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Michael Atalay, MD, PhD

Michael Atalay, MD, PhD, is the director of the cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer tomography (CT) at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. He is also an assistant professor of diagnostic imaging at Brown Medical School.

Atalay has more than 13 years of experience in the field of cardiovascular MRI and was an integral part of bringing the technology to Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. As a result, the Lifespan healthcare system was the first in the state to offer cardiovascular MRI. The state-of-the-art 1.5T Siemens Symphony MRI machines are the most sophisticated multi-purpose scanners available and enable physicians to accurately diagnose heart conditions earlier than ever before. Physicians can now view high-resolution images of the beating heart in a way not previously possible. With cardiovascular MRI, physicians can administer therapy before damage caused by the heart disease becomes irreparable.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, Atalay simultaneously earned his MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. His PhD focused on developing techniques in cardiac MRI and his PhD advisor was Elias Zerhouni, MD, a pioneer in the field of cardiac MRI and current director of the National Institutes of Health. Atalay subsequently completed a medical internship and a post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard hospitals before returning to Johns Hopkins for his residency and fellowship in radiology.

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