Rebecca Rakow-Penner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Radiology
Affiliate Professor of Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego
Seminar Information
There are several female specific diseases that require advanced MRI techniques. This talk will describe the challenges of evaluating both malignant (breast, ovarian and cervical cancer) and benign (endometriosis, pelvic floor, pelvic venous disorders) disease in women. Novel techniques to address these diagnostic challenges will also be discussed including Restriction Spectrum Imaging, and new protocols specific to the diseases of interest. In addition, the talk will present ongoing challenges in Women’s Imaging to inspire future development and collaboration.
Rebecca Rakow-Penner MD, PhD is tenured Associate Professor of Radiology and Bioengineering at University of California San Diego. She has an undergraduate Engineering degree from Harvard, and master’s degree in Bioengineering from Caltech. Her PhD is in Biophysics from Stanford University where her research focused on breast MRI. She also received her MD from Stanford and then completed her radiology residency and women’s imaging fellowship at UC San Diego. She is a translational scientist and practicing radiologist in the breast and body imaging sections at UCSD. She is the Director of the Women’s Imaging Lab which focuses on developing imaging technology to improve the evaluation of female specific disease processes. She is also the Co-Director of the Center for Translational Imaging and Precision Medicine at UCSD. She has grant funding from NIH, industry, University of California and private opportunities for her ground-breaking research in breast, ovarian and cervical cancer.