Page 15 - The Paduan: Winter 2020

NEWS
Cutting-Edge Cardiac MRI - Lon Simonetti ’78
Orlando (Lon) Simonetti ’78 originally entered The Ohio State University with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. That
plan shifted to engineering when he found himself more interested in the hard sciences and discovered the field of biomedical engineering. Lon continued his studies by earning a Master of Science degree at OSU followed by his doctorate at Case Western Reserve University. At Case he was mentored by colleague Dr. Jeffrey Duerk, currently the Provost at the University of Miami in Florida, which led to significant collaboration and development of techniques used on some of the earliest clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
Lon began his career in the industry in 1992 as a scientist at the New Jersey headquarters of Siemens Medical Solutions, one of the top MRI manufacturers in the world. In the late 90s, Lon was promoted to director of cardiovascular MRI research and development and led a research team in Chicago that collaborated closely with Northwestern University.
In 2005, Lon was lured back to his alma mater to work at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital which is part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Heart and
Vascular Center. There he continues to
lead the development of new cardiac
MRI techniques, working closely with cardiologists who use MRI for research
and clinical applications. Lon reports,
“One of the benefits of cardiac MRI is its flexibility and sensitivity in measuring physiological parameters, such as flow, anatomy, perfusion, diffusion, scar tissue, and inflammation.” He is also on the faculty of The Ohio State University College
of Medicine where he instructs future physicians and engineers in the use of MRI. In 2019, Lon received the Gold Medal Award of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in recognition of his lifetime of achievement and contributions to the field.
Lon credits his incredible teachers at Padua with preparing him for his math and science-intensive degrees and career. He mentioned a particular fondness for James “Crazy Luke” Lenczewski (physics), Patrick Cordisco (chemistry), Norman Burkhardt (biology, who also served as Lon’s swim team and water polo coach) and Harvey Cohen (calculus).
Lon has taken the remote instruction opportunity of the pandemic to get involved in MedTrack by speaking remotely to upperclassmen and alumni.
Lon (seated on the left) played a major role in developing MRI techniques to detect scarring and inflammation in the heart muscle that can result from a heart attack.