Honour: Paula Foster, PhD, honoured with Senior Fellowship from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) has selected Paula Foster, PhD, Professor of Medical Biophysics and Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute, for a Senior Fellowship in recognition of her innovation in the area of cellular and molecular imaging.

ISMRM is a multi-disciplinary non-profit association that promotes innovation, development and application of magnetic resonance techniques in medicine and biology throughout the world. ISMRM Fellows are selected based on their contributions to research and education within imaging science, as well as the development of the Society.

At the Robarts Research Institute, Foster leads the Cellular and Molecular Imaging Research Program. The program is multi-disciplinary in nature, drawing on expertise from a broad array of scientific and medical disciplines. She is also the Director of the Collaborative Specialization in Molecular Imaging program at the School and the Magnetic Particle Imaging Lab, as well as Co-Director of the Translational Imaging Research Facility at Robarts Research Institute.

Her own research investigates MRI and MPI cell tracking techniques as well as cell labelling technologies for cellular therapy, with a focus on tracking cancer cell dormancy and metastasis, cellular immunotherapies, stem cells  and inflammatory cells associated with tumours.

Through the years, she has also been closely involved in the activities of the ISMRM, teaching educational sessions and organizing workshops for both cancer imaging and molecular and cellular imaging. She alsoserved as Chair of both the ISMRM Molecular and Cellular Imaging study group and the Cancer Imaging study group.

Foster says this recognition is particularly meaningful in part because she is only the second Canadian female scientist to become an ISMRM Senior Fellow, and the tenth Canadian to ever receive the honour.