William Ralph Brody (born January 4, 1944) is an American radiologist and academic administrator. He was the President of
The Johns Hopkins University, a position which he held from 1996 to 2009 before becoming the President of the
Salk Institute
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute located in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California, U.S. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vacci ...
from 2009 to 2015.
Education
Brody attended the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
where he studied electrical engineering, earning both a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
and a
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
degree. He then received his
M.D.
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...
and electrical engineering
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degrees from
Stanford University.
After obtaining these degrees, Brody worked as a resident in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery from 1972 to 1973. He then was a clinical associate at the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue to ...
in the surgery branch from 1973 to 1975 before serving as a resident at the
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It con ...
in the Radiology Department from 1975 to 1977.
Career
Professorships
From 1977 to 1986, Brody was employed at the
Stanford University School of Medicine. He began as an associate professor before advancing to hold titles including professor of radiology and electrical engineering, director of the Advanced Imaging Techniques Laboratory, and director of Research Laboratories - Division of Diagnostic Radiology.
Brody then shifted to the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...
in 1987. He served as the Martin W. Donner Professor of Radiology, professor of biomedical engineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and radiologist-in-chief of
The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Administration
Brody served as provost of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota for two years prior to becoming Johns Hopkins University's thirteenth president in 1996.
He was the highest-paid university president in the United States, receiving $897,786 in 2004, and regained the title in 2007. On March 10, 2008, he announced his intent to step down as president effective December 31, 2008. This was postponed to March 3, 2009, upon Hopkins naming
Ronald Daniels, the provost of the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
its next president. In 2008, Brody became president of Salk Institute, a position he would hold until 2015.
On May 21, 2009, an honorary doctorate was conferred on him by
The Johns Hopkins University.
Entrepreneurship
In addition to teaching and being an administrator, Brody took on personal scientific efforts of his own. He is a co-founder of several medical device companies including Biopsys Medical (Acquired by
J&J), Resonex (acquired by
GE), and Commure.
He also continued his studies in radiology, specifically in the field of medical imaging, in which he holds has authored over 100 publications. He has patents in this field for a multiple-energy x-ray subtraction imaging system and (for which he is the sole inventor) and multiple simulation systems (which he shares with
James H. Anderson, Chee-Kong Chui, Yiyu Cai, Yaoping Wang, and Wieslaw L. Nowinski).
Other Activity
Brody has been on the Board of Directors of a variety of organizations. These include
IBM, Alza Pharmaceuticals (J&J), Medtronic, and Mesa Biotech.
He also served on the Science Board of the Food and Drug Administration, the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and is a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees.
In 2007, Brody became a member of the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
for contributions to digital radiography, and for leadership in engineering at the interface between academia and industry.
Personal life
With his former wife, Wendy, he has two children: Ingrid and John. Brody is also a certified
commercial pilot A commercial pilot licence (CPL) is a type of pilot licence that permits the holder to act as a pilot of an aircraft and be paid for their work.
Different licenses are issued for the major aircraft categories: airplanes, airships, balloons, glid ...
and flight instructor.
Legacy
Brody Learning Commons
The Brody Learning Commons was officially opened in August 2012. This building is a connection to Johns Hopkins University's already existing Milton S. Eisenhower Library and it was named in the honor of former university president William R. Brody and his wife, Wendy. Opening this new study space left Brody with a strong connection to the university. Brody and his wife, Wendy, stated: “We always considered ourselves very lucky to have such smart, talented young people as our neighbors. Having a place where students will gather to study and learn named after us feels like we get to keep a piece of Hopkins with us forever.”
The building has several features: floor to ceiling glass walls, an architectural design desired by surveyed students and faculty. The building contains several collaborative study rooms that can be reserved by groups of students. These rooms contain projectors and white-board walls and are located within the multiple levels of the library, levels A, B, C, and D, with the main atrium in between. The building is also equipped with a reading room, sitting 100 students, six seminar rooms, and a café, as well as the Milton S. Eisenhower's special collections department. This department provides students and faculty direct interaction with preserved sources and artifacts to use for research or personal observation.
This attachment to the library has allowed room for more than a third of the existing seating capacity. Additionally, the building features various interactive forms of technology, ranging from projectors to video equipment for student use.
Awards and honors
Brody is a member of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the
Academy of Arts and Sciences, the
International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the
American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its qualifications. Education is a core component of the ...
, the
American College of Radiology, the American Institute of Biomedical Engineering, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
and the
American Heart Association.
Brody has received awards for his work in the field of biomedical engineering and radiology including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Presidential Medal and Stanford Medical School Distinguished Alumnus Award.
In addition, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Radiological Society of North America in 2010 for his work in the science of medical imaging.
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brody, William R.
American radiologists
MIT School of Engineering alumni
Presidents of Johns Hopkins University
Stanford University School of Engineering alumni
Stanford University trustees
Stanford University School of Medicine alumni
1944 births
Living people
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Commercial aviators
University of California, San Francisco alumni
Salk Institute for Biological Studies people
Members of the National Academy of Medicine