New Education Awards Honor the Legacy of Two Distinguished Faculty Members
The Melvin J. Fratkin, M.D. Nuclear Medicine Resident Award
A generous gift from Mrs. Joyce Fratkin, the wife of the late Dr. Melvin Fratkin, established the Melvin J. Fratkin, M.D. Nuclear Medicine Resident Award. The fund supports the VCU Department of Radiology and its residents. Given annually, the award will recognize the most outstanding resident in the Division of Nuclear Medicine within the VCU Department of Radiology. The Fund will support textbook purchases, cash awards, travel, and related costs of attending academic conferences or presentations in Nuclear Medicine.
Please consider making a donation to the Dr. Melvin Fratkin Nuclear Medicine Resident Award
The Dr. Robert A. Halvorsen, Jr. Radiology Award
The Dr. Robert A. Halvorsen, Jr. Radiology Award, established through the generosity of Mrs. Karen Halvorsen, will honor the remarkable career of her late husband. The fund's purpose is to support medical students with interest and involvement in the Department of Radiology within the VCU School of Medicine. The fund will support students pursuing radiological research to present findings at industry and/or society gatherings. This support shall include, but is not limited to, expenses related to research, internships, conference travel, and other expenses related to professional educational development.
Please consider making a donation to the Dr. Robert A. Halvorsen Jr. Radiology Award
VCU Radiologists Make Top Docs List
VCU Radiology Faculty and Alumni Recognized for Excellence in Virginia Business 2025 Top Doctors List
Virginia Business released its 2025 edition of Virginia's Top Doctors. Over 10,000 medical professionals throughout Virginia cast their ballots for the 2025 Top Doctors. The list includes 1,423 providers nominated by their peers last year. Eight VCU Health radiologists are among those named to the list, including Drs. Ann Fulcher, Jill Bruno, Leila Rezai Gharai, John Grizzard, Mark Parker, Priti Shah, and Brian Strife. Dr. Gregory Vorona made the list in the pediatric radiology specialty.
Besides the eight faculty members, eight alumni from the radiology residency program also made the 2025 Top Doctors list, representing half of the nominated radiologists. The recognition by peers and medical facilities throughout Virginia shows the significant value placed on the Department's faculty and education programs.
You can also read the full VCU Health story featuring all the VCU Health physicians who made the list.
Spotlight on Interventional Radiology: Life-saving Procedures
From chronic venous occlusions to acute pulmonary embolus, learn more about the interventional radiology procedures.
Chronic Venous Occlusions
At VCU, our outstanding Vascular Interventional Radiology Division, headed by Division Chief Dr. Malcolm Sydnor with fellow physicians Drs. Dan Komorowski, Jeff Elbich, Brian Strife, Chris Bailey, Wali Danish, and Joseph Widdicombe, treat many conditions affecting blood vessels. Chronic venous occlusion is a common but relatively underdiagnosed condition which occurs when a vein becomes permanently blocked, narrowed, or compressed, preventing the normal drainage of venous blood back to the heart. This can lead to a host of different conditions depending on where the blockage occurs. The veins that drain the legs are frequently affected, causing blood to pool and ultimately cause symptoms including heaviness, achy pains, skin changes, swelling, and even ulceration. For years, there have been few tools available specifically aimed at treating these patients, particularly those with chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as the cause of the venous occlusion.
New thrombectomy devices like RevCore designed by INARI Medical help address these challenging venous occlusions. VCU Health Interventional Radiologist Dr. Brian Strife stated, "Interventional Radiologists can now treat chronic venous occlusions in a way that was not possible before, literally opening up veins and stents that have been occluded for years."
Above image series features a patient with chronically occluded left iliac vein stents causing pelvic venous congestion. Previous failed attempt at stent recanalization at another facility. Referred to VCU for advanced intervention. Stents were recanalized using the INARI RevCore thrombectomy catheter with angiogram demonstrating widely patents stents on follow up venogram.
Acute Pulmonary Embolus
The Division of Vascular Interventional Radiology is part of the VCU Health Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT), a multidisciplinary group of physicians and advanced practice providers, including specialists in pulmonary critical care medicine, cardiology, interventional radiology, and emergency medicine who work together to diagnose and develop treatment plans for patients suffering from pulmonary embolisms.
