A message from the Executive Director

Headshot of Rohan Dharmakumar.

On behalf of our faculty, staff and trainees, I would like to welcome you to the Medical Imaging Research Institute, also known as MIRI.

Envisioned as an interdisciplinary institute for imaging research under the Office of the Vice Chair for Research within the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Indiana University School of Medicine, MIRI will facilitate the use of biomedical imaging in research and clinical trials for investigators.

With the addition of multidisciplinary research centers, including the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center, Center for Neuroimaging Research, and eventually a cancer imaging-focused center, MIRI integrates its newly upgraded Research Imaging Core to catapult imaging research to the forefront of biomedical research at IU School of Medicine. A key mission of MIRI is to empower the development of imaging-guided diagnostics and therapeutics to advance clinical trials and enable medical breakthroughs to tackle the most deadly diseases such as cancer, neurological disease and heart disease.

While improving on existing collaborations with multiple research centers and industry, MIRI will embrace new partnerships that will expand our understanding and impact in advancing imaging research in these disciplines both nationally and internationally. These engagements are also expected to provide unprecedented training opportunities and exposure for our graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.  

According to the Academy of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging 2024 NIH Date Collection Report, imaging research at the IU School of Medicine Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences ranks 1st among 'Big Ten' schools and 13th among all departments of radiology in the United States with total extramural research funding in 2024 exceeding $23 million. MIRI is poised to leverage this pedigree to revolutionize imaging research at IU School of Medicine while addressing important clinical and disease management challenges. By developing cutting edge imaging tools to drive diagnostics, we are leading tomorrow’s therapeutic interventions.

We are excited for the future of imaging research at MIRI and welcome your interest in collaborations, careers, imaging resources and educational opportunities.

Rohan Dharmakumar's signature.

Rohan Dharmakumar, PhD

Robert W. Holden, MD Professor of Radiology
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences
Executive Director, Medical Imaging Research Institute
Director, Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center
Indiana University School of Medicine
A male scientist experiments with radioactive material.

Our vision

With our established reputation in neuroimaging, we are building a bold new vision of our research enterprise by emerging as a powerhouse that includes neuroimaging, cardiovascular imaging and oncology imaging and theranostics research through three discipline-focused research centers that are part of MIRI, which launched May 2025.

Through these strategic imaging research centers, MIRI leverages state-of-the-art approaches in science, engineering and medicine to drive technological advances in imaging. We are consolidating and expanding the current imaging research infrastructure to maximize access to investigators and catalyze innovations in medical imaging research.

Three male scientists collaborate on a project on a laptop.

Our goal

While understanding of disease processes will always be a key tenet of MIRI, the overarching goal of the institute is to use this knowledge for the development of novel diagnostics, interventions and therapeutics under imaging guidance to address critical unmet needs in patient care. As a multidisciplinary research enterprise, MIRI is a hub of innovation in medical imaging that aspires to advance disease-focused research across the IU School of Medicine and Indiana University Health academic health enterprise and redefine patient care in medicine.

Since the formation of MIRI, we have made significant progress in broadening our imaging research capabilities to support infrastructure that will enable MRI-guided interventions, imaging-guided drug therapy development, molecular imaging and artificial intelligence to support pre-clinical research, with the overarching objective of forging cutting-edge clinical trials. We also look forward to expanding the footprint in theranostics and oncologic imaging research and amplifying our imaging research impact through each of our imaging research centers.