. Quality Control in Multi-Energy CT: Overview of AAPM TG 299. Invited. AAPM Webinar: Clinical Insights into Pediatric Imaging with Dual-Source and Dual-Energy CT, US.
- 2023. Quantitative multi-energy CT: Technical considerations for longitudinal studies. Invited. AAPM Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Evaluation of Metal Artifact Reduction Strategies for Mobile Computed Tomography in Gynecologic Brachytherapy. Poster. AAPM Annual Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2022. A guide to dual-energy CT post-processing: Clinical implementations and remaining challenges. Invited. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2021. CT Protocol Case Studies: Safety and Image Quality. Invited. AAPM Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2021. Dual-Energy CT of the brain, head and neck. Invited. American Roentgen Ray Society Categorical Course. Leesburg, VA, US.
- 2019. Feasibility of CT Thermometry for Laser Ablation of Ex-vivo Porcine Liver. Conference. Society of Thermal Medicine Annual Meeting. St. Pete's Beach, FL, US.
- 2018. Detecting Iodine Enhancement with Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: How Low Can We Go?. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Nashville, TN, US.
- 2017. Classification of Intracranial Calcific and Hemorrhagic Lesions Using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping: Preliminary Results of a Human Trial. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Denver, CO, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Iodine Accuracy Across Vendors and Platforms. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Monochromatic Image Consistency Across Vendors and Platforms. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Inter- and Intra-Scanner Variability within One Make & Model. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2015. Waveform Measurements on a Fast-KV Switching CT System. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA, US.
International Presentations
- 2023. Preliminary evaluation of diffusion-weighted MRI and HPV-specific circulating tumor DNA clearance in HPV-positive cervical cancer. Conference. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2022. Innovations in Dual- and Multi-energy CT: Tips and Tricks. Invited. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2018. Limits for Detecting Low Concentrations of Iodine with Dual-Energy Computed Tomography. Conference. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Inter- and Intra-Scanner Variability within One Make & Model. Conference. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Monochromatic Image Consistency Across Vendors and Platforms. Conference. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2016. Dual-Energy CT Iodine Accuracy Across Vendors and Platforms. Conference. RSNA Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
Formal Peers
- 2021. Developing Multi-energy CT Applications using Improved Quantitative Imaging. Invited. Developing Multi-energy CT Applications using Improved Quantitative Imaging, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 - 2030 |
| Title: | Interpretable Neural Network Decompositions for Risk Stratification in Precision Medicine |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1R01 |
| Date: | 2025 - 2030 |
| Title: | Integration of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Blood-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA Genotyping to Predict Response to Chemotherapy in Cervical Cancer (IMPACT) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1R01CA289266-01A1 |
| Date: | 2025 - 2030 |
| Title: | Delivery optimization of a transarterial ablative therapy |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1R01CA301444-01 |
| Date: | 2024 - 2029 |
| Title: | Integration of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Blood-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA Genotyping to Predict Response to Chemotherapy in Cervical Cancer (IMPACT) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1R01CA289266-01 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2028 |
| Title: | Combining Effective Radiotherapeutic-strategies to enhance Vaccinations against Cervical cancer (CERVICAL) ROBIN: Molecular Characterization Trial: Longitudinal immunogenomic and imaging analysis to define molecular treatment responders to cervical cancer treatment |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1U54CA281787-01 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2028 |
| Title: | Combining Effective Radiotherapeutic-strategies to enhance Vaccinations against Cervical cancer (CERVICAL) ROBIN Project 2: Molecular and immune drivers of HPV-specific responses following radiotherapy for cervical cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 1U54CA281787-01 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2024 |
| Title: | Correlation of radiomic evaluation with pathologic response and survival outcomes in renal cell carcinoma |
| Funding Source: | American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) |
| Role: | Imaging Physicist |
| ID: | 2023YIA-8326030262 |
| Date: | 2022 - 2024 |
| Title: | Characterization of endovascular ablative therapies with computational modeling |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | 5R21CA260016-02 |
| Date: | 2021 - 2023 |
| Title: | Project 3: Virtual Operating Center (VoC) at MDACC |
| Funding Source: | Siemens Healthcare |
| Role: | Collaborator |
| Date: | 2018 - 2022 |
| Title: | MRI-Guided Gynecologic Brachytherapy: Addressing Critical Unmet Clinical Needs for Image-Guided Adaptive Therapy |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson CCSG Radiation Oncology and Cancer Imaging Program |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | P30CA016672 |
| Date: | 2018 - 2022 |
| Title: | Addressing Critical Met Needs for Image-Guidance Adaptive Therapy: Value of DWI for Detection and Targeting of Radioresistant HPV-Associated Gynecologic Cancers |
| Funding Source: | The University of Texas MD Anderson Institutional Research Grant |
| Role: | Co-I |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified April 04, 2025