Dehdashti, Parihar Receive Honors from American College of Nuclear Medicine
Two faculty members from WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) were recognized by the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) for their contributions to the field of nuclear medicine. The certifying body for the subspecialty, ACNM is composed of nuclear medicine physicians and professionals dedicated to enhancing the practice and ensuring a regulatory and economic framework that encourages the safe, appropriate use of nuclear medicine procedures in healthcare.
Farrokh Dehdashti, MD, the Drs. Barry A. and Marilyn J. Siegel Professor of Radiology and the senior vice chair and director of MIR’s nuclear medicine division, was invited to deliver the Mandell-Alavi Lectureship on Advances in Molecular Imaging and to serve as keynote speaker at the ACNM Annual Meeting plenary session.
For over 30 years, she has helped expand the role of positron emission tomography (PET) in oncology research, focusing primarily on translational oncologic studies and receptor imaging. She has spearheaded first-in-human, Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies of numerous novel radiotracers developed at the university. Additionally, she has conducted pioneering studies on several novel PET diagnostic compounds for various cancers, including cervical, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
Dehdashti also serves as the PET medical director of the Center for Clinical Imaging Research and co-leader of Siteman Cancer Center’s Oncologic Imaging Program. Her work has been recognized by several institutions, including the 2025 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Outstanding Researcher Award, 2024 WashU Medicine Dean’s Impact Award and the 2018 Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research Distinguished Investigator Award.
Ashwin Singh Parihar, MD, assistant professor of radiology, received the ACNM Best Clinical Mentor Award. This honor recognizes dedicated teachers of nuclear medicine, including clinical and scientific subjects, for trainees, colleagues and the field at large.
Parihar is an active educator, publishing contributor and peer reviewer who currently serves as an associate editor for Radiology. He has received the journal’s 2024 Editor’s Recognition Award with distinction and has served on the editorial boards of several journals. Among his honors are the 2026 Olmsted Fellow in Radiology Education Journalism, the 2023 Honored Educator Award, 2023 Trainee Research Prize and the 2024 Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award — all from RSNA.
Dehdashti and Parihar will be honored at the ACNM Annual Meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois.
