A Family’s Commitment to Neuroradiology
From the Radiology Department Newsletter, Editor: Mary McAllister

From left to right: Dr. David Yousem, Stella Yousem, Dr. Daniel Reich, and Dr. Jonathan Lewin.

In 2005, Herbert and Stella Yousem established the Yousem Family Research Fund in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science to support the advancement of neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins. It was their intention to provide an award on a regular basis to an individual who chose to pursue neuroradiology research. 

The Yousem family has a strong history with Johns Hopkins, starting with Dr. Herbert Yousem, a Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist who received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Johns Hopkins in 1950.  His early years in medical training resulted in seminal work on the role of estrogen in the female menstrual cycle, which that led to a clinical appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  Herbert and Stella’s son, Dr. David Yousem, completed his residency and instructorship in the Department of Radiology from 1984 to1988.  In 1998, David returned to join the faculty, and is now the Director of the Division of Neuroradiology and a Professor of Radiology.

Herbert Yousem died in 2005, the year he began funding this special award.  As a result, he was unable to meet the wonderful individuals who have benefitted from his and his wife’s generosity.  Stella continues the tradition, with plans to soon meet the 2009 Yousem Family Award recipient—Ye Qiao, M.D.—whose research will focus on intracranial atherosclerosis imaging.  “We are pleased with our relationship with the Department of Radiology and that we can help launch the careers of young professionals,” she said. “This was a way for our family to continue helping the next generation of those working in the medical field.” 

The Yousem Family Research Fund promotes the integration of diagnostic neuroradiology and the neurosciences across all aspects of neuroimaging.  The financial resources provide funding for pilot data collection aimed towards the submission of a more extensive grant for external funding. 

Grant funding such as the Yousem Award can be a critical factor for young investigators who need to develop sufficient pilot data to successfully compete for federal or large foundation awards,” says Dr. Jonathan Lewin, chairman of the Radiology department.  “Often times, the resources required for the earliest pilot data is are the limiting steps in the development of a new idea into positive results that can improve diagnosis or treatment of disease, and benefit the health of the public.”

Daniel S. Reich, M.D., Ph.D., a fellow in the Division of Neuroradiology from 2007 to 2009, benefitted from the Yousems’ generosity.  The research award helped fund his work on quantitative MRI of the visual pathway in patients with traumatic optic-nerve damage.  “My work in multiple sclerosis, which commonly affects patients’ vision, led to a testable hypothesis about the effects of optic-nerve damage on the brain,” he says.  “The Yousem Award has given me the chance to begin to test this hypothesis. But, perhaps more importantly, the award gave me the opportunity to take a scientific project from conception to implementation, and the lessons I’ve learned in the process will serve me well throughout my career.”