The BME Department is co-located in the midst of a world class regional medical center with a series of top-ranked programs. Over more than three decades, UVA investigators have made important contributions to foundational research in data acquisition methods, image reconstruction and analysis techniques, and molecularly targeted contrast agents. Clinician and basic scientists have leveraged these strong foundations to improve clinical diagnostic imaging, to create completely new areas of imaging, and to advance hypothesis-driven research. We have established internationally recognized research programs in cardiovascular and lung imaging, with emerging areas of excellence in cancer as well as in neurological imaging and focused ultrasound. Researchers investigating disease-based applications and foundational sciences work closely together, while clinical and preclinical studies routinely make use of the latest advances in the foundational sciences. The needs of the advanced applications often influence and set the direction for future foundational research. This model for imaging research is ideal for clinical, basic-science, and engineering trainees, who gain both depth and breadth of expertise through immersion in our multidisciplinary imaging research ecosystem.