Bruce Wasserman

Bruce Wasserman, MD is a Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He serves as Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Director of the Neurovascular Imaging Center. His expertise spans neuroradiology, vascular imaging, and MRI techniques development for studying neurovascular diseases. Dr. Wasserman has held significant leadership roles including Director of the Diagnostic Neurovascular Imaging Center at Johns Hopkins for 16 years.

His educational background includes a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Internal Medicine internship at University of Rochester School of Medicine, Residency at Mount Auburn Hospital in Harvard Medical School, and Neuroradiology Fellowship and MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Wasserman's research focuses on innovative MRI techniques to study blood vessel diseases in the head and neck, particularly atherosclerotic plaque formation and instability. His work aims to reduce stroke risk through better understanding of plaque development and vulnerability. He has made significant contributions to the field of intracranial atherosclerotic disease and its relationship to cognitive decline and dementia. His research also encompasses vessel wall imaging for characterizing plaque features and assessing stroke risk.

His publication record shows consistent research output from 2002 through 2025, with recent emphasis on carotid plaque classification systems, intracranial atherosclerosis in dementia development, and vessel wall imaging techniques. His work bridges neuroradiology, cardiology, and neurology with applications in stroke prevention and risk assessment.

Dr. Wasserman has been continuously funded by the NIH as a PI or co-PI since 2002. He leads several major multi-institutional studies including the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) carotid MRI study, the MRI Reading Center for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, and the Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease and Cognitive Impairment Study. He chairs the American Society of Neuroradiology Cervical and Intracranial Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group.

His laboratory includes multiple postdoctoral fellows and research staff working on neurovascular imaging projects. Dr. Wasserman collaborates extensively with researchers across institutions, particularly through large cohort studies that follow thousands of participants to study imaging biomarkers of cardiovascular events.