Raymond Vahan Damadian passed away on August 3. He was 86. 


Dr Damadian pioneered the most important advancements in medical imaging and is considered to be the "Father of MRI". In the 1960s, he made a discovery that led to the creation of what we know today as magnetic resonance imaging. Damadian discovered how this tool could be used to see inside the human body and identify differences between cancerous and benign tissue. His findings were published in Science in 1971. He also received the world's first MRI patent the same year, which led to the development of the world's first MRI scanner - the "Indomitable". The world's first scan was completely on July 3, 1977. 


Dr Damadian had a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin and an MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He later joined the faculty of the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate in Brooklyn, where he made his groundbreaking discoveries. 


Dr Damadian established Fonar Corporations in 1978, the maker of the QED80, the world's first MRI scanner. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan. He was also inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 1989, joining a prestigious group of pioneers, including Orville and Wilbur Wright, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. He has received many prestigious honours throughout his career. 


On his father's passing, Dr Damadian’s son Timothy Damadian, the President and CEO of Fonar Corporations, said, "Today the world mourns the loss of the Father of MRI. Dr Damadian was a brilliant inventor, a compassionate physician, a devoted husband, a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and a trusted friend".


Source: Fonar Corporation

Image Credit: Fonar Corporation 


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MRI, Raymond Vahan Damadian, Fonar Corporation, Father of MRI Raymond Vahan Damadian, the Father of MRI, Dies at 86