Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Research
Abdominal Imaging and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin has a long history of successful NIH and private grant funding. In the past decade, we have been awarded more than $23,000,000 from federal and private sources to support our research programs.
The section maintains a strong research infrastructure supported by close collaboration with the largest medical physics department in the country. Our research portfolio spans advanced imaging technologies, minimally invasive therapies, quantitative analysis of abdominal disease, and translational innovation aimed at improving patient care. These efforts are strengthened by multidisciplinary partnerships across campus and nationally, contributing to a sustained record of publication, extramural funding, and scientific impact.
The Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Section also employs multiple nurse clinicians who support both clinical and research activities across virtual colonoscopy, tumor ablation, image‑guided procedures, and cancer imaging programs. A $32,000,000 strategic alliance with GE Medical provides access to the latest software and hardware advances, and our section remains actively engaged in research collaborations with numerous biotechnology partners at the local, national, and international levels.
Learn more below about several nationally and internationally recognized research programs supported by the Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Section.
Research and Major Initiatives
Abdominal Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory
The Abdominal Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory is a multi-modality laboratory that is engaged in cutting-edge research involving interventional strategies for the minimally- or non-invasive treatment of a variety of benign and malignant diseases.
Artificial Intelligence in Abdominopelvic Imaging Lab
Andrew Wentland, MD, PhD‘s Artificial Intelligence in Abdominopelvic Imaging Lab’s mission is to apply artificial intelligence technology to highly impactful clinical problems in abdominal imaging.
CT Education and Collaboration Collective (C-TECC)
C-TECC is a forward-thinking program focused on educating and collaborating with radiology professionals—radiologists, technologists, physicists, and trainees—on the latest CT scanner technologies, with an emphasis on Photon Counting Detector (PCD) CT. Built on the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s mission to advance patient care, research, and education, C-TECC supports these goals through four core pillars: training, show site hosting, expert guidance, and research collaboration.
Liver Imaging Research Program (LIRP)
The LIRP is a multidisciplinary group of physicists, engineers, radiologists, surgeons, hematologists, endocrinologists, pathologists, and pediatricians interested in the advancement of human health through improved abdominal imaging technologies. The LIRP focuses on development and translation of new imaging methods, particularly MRI, for improved detection and quantification of diseases affecting the abdomen and collaborates closely with Deigo Hernando, PhD’s Quantitative Imaging Methods Lab and Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, PhD’s CardioVascular Fluid Dynamics Lab.
The Opportunistic Screening Consortium in Abdominal Radiology (OSCAR) Project
The OSCAR project uses artificial intelligence to extract clinically meaningful body composition biomarkers from routine abdominal CT scans. By automating measurements that are typically too time‑consuming for clinical use, the project enables large‑scale research across multiple institutions and supports the development of prognostic tools that may one day contribute to a “virtual physical exam.”