Roderic I. Pettigrew, PhD, MD, is the first director of the NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and in 2013 was also appointed NIH’s acting chief officer for scientific workforce diversity. This position was established by the NIH director for the coordination and oversight of all NIH programs and activities designed to strengthen the biomedical research workforce through enhanced diversity.

Before his appointment at the NIH, Dr. Pettigrew was professor of radiology, medicine (cardiology) at Emory University and of bioengineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; he was also director of the Emory Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta. He is known internationally for his pioneering work at Emory University involving four-dimensional imaging of the cardiovascular system using MRI. His current research focuses on integrated imaging and predictive biomechanical modeling of coronary atherosclerotic disease.

Early on at NIBIB he jointly led a national effort with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to create new interdisciplinary graduate training programs, and established the Quantum Projects program to achieve “medical moon shots” by pursuing high-risk, high-impact projects designed to solve major healthcare problems. Under Dr. Pettigrew’s leadership, national collaborative and international initiatives have been issued to develop low-cost and point-of-care medical technologies.

At present he leads an effort to reduce CT radiation dose to background levels, and has recently called for a US-India collaboration to develop unobtrusive technologies for frequent recording of blood pressure to address the worldwide problem of hypertension.

Dr. Pettigrew is a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. His awards include Phi Beta Kappa, the Benjamin E. Mays Award from A Better Chance Foundation, Most Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Miami (1990), Herbert Nickens Award of the Association of Black Cardiologists, Pritzker Distinguished Achievement Award of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Distinguished Service Award of the National Medical Association, and the Pierre Galletti Award of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.