Christopher Whitlow on the Research and Practice—and Creativity—of Radiology

Christopher Whitlow, MD, PhD: My research sits at the intersection of imaging, data science, neuroscience, and translational innovation. I use advanced MRI, PET, and computational methods, including artificial intelligence and high-throughput analytic pipelines, to understand the pathophysiology of diseases, particularly as they affect the brain. My work ranges from early neurodevelopment through later adulthood, and focuses on conditions such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, neurooncology, preterm birth, adolescent exposure to nicotine, as well as the impact of metabolic and vascular factors on neurodegeneration.

In my Radiology Informatics and Image Processing Lab (RIIPL), we integrate multi-site datasets, computational modeling, AI, and translational neuroscience to deepen our biological understanding and ultimately improve patient care. Imaging is not just a window into the body, it is a quantitative, multi-dimensional measurement tool. I’m interested in how we translate that information into clinical decision making that truly changes outcomes.

Whitlow: Perfectly. As a neuroradiologist, my clinical practice centers on imaging of brain, head, neck, and spine, as well as minimally invasive image-guided procedures. The clinical problems I encounter every day—evaluating patients with cognitive disorders and brain injuries and characterizing brain tumors—directly inform the scientific questions my research aims to answer. That reciprocal relationship is essential. For me, scientific innovation must be grounded in real patient needs, and clinical care advances most rapidly when informed by rigorous science.

Whitlow: I actually started college as an art major. I was a painter deeply immersed in the creative process. But while working to pay my way through college, splitting time between a neuroscience lab and weekend patient-care roles, I realized how much I enjoyed understanding how the brain works and connecting with patients.

What surprised me was discovering how creative medicine is. Research is especially creative, and (in my opinion) generating hypotheses is not unlike conceptualizing a painting. Clinical practice is also creative: Many situations don’t fit neatly in a textbook, and you must reason, improvise, and problem solve in real time.

Radiology, in particular, blends science and art. You interpret images, integrate information, and tell a story about what is happening inside the human body. It’s a different kind of canvas, but one that uses similar creative muscles.

Whitlow: Imaging sits at the center of modern medicine. For example, as a neuroradiologist, I work closely with colleagues in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, orthopedics, internal medicine, and many others. These “team-medicine” partnerships shape the scientific questions we pursue in biomedical imaging.

Radiology also brings something unique to interdisciplinary science: expertise in how to acquire, analyze, quantify, and interpret imaging and physiologic data. Our faculty are experts in imaging diagnostic interpretation, physics, biomarker development, quantitative image analysis, and AI. We want to make that expertise widely available to serve as a resource for any investigator whose work touches imaging.

Yale is ideally positioned for this. The collaboration potential here is extraordinary, and I’m excited to help build those bridges.

Whitlow: We’re loving it. Connecticut is such a charming state. The proximity to New York City, Boston, and a vibrant arts and music culture in Connecticut has been a wonderful part of the transition. As a former art major, having world-class museums so close is deeply fulfilling. My partner is a health care marketing executive by day, but also a classically trained soprano and opera singer. She has loved being near the rich performing arts scene.