Benjamin Auer, PhD SNMMI Council Intern
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) has appointed Benjamin Auer, PhD as an intern to the Physics, Instrumentation and Data Sciences Council (PIDSC). The purpose of the internship program is to identify and train future leaders of SNMMI in the structure, governance, and operations of the organization; to prepare individuals for progressive levels of responsibility; to ensure effective leadership that advances the mission and goals of the organization. The two-year term as an intern will begin immediately following the SNMMI Annual Meeting this year. The meeting will be held June 12-15, 2021 virtually.
Benjamin Auer, PhD a Postdoctoral Fellow, recently promoted to Instructor in Radiology in April 2020, in Michael King's Lab where he contributes to ongoing projects in multi-pinhole SPECT imaging funded by NIH/NIBIB grants. Dr. Auer completed his PhD program at the molecular imaging department of the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Strasbourg, France, focusing on the optimization of SPECT quantitative methods for preclinical studies and more specifically accelerated Monte-Carlo simulation based scatter compensation for preclinical practice.
PIDSC
The Physics, Instrumentation and Data Sciences Council (PIDSC) is composed of Society members who have an interest in medical physics, nuclear instrumentation, and data analysis, and their applications in therapeutic, diagnostic or investigational nuclear medicine. PIDSC's mission is to promote the dissemination of knowledge and the advancement of medical physics, nuclear instrumentation, and data analysis and their applications for diagnosis and treatment in nuclear medicine to its members and to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging as a whole.
Projects of the Council that Dr. Auer may be assigned to:
- To promote effective use of medical physics, nuclear instrumentation, and data analysis in the diagnostic, therapeutic, and investigational applications of nuclear medicine, including molecular imaging initiatives;
- To provide a forum for the members of the Society of Nuclear Medicine who have an interest in medical physics, nuclear instrumentation, and data analysis;
- To provide members of the Society of Nuclear Medicine with a source of information on medical physics, nuclear instrumentation, and data analysis.
Dr. Auer states "As the new intern of the SNMMI Physics, Instrumentation and Data Sciences Council (PIDSC) for the next two years (June 2021-June 2023), among other tasks (undefined at that time), I will be assisting with the management and editing of content related to NMMItools (https://nmmitools.org) which is an online platform detailing/listing tools/softwares available for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Research. Interns are expected to attend the Council/Center Board and business meetings held at the Mid-Winter and Annual Meetings and participate in conference calls. They might also help in the organization of these meetings."
Career goals
"Today, improving and developing molecular imaging in clinical studies remain a major challenge. In this context, a strong collaboration between clinicians and physicists is mandatory. My preclinical and clinical imaging expertise in CT, MRI, and SPECT imaging has instilled in me a strong interest towards applied physics to medicine. For these reasons, my immediate future professional goal is to obtain the ABSNM nuclear physics and instrumentation specialty certification to facilitate obtaining a position as a medical physicist in a clinical facility in the United States of America. Such position at the crossroads between clinical practice, teaching and research would allow me to fulfill my major personal interests."
Personal interests
"I am very passionate about history in general, especially on the Napoleonic era, the discovery of the Americas, the north America’s first settlers, the gilded age, and science discoveries. I’m fond of hiking and travel, always keen to discover the beautiful great outdoors that the US has to offer."