Associated Lab Members
Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Chief of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics and Professor of Radiology Joseph Osborne is also an attending radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/WCM. Dr. Osborne is the head of the Rad Health Equity Laboratory. In line with the #discover mission of WCM, the lab endeavors to move past advocacy into the practical implementation of projects and partnerships to reduce radiologic health disparities. He was the principal investigator on the National Institutes of Health Academic Industrial Partnership R01 grant, “A new technique to make 68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals widely available for clinical use,” and on the Dean’s Health Disparity Research Award “Prostate Cancer Health Impact Program (pCHIP).”
Dr. Kritika Subramanian is currently the chief resident of molecular imaging and therapeutics at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). Aside from residency, she is also involved in a multitude of research projects which help improve patient consent and access to molecular imaging resources. As a part of Rad Health Equity, Dr. Subramanian led the effort in establishing patient-guided videos on molecular imaging procedures and therapies to enhance the consent process prior to arrival on the scheduled day of appointment. In addition, she has conducted multiple studies evaluating the demographic access to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) and cardiac PET imaging as well as respective health economic analyses as part of her master's dissertation in clinical investigation from WCM.
Dr. Juana Martinez is a clinical research fellow at Weill Cornell Medicine. After completing her medical school training in Colombia and partaking in the national military as a medic, she brings extensive experience to the Rad Health Equity team in understanding health equity in a high-demand, low-resource setting. With her experience, she has successfully led initiatives in improving radiotherapeutic care and access by evaluating dosimetry for various radiopharmaceuticals and studying options for radiopharmaceutical development. She is currently focusing her efforts on creating awareness of healthcare disparities, mainly in prostate cancer. Most recently, she has led an initiative where prostate cancer decision navigation interventions help minorities make informed decisions regarding their treatment options.
Dr. Sandra Huicochea Castellanos is a radiologist and board-certified nuclear medicine physician specializing in oncologic imaging. She is an assistant professor of clinical radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an assistant attending radiologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Campus. She completed her residency training in diagnostic radiology in Mexico City. After working for five years as a radiologist in Mexico she moved to New York and completed a residency in nuclear medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a Latina, she has understands some of the social factors that impact the health of the Hispanic population. Also, as a native Spanish speaker, she is able to overcome the language barrier that many in this demographic population face. Dr. Huicochea Castellanos focuses her research efforts on clinical and radiological research focused on prostate cancer. As part of Rad Health Equity, she hopes to increase awareness surrounding cancer-related healthcare disparities as a means of addressing health equity.
Dr. Andres Ricaurte Fajardo is a Clinical Research Fellow in Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics at Weill Cornell Medicine. He received his MD from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. Before moving to New York City, he spearheaded educational initiatives for stroke awareness and worked providing medical care to patients with different backgrounds including underserved communities. His research interests encompass cancer care, stroke and health equity, with several published papers in these areas. Demonstrating strong leadership skills, particularly in coordinating and improving radiotherapeutic care for cancer patients, he has presented in multiple national and international conferences the results of the work of the radiology health equity lab. In recognition of his public health advocacy, especially for medically underserved populations, Dr. Ricaurte Fajardo was honored with the 2023 Pioneer in Diversity Louis Wade Sullivan, M.D Award at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Currently, his focus is on theranostics and conducting clinical trials aimed at reducing healthcare disparities.
Kyla Nixon is a radiopharmaceutical research technician with Weill Cornell Medicine's Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics division. While completing her undergraduate studies focusing on biological sciences and journalism, Kyla gained experience using social media to recruit African American men for prostate cancer research. As part of the Rad Health Equity team, Kyla aims to address the communication gap in radiology and medicine through her writing skills. Using her background and interest in medical journalism and the RHE online platform, she hopes to amplify patient voices and bring patient advocates into the clinical trials space.
The Radiology Health Equity Laboratory aims to improve access to radiology and bring awareness to health equity disparities through research and practical implementation in underserved communities. The lab has a strong interest in the socioeconomic causes of the uneven burden of cancer-related mortality. For this reason, the lab continues to focus on the next generation of molecular imaging probes. Most specifically, the lab focuses on finding means of cost-effective and practical integration.
The lab believes that cost-effective diagnostics will translate to broader access to more effective therapeutics. Cancer equity will be addressed by combining these areas of focus into one goal, dedicated towards the responsible translation of investigational and approved compounds into the communities most at risk.
Awards or Grants: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Academic Industrial Partnership (AIP) with an R1 grant award for “[a] new technique to make 68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals widely available for clinical use.”
This recently completed National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant found a method to produce large quantities of...
Clinical trial-based research to expand the use of alpha particle-based therapeutics. Actinium-225 is a radiopharmaceutical we will be producing in the first-of-its-kind alpha labeling lab in an academic institution. The image demonstrates an example of how we hope to benefit patients seeking cancer care through this institutional lab....
Addressing healthcare disparities that can be created with an uneven socioeconomic distribution of diagnostic tests and therapeutics. Here are a few examples from work we have produced through this initiative:
A network-wide review of patients with access to prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) Imaging and Therapy demonstrated that...
Dean’s Health Disparity Research Award Winner
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Several studies have shown higher mortality rates among African American and Hispanic men relative to White men. Lower screening rates in ethnic minorities, along with poor access to treatment...
