David A. Mankoff

You currently serve as the Matthew J. Wilson Professor and Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, and the Associate Director for Education and Training at the Abramson Cancer Center. Could you tell us about your path to these roles and a bit about the work that you do? (Congratulations on your research grant awarded last June!)

My path to where I am now is a bit unusual. I started my medical and research career as an MD, PhD student in a Medical Scientist Training Program at Penn and did my research as a Bioengineering PhD student in PET instrumentation under the direction of my thesis advisor, Gerd Muehllehner and current Penn colleague Joel Karp. The influence of the Radiology Chair at the time, Stanley Baum—a huge supporter of Radiology research and clinician-investigators—was readily apparent in the Penn MD/PhD program. Of the eight MSTP students in my MD/PhD class, four did imaging research, including my colleague and current Radiology Chair, Mitch Schnall. Between my MD/PhD and residency training, I did a two-year stint working in an industry start-up, UGM Medical Systems, that was founded by my thesis advisor and his wife Ursula Muehllhener (this UGM). So, my first “real job” was as a Director of Engineering. The company went on to develop what later became the Philips line of PET and PET/CT scanners. After a two-year stint at UGM, I moved to the University of Washington (UW) for internal medicine and then nuclear medicine training. As a faculty member for over 15 years at UW and its cancer partner, the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, I built a specialty practice in nuclear medicine and radionuclide therapy of thyroid cancer, and a research program in translational PET cancer research with a focus on breast cancer.

I was fortunate to return to Penn in 2012 to take on the role of Nuclear Medicine Division Chief and PET Center Director as the Gerd Muehllehner Professor of Radiology. It was a true honor to return to Penn as a senior faculty member and have a Professorship named after my advisor and early mentor. It was a pleasure to re-join old friends, many that I had known and kept in touch with since medical school, and to establish new partnership and friendships with many colleagues at Penn in Radiology and across Penn Medicine. I continued my clinical focus on nuclear medicine imaging and therapy, leveraging a strong program developed by colleague Dan Pryma, and continued a research focus in translational imaging and breast cancer. I also took on a role in research leadership in the PET Center, working closely with Dan, Joel Karp, and Bob Mach, whom we had the excellent fortune to recruit shortly after my arrival at Penn. I moved to the Radiology Vice-Chair of Research position after Mitch Schnall’s appointment as Radiology Chair, providing an opportunity for me to take on a larger and broader research role in Radiology and, equally importantly, providing a chance to advance the careers of rising faculty such as Dan Pryma, who took over the PET Center lead and the Muehllehner Professorship. I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished in the nuclear medicine clinic and in radiology research programs at Penn, and I am delighted to be able to work other leaders in the Radiology Department and Penn to continue to develop and expand our imaging and image-guided therapy research programs and to translate new methods to the clinic.

In more recent years I’ve taken on additional leadership roles in education and research, including Associate Director of Education and Training for the Abramson Cancer Center, Program Director for the Penn Research Track Radiology Residency, and Program Mentor for Penn’s Master in Translational Research. On the national scale, I have taken on roles as the colead of Radiologic Society of North America’s Research Vice-Chair organization and the AAMC’s relatively new Physician Scientist training program group (TOPS). Overall, coming back to Penn and Philly has had a significant (positive) impact on my career in academic medicine, and I am delighted to be back in Philly—now almost 10 years.

What interested you about becoming a Fellow at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia?

I knew about the College and the Mütter Museum as a kid growing up in Philly, especially later as a Penn medical student. When we moved back to Philly, we connected with good friends from college and Seattle that included Karie Youngdahl, who was working at the College on public health initiatives including developing a web-based educational program on vaccines. Karie strongly encouraged me to seek out the College. My opportunity came in 2018, when I was invited to join the College supported by my Radiology Chair and College Fellow Mitch Schnall, and College Fellow Carolyn Asbury. I was delighted to be able to apply and be selected. Once I became a Fellow, I was excited to see both Penn and other Philly colleagues that I respected, including some old friends I had not seen in a while. I learned much more about the College and the work it does to support physicians, medical science and practice, and medical education to a large range of students.

