Darko Pucar, MD, PhD

I am dual-boarded in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (NM) and I conduct subspecialized NM and Molecular Imaging (MI) therapy practice at Yale. My principal service objective to deliver an outstanding patient care in oncologic imaging and therapy and general NM. I am a member of many Yale Cancer Center Tumor boards. I provide radionuclide therapy for thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, and hematologic malignancies. I am also co-director of Molecular Imaging Clinical and Translational Research Laboratory (MICTRL), which is a research branch of NM, with multi-facet mission aiming to deliver advanced MI and therapy care to Yale New Haven System patients with focus on MI theranostics and therapy practice and education. Theranostics in a new revolutionary NM approach in which the same molecular target is used to image and treat cancer using imaging and therapeutic radionuclides. Theranostics is expected to rapidly become a cornerstone of individualized precision medicine of the future. MICTRL activities include radionuclide theranostic and therapy optimization and dosimetry, translation of molecular imaging and therapy agents into clinical practice via clinical trials, MI in cancer prognostication and treatment response assessment, generation of cancer prognostic models guiding therapeutic decision, cancer treatment response assessment for clinical trials, MI machine learning, and MI education via MI radiology residency pathway and clinical and research fellowships. I have authored numerous publications in NM/MI and served as principal- or co-investigator on many NM/MI grants and contracts. I am nationally recognized leader in NM/MI, with leadership roles in professional societies.