Bio

​B.S. in Physics, University of Rochester, 1988​M.S. in Engineering Physics, University of Virginia, 1990​Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 1993​Post-Doc in Radiology, University of Virginia, 1994
Fred Epstein talking

"Our lab develops new MRI methods for imaging the heart. Some of our methods are used world-wide for clinical imaging or research studies."

Frederick H. Epstein, Mac Wade Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Epstein is recognized for his contributions to the field of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. He has been a world leader in advancing MRI myocardial strain imaging by developing and applying the cine DENSE (displacement encoding using stimulated echoes) MRI method. He has also made important contributions to accelerated MRI methods and to methods and applications of preclinical MRI in mouse models of heart disease.

Dr. Epstein has chaired the Science Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular MRI (SCMR) (2008) and the ISMRM Cardiac Study Group (2009). He served as an ad hoc member of the NIH NIBIB Board of Scientific Counselors in 2012 and as an international reviewer for the South African Medical Research Council 5-year review of the University of Cape Town Medical Imaging Research Unit (2010). He was recently a member of the Board of Trustees for the SCMR (2013-2015), and he recently served as a standing member of the NIH Study Section Biomedical Imaging Technology A (2012-2016). He is currently a Deputy Editor for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (2011 – present, the leading technical journal devoted to MRI physics and engineering), and is a member of the American Heart Association Mid-Atlantic Affiliate Research Committee (2014-2017).

Dr. Epstein was the only biomedical engineer invited to speak at the American College of Cardiology Think Tank on the future of cardiac imaging in Washington, DC in 2015. Dr. Epstein is also presently the elected Chair of the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (AIMBE) Academic Council, a group comprised of all BME Department Chairs across the nation. For contributions to research and service, Dr. Epstein is an elected Fellow of three major societies, namely the ISMRM (2013), the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (2014), and the American Heart Association (2014).

Awards

  • Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
  • Fellow and Established Investigator Award of the American Heart Association (AHA)
  • Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
  • Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)

Research Interests

  • Biomedical and Molecular Imaging
  • Image Reconstruction and Processing
  • Imaging System Engineering
  • Cardiovascular Disease
MRI Student Awards Since 2010

In the News

Selected Publications

  • Myocardial Tissue Tracking with Two-dimensional Cine Displacement-encoded MR Imaging: Development and Initial Evaluation. Radiology 2004:230:862-871. Kim D, Gilson WD, Kramer CM, Epstein FH.
  • Tracking Myocardial Motion from Cine-DENSE Images using Spatiotemporal Phase Unwrapping and Temporal Fitting. IEEE Trans Med Imag. 2007;26(1):15-30. Spottiswoode BS, Zhong X, Meintjes EM, Mayosi BM, Kramer CM, Epstein FH.
  • Impact of Mechanical Activation, Scar, and Electrical Timing on Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Response and Clinical Outcomes. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;63(16):1657-1666. Bilchick KC, Kuruvilla S, Hamirani Y, Ramachandran R, Clarke S, Parker KM, Moorman JR, Malhotra R, Mangrum JM, Darby AE, DiMarco J, Holmes JW, Salerno M, Kramer CM, Epstein FH.
  • Motion‐compensated compressed sensing for dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI using regional spatiotemporal sparsity and region tracking: Block low‐rank sparsity with motion‐guidance (BLOSM). Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 72(4), 1028-1038. 2014. Chen, X., Salerno, M., Yang, Y., & Epstein, F. H.
  • Multi-parameter in vivo Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Demonstrates Normal Perfusion Reserve Despite Severely Attenuated Beta-adrenergic Functional Response in Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Knockout Mice. European Heart Journal. 2007; 28:2778-2784. Vandsburger MH, French BA, Helm PA, Roy RJ, Kramer CM, Young AA, Epstein FH.
  • Molecular MRI of Post-Infarct Myocardial Scar in Mice Using a Collagen-Targeting Contrast Agent. Radiology. 2008;247:788-796. Helm PA, Caravan P, French BA, Jacques V, Shen L, Beyers R, Roy RJ, Kramer CM, Epstein FH.

Courses Taught

  • BME 4783 Medical Imaging Modalities
  • BME 8783 Advanced MRI

Featured Grants & Projects

  • NIH R01 HL147104

    NIH R01 HL147104


    "FREE-BREATHING AND SIMULTANEOUS MULTISLICE CINE DENSE MYOCARDIAL STRAIN IMAGING"

  • NIH R01 EB001763

    NIH R01 EB001763


    "MRI in mouse models of heart disease"

  • Siemens Heathineers

    Siemens Heathineers


    "Development of Free-breathing DENSE MRI"