I read that you have been a Susan G. Komen Foundation Scholar since 2012 and have worked closely with the Philadelphia chapter. Would you take a moment to speak to that experience and what being a Scholar has meant to you?  

I’ve been working on breast cancer research for most of my career. I became a Komen Scholar from 2012 to 2021, and I am now a “Komen Scholar Emeritus”. The 2012 selection was a wonderful surprise that happened shortly after I arrived back to Penn and Philly. Being a Komen Scholar has been important for me in two ways: First, it connected me formally to a community of breast cancer researchers, many of whom I had known, and provided a forum for a high-level exchange of ideas on cross-disciplinary breast cancer research among a group of peers all focused on preventing breast cancer and improving the lives of women with breast cancer. An unexpected but equally impactful benefit was to be connected to the Philadelphia Komen Chapter, a group that has done an extraordinary job of supporting breast cancer patients, survivors, and family. The Komen chapter organization has been somewhat less prominent in the past year due to the pandemic and funding of the overall organization, but the Komen organization and especially the Philly Chapter has always done an outstanding job of providing education, support, and care to the very diverse and frequently underserved with breast or breast cancer healthcare needs. I have participated actively in their local educational event, and it gave me a chance to see the impact the Philly Komen Chapter has on local breast cancer patients, survivors, and their families. Working with the local Komen Chapter provided a wonderful chance to connect my translational research to the women and families who can benefit from advances in our ability to detect and treat breast cancer, and the impact that a support network can have on people going through the challenge of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. I am indebted to the Komen Organization, including its former Philadelphia Chapter and its extraordinary leadership. I am also truly grateful to the breast cancer patients who generously gave their time and participated in early PET research in breast cancer at an early stage of development. Several of these methods are now part of routine care of breast cancer.

Who is a physician or mentor that has influenced and inspired you?

I’ve benefitted from outstanding mentorship throughout my career. My PhD mentor during my MD/PhD program was Gerd Muehlhehner, a model for science, mentorship and being an honorable, supportive person. As noted, I went on to work for Gerd in a PET imaging instrumentation start-up. He taught me the approach to science and leadership—and how to focus and complete what you have started. In Seattle, I was fortunate to have great clinical and scientific mentorship from Janet Eary and Ken Krohn—a physician and a chemist—who directed me toward translational PET research and a practice in molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy. At Penn, I’ve been fortunate to work under the mentorship of my medical school classmate, Mitch Schnall, who has taught me much about how to lead a large group, support the advancement and innovation of an outstanding faculty, and value a culture of mutual respect and collaborative spirit that is perhaps the most important component of Penn success in both the clinic and the lab.

Is there a memorable lecture or event from the past that stands out for you?

Dr. Maria Delivoria-Papadoupoulus (1930-2020), often referred to as the Mother of Neonatology and who I had the privilege of working with—both influenced and inspired me. She was very well known internationally for excellence in clinical practice (she is credited as among the first clinicians to use positive pressure ventilation via an infant ventilator on babies dying of respiratory distress syndrome) and impacted to all her trainees and mentees scientific curiosity, humility and a love of babies.

The College has positioned itself as a home for the intersection of medicine, the humanities, and the arts. What further role(s) do you hope to see the College help fulfill within our community in the coming years?

I think the College has a number of important roles. It is a forum for physicians who want to advance medicine and medical education in Philadelphia. We have a uniquely rich community in Philly, and few, if any venues to bring physicians together from different practice and institutions. The College plays an important role in this goal and supporting and expanding the Fellowship is an important goal. On the other end of its role, the College and the Mütter Museum play a wonderful role in educating the community on health and medicine. Each time I come to the Museum, I am impressed at the range of the visitors from young to old, and the diversity of the visitor community, all with a common interest in medical history and curiosities. Now, more than ever, we need to support Philly institutions like the College that bring a broad community together.

Tell us about one of your favorite collection items in the Library or Museum, or your favorite aspect of the College.  

As someone fascinated by unusual medical cases, I am particularly drawn to the display of the toxic megacolon, and the story of the person who had this affliction. A close second is the which provides a unique window on the history of diseases, combat, and medical treatment—the type of thing that can only be seen at the Mütter. The Museum’s collections are equally fascinating, but I still have many drawers to go through.