INTRODUCTION: MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Radiology is a profession of continuous innovation and scientific exploration. The pace of development and opportunities for discovery are accelerated by parallel advances in other fields, including electronics, computers, and image processing. To maintain our field at the cutting edge of medicine, it is critical that Radiology residents take an active interest in research and fill the academic ranks with talented scientists.

Bracco Diagnostics Inc., recognizing the importance of research and innovation for the ongoing development of Radiology, has sponsored an opportunity to encourage budding radiologists to develop and refine their research skills. Department chairmen and residency program directors were invited to recommend residents of extraordinary research potential to participate in this Bracco program. Each of the selected residents has written a scientific review article, five focusing on CT, five focusing on MRI. The material for each article was to come from a review of literature supplemented by each resident's experience and research activities within his or her training program, as well as by knowledge gained from their participation in the 2002 RSNA meeting.

Dr. Michael Knopp and I reviewed the residents' papers in the MRI category, and it is our pleasure to announce that this year's Bracco MRI "Leaders on The Horizon" Educational Grant has been presented to Luis C. Maas, MD, PhD.

Dr. Maas is currently a third-year resident in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco. He earned his SB, SM, and PhD degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MD degree from Harvard Medical School.

We hope that the following articles are of educational benefit to the readers and will stimulate other residents in our community to keep an active interest in Radiology research and innovation, an interest that is essential for the continuous evolution of our field.

Martin R. Prince, MD, PhD

Applied Radiology would like to thank our MRI reviewers: Michael V. Knopp, MD, PhD, Novartis Chair & Director of Imaging Research, Ohio State University Medical Center, University Hospitals, Radiology Department, Columbus, OH; and Martin R. Prince, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY.