Mark Wagshul, PhD

2013 Discovery Science Award Recipient

2013 HA/RSRI Award Recipient

TITLE: Associate Professor, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine

GOAL:  MR Elastography: A non-invasive tool for the management of shunted pediatric hydrocephalus.

Overview:

Dr. Wagshul is an Associate Professor in the department of radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Wagshul received a BA in physics from Rutgers University and a PhD in physics from Harvard University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute for Standards and Technology. He received the 2013 HA/Rudi Schulte Research Institute research award for his study, MR Elastography: A non-invasive tool for the management of shunted pediatric hydrocephalus.

His proposed project utilizes the noninvasive MRI-based technique, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to determine the role which brain compliance plays in pediatric hydrocephalus. The overall goal of the project is to improve the knowledge of the role brain elastance plays in hydrocephalus, which will hopefully drive the development of alternative treatments for split ventricle.

Rudi Schulte Research Institute

The Rudi Schulte Research Institute (RSRI) has long been the sponsor of our research keynote speaker at our bi-annual education conference. In 2012, they expanded their partnership with us to co-sponsor our hydrocephalus research conference – Opportunities in Hydrocephalus Research: Pathways to Better Outcomes in Seattle, July 2012. That sponsorship was intended to help RSRI develop a picture of promising hydrocephalus research for the Institute to tackle. Having completed the consensus conference, HA launched a new request for applications targeted at gaining a better understanding of the dynamics of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) for the Institute.

Rudi Schulte was one of the two founders of PS Medical which developed the Delta and Strata valves. The company was later sold to Medtronic, which has continued to advance those shunt technologies. Rudi Schulte founded the Rudi Schulte Research Institute (RSRI) in 1974 to continue research into hydrocephalus. The Hydrocephalus Association is pleased to have expanded our partnership to help RSRI target research that is meaningful to our members.