About
J. Michael Fitzpatrick is a Research Professor of Computer Science and holds Emeritus titles in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt University's School of Engineering. He joined Vanderbilt in 1982 and became Professor Emeritus in 2010. His research focuses on medical image processing, surgical guidance systems, and MRI technologies. He has published over 190 papers and holds 14 patents related to surgical navigation systems.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science in Physics, University of North Carolina (1967)
- Ph.D. in Physics, Florida State University (1972)
- Master of Science in Computer Science, University of North Carolina (1982)
Research Contributions: Fitzpatrick pioneered the development of Vanderbilt's FDA-cleared surgical navigation system (1988–1995), foundational to modern operating room guidance systems. His work on statistical accuracy assessment in surgical guidance is globally recognized. He also developed methods for aligning MRI and CT images, now standard in medical imaging.
Teaching: He taught programming to thousands of undergraduates, including creating the popular Introductory Programming for Engineers and Scientists course in 2001.
Awards:
- Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering
- Senior Member of IEEE
Labs/Teams: Collaborated extensively with physicians and surgeons in Radiology, Neurological Surgery, and Otolaryngology departments to advance translational medical technologies.
