Passing of Dr. Melvin Fratkin, former Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology and former Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of our esteemed colleague and friend, Dr. Melvin Fratkin, whose 47-year career has left an immense impact on our community and our Department.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of our esteemed colleague and friend, Dr. Melvin Fratkin, former Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology and Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine on August 7, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He was 85.

Dr. Melvin Fratkin's life was one of service - to our patients, to Richmond and to our nation. He earned his medical degree from the VCU School of Medicine on the MCV Campus before serving as a Captain in the United States Air Force. He returned to VCU for his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology. Over the next 47 years of his distinguished career at VCU Health, he served as a Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology and Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine. His contributions to VCU and to the many lives he affected throughout his career have been immeasurable. He retired in 2017 as a tenured faculty member.

"Dr. Fratkin devoted nearly his entire professional career to providing care to patients in the MCV/VCU Division of Nuclear Medicine both as a Nuclear Medicine physician and endocrinologist. He was admired and loved by so many not only in the Radiology Department & Medical Center but also in the Richmond community and beyond. He taught nuclear medicine to hundreds of Radiology residents including me over his remarkable 47-year tenure at MCV/VCU," said Ann Fulcher, M.D., Chair, of the VCU Department of Radiology. "However, perhaps the most important lesson that Dr. Fratkin shared with learners and colleagues alike was that of professionalism and kindness. On a personal level, he was near and dear to me as he graciously served as one of the Vice Chairs in our Department from the time that I became Chair until his retirement in late 2017; I often reflect upon his measured, level-headed approach to decision making. He will be remembered fondly and will be missed."

Dr. Melvin Fratkin was an inspiration, admired and respected by his colleagues and trainees. His passing is an enormous loss for his family, friends and VCU. More information about his life, career and memorial gifts are available at Dignity Memorial. As you will note at the end of his obituary, he offered the opportunity to friends and family to donate to the VCU Radiology Residency Education Fund, an enduring example of his devotion to our residents and our Department.

Division of Nuclear Medicine's PLUVICTO® Therapy: A New Era in Prostate Cancer Treatment

We have an exciting update to a previous announcement from the VCU Health Division of Nuclear Medicine. The Nuclear Medicine team successfully provided a patient with their first treatments of PLUVICTO, an FDA-approved, radioligand therapy offered as an outpatient intravenous infusion every six weeks for six treatments. According to Jayashree Parekh, M.D., Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Nuclear Medicine, VCU Health is one of only two healthcare providers in Richmond approved to offer the PLUVICTO therapy.

The Division of Nuclear Medicine offers PLUVICTO, the first and only targeted radioligand therapy for adult patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA+ mCRPC), as a treatment to patients after treatment with androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy. After launching the new therapy in June, our Nuclear Medicine team has provided this specialized care to more than six patients.

VCU Radiology names New Section Chief of Pediatric Imaging

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Gregory Vorona, M.D., Associate Professor of Radiology, to Section Chief of Pediatric Imaging for the VCU Department of Radiology and the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

"I am delighted that Dr. Vorona accepted the opportunity to serve as Section Chief of our dynamic Pediatric Radiology Section. He brings with him an enthusiastic attitude, an extensive fund of pediatric radiology knowledge, and the confidence of those who are not only in the Pediatric Radiology Section and Department of Radiology but also in the many Pediatric specialties that we serve. Dr. Vorona will represent the Department well as we work with the larger Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU and the community to further expand and enhance services for children," said Ann Fulcher, M.D., Chair of the VCU Department of Radiology.

In his new role as Section Chief of Pediatric Imaging, Dr. Vorona will optimize clinical service, mentor junior faculty, train medical students, residents, and fellows who rotate through the Department of Radiology, and promote professional relationships and research with all Pediatric sub-specialties.

New Faculty

Exciting Growth as We Welcome Our Newest Faculty Members to the Team.

Berthina (Tina) Coleman, M.D., joins us remotely from Florida as a Cardiothoracic Imaging specialist. Dr. Coleman is fellowship-trained in both Cardiothoracic and Emergency Radiology. She completed her residency and fellowships at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA, and earned her medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Science Center.

Timothy Fitzgerald, M.D., joins our Neuroradiology Section. Dr. Fitzgerald is a VCU Radiology Residency Program alumnus, class of 2023, returning after completing his Neuroradiology fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Before completing his residency at VCU, he earned his medical degree from Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine.

Melissa D. Kang, M.D., joins our Neuroradiology Section. She previously served as the Chief of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Central Virginia VA Health Systems and held the position of Associate Professor at VCU. Dr. Kang is a senior Neuroradiologist who focuses on head and neck and skull base imaging and has multiple publications to her credit. She received her training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Diagnostic Radiology with a fellowship in Neuroradiology. She has also held a faculty position of Assistant Professor at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and has experience in private practice.

Khanh T. Nguyen, D.O., joins our Neuroradiology Section after recently completing her Neuroradiology fellowship at the New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Prior to completing her fellowship, she completed her Radiology residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine.

Joseph A. Widdicombe, M.D., joins our Division of Vascular Interventional Radiology after completing his Independent Interventional Radiology residency at the University of Virginia. He also completed his Diagnostic Radiology residency at VCU, as well as earning his medical degree and undergraduate degree in Biology at VCU.

Welcome New Fellows

Introducing Our Newest Fellows: A Fresh Wave of Talent Joins Our Team.

We are very pleased to welcome back five VCU Radiology residents for a new academic year as fellows with our internationally recognized Department. Our new fellows will learn from subspecialist experts and receive significant hands-on training to emerge ready for exciting careers in Radiology.

Top row from left to right; Jacob Davis, M.D., is an Abdominal Imaging fellow, Armaghan Faghihimehr, M.D., is a MSK fellow, and Philip Kyle, D.O., is an Abdominal Imaging fellow. Bottom row from left to right; Trent Pannell, M.D., is a MSK fellow, and Khalid Shaqddan, MB.Bch., is a Breast Imaging/MSK fellow.