Michael Ohliger

Michael Ohliger, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UCSF, part of the School of Medicine. He holds roles as Modality Director for MRI and Professor In Residence. His academic journey includes a PhD in Medical Physics from MIT (2005) and an MD from Harvard Medical School (2007). He completed residency and fellowship in Diagnostic Radiology and Abdominal Imaging at UCSF, joining the faculty in 2013.

• Education:
  • MD: Harvard Medical School (2007)
  • PhD: MIT Harvard/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (2005)
  • Residency: UCSF Diagnostic Radiology (2012)
  • Fellowship: UCSF Abdominal Imaging (2013)

Dr. Ohliger’s research focuses on developing MRI techniques for abdominal/pelvic imaging, particularly hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI for liver tumors, fatty liver disease, and bacterial infection imaging. His work bridges molecular imaging and clinical translation, with collaborations on novel metabolic imaging agents and techniques.

Key research areas include liver metabolism, NAFLD/NASH, and advanced prostate cancer diagnostics using restriction spectrum imaging (RSI). He has pioneered hyperpolarized MRI applications for real-time metabolic assessments and collaborated on bacterial imaging tracers targeting peptidoglycan and d-alanine.

His publications span over 200 articles, emphasizing MRI advancements, metabolic imaging biomarkers, and clinical trial protocols. Notable awards include the RSNA Research Scholar Award (2014–2016) and Fleischner Research Award (2005).

• Grants & Collaboration:
  • NIH R01 grants for hyperpolarized MRI and bacterial imaging projects
  • Co-Principal Investigator on studies targeting bacterial infections and liver disease
• Labs/Teams:
  • Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Research Center
  • UCSF Liver Center
  • Body Research Interest Group