Associate Professor of Medical Imaging

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Research Scientist (2025-), Postdoctoral Associate (2021-2024)

Erick is an MRI research scientist specialized in advancing and applying noninvasive quantitative imaging techniques. His focus is on musculoskeletal disorders and ischemic joint conditions. His expertise spans relaxation time mapping, diffusion-weighted imaging, intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), and other cutting-edge MRI methods. Erick’s research aims to develop, validate, and clinically implement advanced imaging techniques, emphasizing their potential to enhance the understanding, detection, and treatment of conditions such as osteoarthritis, low back pain, and ischemic injuries. By leveraging high-field (3T) and ultrahigh-field (7T+) MRI systems, Erick conducts comprehensive animal model and human studies, exploring tissue structure, physiology, and pathology. Current applications of his work include osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), and intervertebral disc disease. 

During his Ph.D. at the University of Houston, Erick developed a novel approach to noninvasive perfusion quantification using IVIM at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. He proposed an analytical framework to extract perfusion parameters independent of imaging parameters such as echo time, which he validated with custom-designed phantoms and in vivo brain studies. Prior to his Ph.D., Erick earned a postgraduate diploma in condensed matter and statistical physics at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, where he explored many-body contributions to the energy of various water topologies.

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NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow

Cecília is an NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow and veterinarian from Brazil specialized in diagnostic imaging of small animals. Her clinical experience includes radiography and ultrasonography of domestic animals. She holds postgraduate certificates in Diagnostic Imaging and Veterinary Radiology. Her research at the University of Minnesota focuses on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of musculoskeletal disorders 

DVM/PhD Student -- Veterinary Sciences (2023-), Veterinary Summer Scholar (2023, 2024)

Ashton is a current PhD/DVM Dual Degree student at the CVM and is interested in researching new diagnostic imaging techniques for musculoskeletal disease. He is broadly interested in pursuing a career at the intersection of research and teaching in veterinary radiology. Graduating with a BS from the University of Minnesota, Ashton has a background in animal science, chemistry, and business management. He has previously worked in poultry research laboratories focused on vaccine development and is also currently a veterinary technician assistant trained in medical imaging at the VMC.   

DDS/PhD Student -- Oral Biology (2024-)

Aryan Shekarabi is a DDS/PhD student at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry with a background in therapeutic target discovery. He is interested in leveraging advanced MRI techniques to better understand disease manifestation and progression, with a specific emphasis on musculoskeletal disorders. Aryan graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, where he developed a foundation in neuroscience, pharmacology, and physiology. His goal is to bridge the gap between clinical practice and research by developing and employing novel approaches for disease diagnosis and treatment. 

Master's Student -- Biomedical Engineering (2024-)

Toshali is a Masters Student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She is interested in bridging the gap between neuroscience and MRI imaging. She  completed her BTech in Bioengineering from VIT University in India with a foundation in Medical Imaging. She is looking forward to working on quantitative imaging techniques such as 6-point Dixon to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders using fat and water fraction segmentation. 

Master's Student -- Biomedical Engineering (2024-)

Nihar is a first year graduate student at the UMN in Biomedical Engineering. He pursued his undergraduate studies in the same from India. He has developed a broad interest in the field of medical instrumentation and imaging and is looking forward to advancing his skill sets and experience in the same by working upon quantitative MRI techniques to improve the assessment of bone related diseases in children. During his time in undergrad he worked on projects which involved image processing and deep learning techniques. 

Veterinary Student Researcher (2024-), Veterinary Summer Scholar (2025)

Abigail's research in the lab focuses on evaluating quantitative MRI methods to assess spine health in dogs with intervertebral disc disease. During her gap years after undergrad, Abby worked closely with radiologists, learning advanced imaging techniques and gaining valuable hands-on experience in the field. She is currently a first-year DVM student with a keen interest in pursuing a radiology specialty. Abigail graduated from the University of West Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Field Biology, where she dedicated much of her time to research projects. Notably, she was awarded a seed grant for her research on the cayenne pepper and its potential as a natural food preservative. 

Veterinary Student Researcher (2023-), Veterinary Summer Scholar (2024)

Nicole is a current DVM student at the CVM and is interested in pursuing a career in both a clinical and educational setting as a veterinary radiologist upon graduation. She graduated from the University of Minnesota CFANS with her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. During her undergraduate studies, she worked alongside Dr. Chris Ober (DVM-ACVR) on her thesis regarding ultrasound findings of abdominal mast cell tumors in felines, achieving magna cum laude honor for her degree. She also worked as a veterinary technician assistant for the past 4 years in medical imaging at the VMC, and has had 3 years of general practice and 1 year of triage/ICU experience as a veterinary assistant at other clinics.