Cynthia H. McCollough

Cynthia H. McCollough, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics at Mayo Clinic, where she serves as a Consultant in the Department of Radiology. She leads the CT Clinical Innovation Center, focusing on advancing CT imaging technology and clinical applications. Her work emphasizes radiation dose reduction, quantitative material composition analysis (e.g., kidney stones, gout), and optimizing CT protocols for diagnostic accuracy while minimizing patient risk. Dr. McCollough holds leadership roles in national and international organizations, including the NIH Biomedical Imaging Technology Study Section and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). She has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Investigator Award from Mayo Clinic and the William D. Coolidge Gold Medal from AAPM. Her research spans photon-counting CT, dual-energy CT, and translational imaging solutions for vascular and abdominal diseases. Dr. McCollough’s academic contributions include over 600 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in grant-funded projects such as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering initiatives.

Education: PhD in Medical Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, MS in Medical Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, BS in Physics from Hope College.

Research Highlights: Her lab develops tools for radiation dose estimation, non-invasive material characterization via CT, and optimizing CT parameters using human and model observers. Recent work includes improving kidney stone analysis, bone mineral density measurements using photon-counting CT, and reducing radiation exposure in pediatric imaging.

Grants & Funding: Principal investigator on multiple NIH grants, including projects on coronary atherosclerosis characterization, urinary stone composition analysis, and photon-counting CT for vascular disease detection.

Awards: Over 100 awards, including the Distinguished Mayo Clinic Investigator Award (2020), Honorary Doctorate from Linkoping University (2020), and AAPM’s highest honor, the William D. Coolidge Gold Medal (2024).

Labs & Teams: Directs the CT Clinical Innovation Center and the X-Ray Imaging Research Core at Mayo Clinic, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across radiology, biomedical engineering, and physics.