Sam J. Galgano, M.D., will assume the new role of vice chair of quality and patient experience, effective October 1. This role has been revitalized from the vice chair of quality improvement and patient safety, with the goal of enhancing quality patient care.

Galgano, chief of abdominal imaging, and director of the abdominal imaging fellowship program, will continue his section chief role and his clinical roles in abdominal imaging and molecular imaging and therapeutics.

“I am extremely excited to take on this new role and continue the fantastic work done before me by Dr. Larrison,” said Galgano. “My vision for this role is simple: to make the patient experience at UAB Radiology the best and highest quality that it can be. For us, this begins at exam scheduling and extends through diagnostic and interventional procedures and imaging throughout the course of one’s illness.”

Galgano completed his undergraduate training and medical school at Emory University. He then completed his residency training in diagnostic radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, during which he served as chief resident. He completed fellowships in both molecular imaging and therapeutics as well as abdominal imaging at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he later joined the faculty. During his abdominal imaging fellowship, he was awarded an RSNA Fellow Research Grant for his work on PET/MRI for patients with prostate cancer and participated in the UAB Clinical Investigator Training Program.

Clinically, Galgano has expertise in CT, ultrasound, MRI, fluoroscopy, PET/CT, and PET/MRI. He is a co-chair of the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging.

His research interests include novel radiotracer use in PET/CT and PET/MRI for applications in genitourinary and gastrointestinal oncology with particular interest in prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. He is a regular member of the multidisciplinary prostate, pancreaticobiliary, and hepatobiliary tumor boards and serves on the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Protocol Review Committee and Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Oncology Working Groups.

“I plan to interface and collaborate with individuals throughout the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center to provide the highest quality radiologic care to our patients,” said Galgano. “I am thrilled for the journey to come.”

Special thanks to Matthew Larrison, M.D., professor in the musculoskeletal section, who has served as a pivotal leader in this position since he was appointed in 2016. He leaves behind a legacy of quality care for our patients, and will be stepping down to focus on global outreach. We appreciate his work and dedication and wish him well in his other endeavors.