Besides giving medications that help break down the blood clots, Interventional Radiologists (IR) perform minimally invasive image-guided procedures rapidly removing the blood clots from the lung arteries, particularly in patients at higher risk. In the past 5 years, the IR team at VCU has predominantly been using the INARI FlowTriever system, a suction thrombectomy catheter, which is inserted through a tiny incision in the groin and navigated through the blood vessels with X-ray guidance. With the patients awake and alert in virtually all cases, the procedure takes under an hour with minimal recovery. IR physicians quickly aspirate or remove the blood clots, restoring blood flow to the lungs and decreasing stress on the heart.
According to the INARI Medical website, the FlowTriever system is an FDA-cleared therapy designed for rapid thrombus removal and immediate symptom improvement for patients suffering from acute pulmonary embolism. Large studies show this procedure to be safe and effective. To date, the Interventional Radiology team at VCU has treated about 200 patients using this system.
These are sequential images from an INARI thrombectomy showing the left pulmonary artery with a large clot in the lower lobe, completely cleared by thrombectomy using the FlowTriever device.
A Year in Review: Imaging Safety and Compliance Office 2024
With new VCU Health facilities and additional clinical imaging services added in 2024, the VCU Health Imaging Safety and Compliance Office continued to meet stringent compliance requirements and safety standards, providing 205 safety training sessions for 1108 team members and 545 clinical site visits at 53 VCU Health locations.
The VCU Department of Radiology established an enterprise wide Clinical Radiation Safety Program in 2011 and an Imaging Safety and Compliance Office in 2016, both directed by Ann Fulcher, M.D. Today both include five diagnostic medical physicists, four clinical educators, and three administrative personnel dedicated to medical imaging safety and compliance in X-ray, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, and ultrasound.
Imaging safety educators conduct structured compliance and safety clinical site visits throughout the enterprise, providing safety audits and just-in-time coaching on best practices. The educators also conduct ionizing radiation safety, MRI safety, ultrasound safety, and compliance workshops for incoming residents, fellows, and graduate medical education interns. Attending physicians and advanced practice professionals take part in radiation safety, MRI safety, and ultrasound safety training throughout the onboarding process and further receive ongoing training.
Exceptional 2024: Advanced Prostate Imaging Team
The Advanced Prostate Imaging team intentionally planned and executed actions to reach multiple objectives in 2024. The most impressive achievement came with VCU Health Radiology at Stony Point being designated a Prostate Cancer MRI Center by the American College of Radiology. The designation shows the team's commitment to providing high-quality patient care and safety. As of January 2025, VCU Health is the only health system to achieve the accreditation in Virginia and one of only 93 medical facilities in the United States.
Our specialized team under the leadership of Jinxing Yu, M.D. performed about 1000 targeted prostate MRIs, 350 prostate biopsies, and 250 Ultrasound/MRI fusion biopsies. The team's collaboration with other specialties and departments enhances both productivity and patient outcomes.
Jennifer Hubert, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Welcome New Faculty Member
Jennifer Hubert, M.D., is returning to VCU Health to join our Department, bringing nearly 15 years of professional experience in diagnostic radiology. She earned her doctorate in medicine from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She spent her transitional year at the Albert Einstein Medical Center and then returned to Sidney Kimmel Medical College for her radiology residency. Dr. Hubert came to VCU for a fellowship in MRI, which she completed in 2011. She stayed on as an Assistant Professor of Radiology at VCU Health and the VA Medical Center in Richmond. Most recently, she worked as an Assistant Professor at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
By the Numbers: Radiology Residency Programs in 2024
The Department offers two residency programs in Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology, and both continue to draw quality candidates from top medical schools and graduate them into prestigious programs throughout the United States.
In 2024, the Diagnostic Radiology residency program received 1161 applications and the Interventional Radiology residency program received 203 applications with a 100% match in both programs; seven in Diagnostic Radiology and two in Interventional Radiology.
The graduating class of 2024 included nine radiologists. Two interventional radiologists went straight into practice. Of the Diagnostic Radiology residents, five stayed with VCU Health to complete subspecialty radiology fellowships, including Abdominal Imaging, MSK, and Breast Imaging. One graduate entered an Abdominal Imaging fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and another entered a Neuroradiology fellowship at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Of the Class of 2024, 66.7% remained in Virginia. The VCU Department of Radiology's culture of excellence has proven fundamental in building a robust healthcare talent pipeline nationally, but especially for Virginia.
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