Medical student presents diagnostic radiology research at conference in Singapore

Brandon Schonour presents a digital poster on his research

at the international conference.

Brandon Schonour, a third-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, presented MRI-based research this summer at the 2024 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) annual meeting and exhibition in Singapore. 

Schonour worked with his research mentor, Jae Ho Sohn, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, over the course of the last year on the diagnostic radiology project titled “Predictors of 0.55T Respiratory Navigated Lung MRI Degradation.” 

Specifically, the research project tried to find predictors of degraded image quality when scanning lungs on a 0.55T MRI machine, Schonour said. “The usefulness of this information is that if we know what factors, such as the presence of fibrotic interstitial lung disease, contribute to a patient having a poorer image quality,” he explained, “we could try to adjust the scan parameters to optimize the image quality in these specific patient populations.” 

The Florida native said he picked a career path at a young age, knowing that he wanted to pursue diagnostic radiology since the third grade. The opportunity to attend the conference in Singapore with some of the leading radiologists in the world solidified his decision. 

“Given that I am interested in diagnostic radiology as a specialty, it was a great experience getting to learn all about the work being done in the field of MRI,” he said. “It also felt great to be able to represent my school on a global level such as this.” 

At the Whiddon College of Medicine, Schonour is a member of the Native American Student Association, Quatsabadi STEM Mentoring, Radiology Interest Group, Global Health Collaborative, and Medical School Admissions Ambassador Team.  

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine is an international, nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education in the field. Its multidisciplinary membership of more than 8,000 consists of clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists.