Charles A. Pelizzari, Ph.D.
Dr. Pelizzari spent his early years in the Detroit area, and attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering in 1974 under the direction of John M. Carpenter. He spent 8 years as a staff physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, using thermal neutron scattering to study structure and dynamics of solids and fluids. He was a member of the first experimental group to observe dispersion of collective excitations in the Fermi liquid phase of Helium-3 at low temperature (0.01K) using neutrons, and of the original design team for the experimental facilities at Argonne's Intense Pulsed Neutron Source.
In 1982 he joined the University of Chicago in the Section of Radiation Therapy of the Radiology Department, which became the Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology in 1985. His responsibilities have included development of computer software for planning of various therapy techniques including external photon beam therapy, interstitial and intracavitary brachytherapy, including ultrasound-guided 125I prostate seed implants. He collaborated with colleagues in Dr David Levin's laboratory in Radiology to develop techniques for synthesis and 3D display of information from multiple medical image studies into a single consistent framework so they may be used for accurate diagnosis and therapy planning, and to develop a system for image guidance of neurosurgery.
His current research interests include visualization of multimodality 3D information from medical image data and its application to diagnosis and image guidance of therapy procedures; optimization of intensity modulated radiotherapy; incorporation of uncertainty into design and delivery of therapy; communication and storage of medical image data; and application of quantitative film dosimetry techniques to autoradiography.
During the summer Dr Pelizzari participates in yacht races on Lake Michigan, including the annual Chicago to Mackinac Island race since 1978.
