Baowei Fei

Education

PhD, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio
MSc, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio

Overview

Dr. Fei is Director of the Center for Imaging and Surgical Innovation (CISI), Professor of Bioengineering and Computer Science, and Cecil H. and Ida Green Chair in Systems Biology Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is also a Full Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Before he was recruited to Dallas, Dr. Fei was Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences and Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Emory University where he was Director of the Precision Imaging – Quantitative, Molecular & Image-Guided Technologies Program and Director of Quantitative Bioimaging Laboratory. He was also a faculty member in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Awards and Honors

YearHonor
2022Chair, NIH Study Special Emphasis Panel (ZEB1 OSR-F M2)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
2022Chair, NIH Study Section Special Emphasis Panel ZRG1 SBIB-C
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
2022Chair, NIH Study Section Special Emphasis Panel ZRG1 MOSS-V
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
2022Faculty Research Award – Full Professor Category Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
The University of Texas at Dallas
2020Federal Research Innovation and Expenditures Dynamo (FRIEND) Award
Office of Research and Innovation, The University of Texas at Dallas
2020Editor’s Choice Article, Ortega et al, “Deep learning-based framework
for in vivo identification of glioblastoma tumor using hyperspectral images of human brain” as published by Sensors, Basel, Switzerland
2020Best Paper Award, Intuitive Surgical and SPIE Medical Imaging: Image-guided procedures, robotic interventions, and modeling
2019Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
2019Fellow, The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)
2019Chair, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Study Section Special Emphasis Panel ZCA1 TCRB-T
2019Robert F. Wagner Best Paper Award – Runner-up, International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging
2018Chair, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Section Special Emphasis Panel ZCA1 RPRB-N (U01)
2018Cecil H. and Ida Green Chair in Systems Biology Science, University of Texas at Dallas
2018Robert F. Wagner Best Paper Award – Runner-up, International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging
2017-2020Conference Chair, The International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging: Image-guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling
2016-2017Chair, NIH Study Section on Early Phase Clinical Trials in Imaging and Image-guided Interventions
2013Distinguished Investigator Award, The Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
2013Emory Faculty 1% Award, School of Medicine, Emory University
2013Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University
2011The Cum Laude Poster Award – First Place, International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging: Image-guided Procedure, Robotics Interventions, and Modeling
2009Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Georgia Cancer Coalition and the Governor of Georgia
2009Young Investigator Award – First Place, Computer and Instrumentation Council, The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
2007Presidential Research Initiative Award, Ohio Board of Regents and Case Western Reserve University
2002Postdoctoral Traineeship Award, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

Dr. Fei developed multiple biomedical imaging techniques and translated them into clinical settings. He developed novel hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and led the world’s first study on HSI for head and neck cancer detection in over 200 patients. His HSI work has been cited worldwide. He also developed several new imaging techniques for prostate cancer detection and diagnosis. He developed a PET/ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy system and led the NCI-funded, first-in-human clinical trial on molecular imaging directed, ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate. His clinical results show that the PET/ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy has improved the detection of prostate cancer, as reported by NBC News. He developed numerous methods for medical image processing and analysis and published more than 100 articles on image registration, segmentation, and classification. He is passionate about not only developing new imaging technologies but also translating them into the clinical settings to improve the care of human patients.

Dr. Fei served as Principal Investigator (PI) of more than 20 research grants from the NIH, DOD, foundations, industry, state and local programs, and other agencies. He also served as co-investigator for more than 20 other funded grants. Dr. Fei led and completed a first-in-human clinical trial on PET/ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy of the prostate and contributed to the improvement of prostate cancer detection and patient care. Dr. Fei currently serves as PI for multiple NIH R01 grants and a CPRIT grant. Dr. Fei has published more than 200 referred papers in biomedical imaging, image-guided intervention, and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Fei is a national leader in quantitative imaging and image-guided interventions. He serves as Conference Chair for the International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging – Image-Guided Procedures, Robotics Interventions, and Modeling from 2017-2020. He served as the Chair or co-Chair for the National Institute of Health (NIH) study sections and the Department of Defense (DOD) grant review panels. He served as an Associate Editor for Medical Physics, an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Biomedical Optics and other five journals in the field of biomedical imaging, and a reviewer for more than 20 international journals in medical imaging. Dr. Fei is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a Fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE). He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). He is also a member of American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS), and Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

Dr. Fei enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting scholars when they undertake research projects. Under his supervision, multiple undergraduate students publish their first papers each year. His graduate students received multiple national awards, including the Best Paper Awards and the Poster Awards, at the International Conference of SPIE Medical Imaging and other scientific meetings. His PhD students won multiple national and international awards, including the PhD Thesis 2020 Award worldwide by the Editor-In-Chief of MPDI Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). His trainees have become faculty members in academic institutions and industry leaders in the USA and worldwide.

Dr. Fei envisions that biomedical imaging and computing will be a leading force in a new era of precision medicine where quantitative methods of engineering and systems sciences have a pivotal role in disease detection, diagnostics, and treatment. The mission of his research lab is to shape and advance the science and technology of biomedical imaging and computing through innovative research and inspiring education, with the goal of becoming a destination laboratory internationally recognized as a first choice of both researchers and students.

Research Interests

  • Biomedical imaging and computing
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
  • Quantitative imaging: image processing & analysis, segmentation, classification, and registration
  • Image-guided interventions: image-guided surgery, therapy, biopsy, and drug delivery
  • Translational imaging: cellular & molecular imaging, small animal imaging, and clinical imaging
  • Multimodality imaging: optical imaging, hyperspectral imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging
  • Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) for biomedical and clinical applications
  • Cancer research: prostate, head and neck, breast, pancreas, kidney, and brain
  • Neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular diseases