Associate Professor, Cardiothoracic Imaging

Department: Radiology

Phone: (804) 828-0534

Fax: (804) 628-1132

Email: leila.rezaigharai@vcuhealth.org

Address/Location:
West Hospital, West Wing

SUMMARY

Leila Rezai Gharai, M.D. is a board-certified radiologist currently working as Assistant Professor at VCU Health. Dr Rezai is a graduate of Shahid Beheshti University, Iran. She subsequently completed a research fellowship in Neuro and Cardiovascular Imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University. Her research focused on stroke imaging and May-Thurner syndrome which led to publication of multiple manuscripts. Dr. Rezai completed her residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Northeast Ohio Medical University/Aultman Hospital/Mercy Medical Center followed by fellowship in Abdominal and Cardiothoracic Radiology at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein University, NY.

Rezai joined the faculty at VCU Health in 2015 as an Assistant Professor in Cardiothoracic Imaging within the Department of Radiology. She specializes in and has expertise in diagnostic imaging related to bronchopulmonary diseases, cardiothoracic oncology, cardiovascular disease, and mediastinal pathology. She is an active member of the Lung Cancer Screening Clinic at VCU Health. Dr. Rezai takes pride in resident education and is currently involved in multiple research projects. 

SPECIALTIES

• Cardiothoracic imaging
• Lung cancer screening CT

AREAS OF INTEREST

• Cardiothoracic imaging

EDUCATION

• M.D. – Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• Internship, General Surgery - Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
• Residency, Radiology – Northeast Ohio Medical University, Canton, OH
• Fellowship, Abdominal CT/MRI - Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
• Fellowship, Cardiothoracic Imaging - Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

• Research fellow, Radiology Department, Neuroradiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Supervisor: Pamela Schaefer, M.D. Project: Cerebrovascular accident (stroke) advanced imaging, September 2006 - 2009
• Visiting Academic, Hypertension and Stroke Research Laboratories, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Supervisor: Paul M Pilowsky, Ph.D. Project: Heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients, July 2004 - 2005
• Research fellow, Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran, 2003 - July 2004

ARTICLES AND ABSTRACTS

• “Lung Cancer Screening CT: Correlating Visual Coronary Artery Calcium Score to Pack-Years of Smoking.” Pillutla A, Riyaz F, Parker MS, Powell T, Edelstein M, Rezai Gharai L, Kusmirek JE, Robert Groves R, Dana F, Futrell M, Cafaro P. Oral presentation at American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2017, Poster presentation at 4th World Congress Thoracic Imaging, Boston, MA, May 2017
• “Lung Cancer Screening CT: Correlating Degree of Centrilobular Emphysema to Pack-Years of Smoking.” Riyaz F, Pillutla A, Parker MS, Powell T, Edelstein M, Rezai Gharai L, Kusmirek JE, Robert Groves R, Dana F, Futrell M, Cafaro P. Oral presentation at American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2017, Poster presentation at 4th World Congress Thoracic Imaging, Boston, MA, May 2017
• “Single Center Review: Minimal Aortic Injury Detected on CTA.” Goodman WC, Parker MS, Powell TM, Edelstein MR, Khangura R, Chadwick N, O’Neill C, Guyer A, Grizzard JD, Groves RC, Rezai L, Kusmirek JE. Oral presentation at American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2017, Poster presentation at 4th World Congress Thoracic Imaging, Boston, MA, May 2017
• “Rings and Slings through the Ages.” Leb JS, Rezai Gharai L, Haramati L, Blumfield E, Departments of Radiology, Jacobi Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, poster presentation at STR meeting, San Diego, CA, March 2015
• “Early Measurement of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance after Myocardial Infarction is Superior to Gadolinium Delayed-Enhancement in Predicting Late Remodeling.” Holmes AA, Jorge Romero J, Tiwari N, Phuong N, Goodman-Meza D, Cohen S, Gharai L, Taub C, Levsky J, Haramati L, Fisher J, Garcia M, Division of Cardiology- Montefiore Medical Center- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA, March 2015, presented at ACC meeting. Rezai, L., Steele, M. (2013). Lymphatic Malformations. ACR Learning File, Pediatric Radiology
• “Combining Acute Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Mean Transmit Time Lesion Volumes with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Score Improves the Prediction of Acute Stroke Outcome.” Yoo AJ, Barak ER, Copen WA, Kamalian S, Rezai Gharai L, Pervez MA, Schwamm LH, González RG, Schaefer PW. Published in: Stroke, Jul 2010; doi: 10.1161
• “ABC/2 for Rapid Clinical Estimate of Infarct, Perfusion and Mismatch Volumes.” Sims JR, Gharai LR, Schaefer PW, Vangel M, Rosenthal ES, Lev MH, Schwamm LH. Published in: Neurology. 2009 Jun 16;72(24):2104-10
• “Existence of the Diffusion-Perfusion Mismatch within 24 Hours After Onset of Acute Stroke: Dependence on proximal arterial occlusion.” Copen WA, Rezai Gharai L, Barak ER, Schwamm HS, Wu O, Kamalian S, Gonzalez RG, Schaefer PW, Massachusetts General Hospital. Published in: Radiology. 2009 Mar;250(3):878-86
• “Quantitative Assessment of Core/Penumbra Mismatch in Acute Stroke: CT and Perfusion Imaging are Highly Correlated (When Coverage is Sufficient!).” Schaefer PW, Barak ER, Rezai Gharai L, Kamalian S, Gonzalez RG, Lev MH, Massachusetts General Hospital. Published in: Stroke. 2008 Nov;39(11):2986-92
• “Prevalence of Pelvic Deep Vein Thrombosis on MR Venography in Patients with Suspected Paradoxical Embolism and Stroke.” Rezai Gharai L, Abbara S, Wicky S, Kalva SP. Oral presentation (LR) at RSNA 2008, Chicago
• “Incorporating Semi-automated Techniques for Improved 3D-Lab Efficiency in Neuro-CTA Post-Processing: Manual versus Automated Vessel Analysis for Curved Planar Reformatted Views of Head-and-Neck Vessel.” Rezai Gharai L, Pomerantz SR, Kamalian S, Harris GJ, McGowan JJ, Lev MH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Oral presentation (LR) at RSNA 2007, Chicago
• “Visual Estimation of MRI Core/Penumbra Mismatch - Versus Quantitative Measurement - Unnecessarily Excludes Patients from Thrombolytic Clinical Trials.” Schaefer PW, Barak ER, Romero JM, Kamalian S, Rezai Gharai L, Gonzalez RG, Lev MH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Oral presentation (PS) at ASNR 2007, Chicago
• “Association of Pre-treatment DWI Abnormality with Outcome for Intra-arterial Stroke Therapy.” Yoo AJ, Barak ER, Rezai Gharai L, Nogueira RG, Rabinov JD, Pryor JC, Schaefer PW, Gonzalez RG, Hirsch JA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Oral Presentation (EB) at ASNR 2007, Chicago
• “The Effect of Morphine Dependence on Postoperative Pain and Formalin Test in Rats.” Rezai Gharai L, SabetKasaei M, Neuroscience Research center, poster presentation (LR) at The 11th World Congress on Pain, August 2005, Sydney
• “Effect of spinal and systemic Clonidine administration on the Postoperative Analgesia in Morphine Dependent and Naive Rats.” SabetKasaei M, Rezai Gharai L, Published in: Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research (2006) 2; 117-121. Presented at the 3rd Scientific Annual Meeting of the Iranian Pain Society, 2003, Tehran, Iran
• “Postoperative Pain in the Morphine-addict Rats Compared to Naïve Rats” Rezai Gharai L, SabetKasaei M, Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (2002), 5(2), 153-160; Presented at the 15th Iranian Congress of Physiology and Pharmacology & 14th International Congress of Geographic Medicine, 2001, Shiraz, Iran

INVITED SPEAKER

“Lung Cancer Screening via Low Dose Chest CT.” 2017 Inter-University Spring Scientific Retreat, Sponsored
by VCU Johnson Center for Critical Care and Pulmonary Research. Richmond, VA, June 2017

BOARD CERTIFICATION

• American Board of Radiology

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