The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) awarded Scott Gazelle with their 2015 Outstanding Research Award.
Dr. Gazelle earned his reputation as one of radiology’s most important—and prolific—researchers for his pioneering work in radiofrequency ablation, laying the foundation for techniques used today and helping to establish the field of interventional oncology.
Currently a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Gazelle is also renowned for his work in technology assessment.
Dr. Gazelle’s research career ascended quickly after he earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1985. Initially trained in abdominal and interventional radiology, his early research was related to bleeding complications of percutaneous biopsy procedures. However, soon after becoming associate director for the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Imaging and Pharmaceutical Research in 1993, he began focusing on developing contrast agents for CT and ultrasound as well as techniques for radiofrequency tumor ablation.
A team led by Dr. Gazelle at MGH was instrumental in developing radiofrequency ablation and establishing it as a viable therapeutic option for patients with primary and secondary liver tumors. Their work was pivotal in putting interventional oncology on the map.
In 1995, Dr. Gazelle earned a master’s degree in public health at Harvard School of Public Health, during which he established a research program that developed into the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment. He earned a doctorate degree in health policy from Harvard University in 1999.
Equally dedicated to training the next generation of researchers, Dr. Gazelle has formally supervised more than 60 fellows and junior faculty members and established and directs the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training.
Dr. Gazelle has published three textbooks and more than 200 peer-reviewed original research papers. He has received 38 grants from institutions including the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society.
He has served as president of the Association of University Radiologists, the Radiology Research Alliance and the New England Roentgen Ray Society.
He has served as Chair of the RSNA Research Development Committee and as a member of the RSNA Research & Education (R&E) Foundation Board of Trustees. Dr. Gazelle also helped to establish and served as director of RSNA’s Clinical Trials Methodology Workshop, the Advanced Course in Grant Writing program and the Creating and Optimizing the Research Enterprise (CORE) program.