Associate Professor Saad Ramadan is the Director of MR Research and NIF Node co-director of the University of Newcastle – HMRI Imaging Centre. In this role, he has primary responsibility of the operation of our state-of-the-art 3T Prisma scanner and its advanced auxiliary technology. He also supervises a staff of four, including two MRI radiographers, an MRI Scientist and a NIF Fellow. He writes business cases for personnel support, strategy documents for equipment leading to business cases, communication with potential Imaging Centre researchers with diverse backgrounds and NIF reporting requirements. He is also responsible for the oversight for all research processes in the Imaging Centre, from setting the overall strategy, reviewing the governance procedures, revising flows through the Imaging Centre and building strategic alliances. In addition to these tasks, A/Prof Ramadan also runs an active research program and is considered one of Australia’s leading experts in advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its clinical translation. A/Prof Ramadan currently supervises seven local and international PHD students, with a focus on translational projects in multiple sclerosis (MS), where advanced MR tools such as spectroscopy, diffusion, volumetrics, chemical exchange saturation transfer and susceptibility weighted imaging are used. He established novel neuro-metabolic signatures for disease modifying therapies and evaluated novel MR metrics for a newly developed neutraceuticals designed to combat MS fatigue funded by Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia. He recently received funding from Biogen to study white matter integrity and recovery in MS patients. A Prof Ramadan is also a national leader in the application of clinical and advanced spectroscopic in vivo techniques to many pathologies including myeloma, bone marrow, multiple sclerosis, glioblastoma, prostate, breast cancer and muscle. Other research interest of A/Prof Ramadan include the role of MRI in gastric emptying and placental and foetal brain imaging. He also has extensive industry collaborations, including Siemens Healthineers and French imaging company (Olea Medical). The HMRI Imaging Centre addresses unmet needs for regional Australia and rural communities and facilitates important research challenges. Additionally, in collaboration with Siemens Healthineers and Wollotuka Institute, Indigenous Training Fellowships in engineering or imaging healthcare will be undertaken at the Imaging Centre.
