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The School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems celebrated the 80th birthday of Professor John M. Reid on May 12, 2006 in the 7th floor lobby of the Bossone Research Enterprise Center.
John M. Reid was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1926. He received the B.S. (1950) and M.S. (1957) degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and the Ph.D. degree in E.E. from the University of Pennsylvania (1965). Dr. Reid worked on medical diagnosis with ultrasound at the University of Minnesota and St. Barnabas Hospital, Minneapolis from 1950-1957, where he worked on tissue characterization and developed the first clinical ultrasonic scanner. At the University of Pennsylvania from 1957-1965, he worked on echocardiography, producing and using the first such system in the U.S. This required developing design and construction methods for making ceramic pulse-echo transducers and measuring their performance. He also worked out methods for measuring the ultrasonic power levels used by diagnostic machines, and developed methods for making ultrasonic scattering measurements in tissues. Dr. Reid became a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, from 1966-71, where he continued the tissue research, which culminated in measurements of the scattering cross-section of red blood cells. In addition, he worked on the continuous wave and pulse Doppler and duplex imaging devices. Dr. Reid participated in forming the Institute of Applied Physiology and Medicine in Seattle, and also was affiliated with Providence Hospital from 1971-1981, while working on measurements, gas bubble detection, Doppler imaging, and other ultrasonic developments. In 1981, Dr. Reid was appointed the Calhoun Chair of Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University and became an Adjunct Professor of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University, both in Philadelphia, where his work on ultrasonic diagnosis of tissue continued. He was Acting Director of the Biomedical Engineering and Science Institute at Drexel University for two years and is a Life Fellow of the IEEE, as well as a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, whose Pioneer award he received in 1979.
Dr. Reid's national and international recognition is unchallenged. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of acoustic imaging and ultrasonic tissue characterization. Already in 1952, together with John J. Wild, MD, he reported on a successful non-invasive technique of breast cancer diagnosis using high frequency ultrasound waves. His pioneering work in building the first echocardiograph instrument in the US represents another medically important development. He also worked on the theory of scattering properties of tissue and verified them by measurement. Other work concerned the application of the ultrasound Doppler effect in vascular diagnosis. In recognizing the importance of his contributions to medical imaging, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, an organization of about 10,000 professionals, elected him to the Fellow grade, as did the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. An election to the IEEE Fellow grade is considered to be the most prestigious in the electrical engineering community – only 1% of over 350,000 members can attain the Fellow grade. The Acoustical Society of America also honored Professor Reid by electing him to the rank of Fellow and so did the American Institute of Biomedical Engineering. In addition, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine selected Professor Reid as a recipient of the Institute's pre-eminent Pioneer Award, and the IEEE EMBS society presented him with its lifetime Achievement Award.
Professor Reid belongs to the group of gifted individuals whose professional experience is augmented by personal warmth and friendly attitude. As a result of his experience and ability to share his knowledge with his colleagues, Dr. Reid is often invited to deliver keynote addresses at international scientific meetings, seminars and workshops. He is also one of the regular organizers of the annual conference on Ultrasound Doppler techniques. Almost every ultrasound meeting in the Far East, in particular those sponsored by the Japanese Ultrasound Society, honored Professor Reid with an invited talk. He is a key member of an International Electrotechnical Commission's Standards Committee and serves as a chairman of its Doppler Equipment Working Group. His participation as a member or chairman of professional committees and review panels is sought regularly. He was (and still is in his capacity of Professor Emeritus) an appointed member of many NIH, private foundations and other government funding committees, study sections, and review panels.
Professor Reid has been both instrumental and very successful in obtaining extramural funds for research. During his over 20 years as a faculty member at Drexel University, he has received numerous distinguished and highly competitive research awards from the National Institute of Health. All in all, he has brought in over $10 million in research funding. The award that truly demonstrates his abilities, not only as an outstanding researcher but also a person of great skills in dealing with people and as an excellent organizer, is the National Institute of Health Program Project Grant. In 1989, Dr. Reid was able to bring together seven busy faculty members from different departments to collaborate in writing a successful major research proposal. He helped each individual investigator and integrated the individual contributions to form a unique, coherent and high quality proposal. The program project was funded at a time when this type of prestigious award was becoming increasingly scarce. An even better perspective of Dr. Reid's leading role in receiving the NIH award was evident during several subsequent NIH site visits. The site visit teams were composed of the most prominent researchers in biomedical ultrasound. Professor Reid's knowledge and experience were crucial to our success in responding to the most difficult questions and to presenting an integrated and focused research effort. This grant was one of the largest federal research awards of its kind granted to Drexel University and was still active in 2003.
In addition to being an excellent researcher, Professor Reid is an outstanding teacher. During his tenure at Drexel, he has supervised 12 doctoral students to completion, and a number of his former Ph.D. students are now conducting research at the most renowned universities and scientific institutions all over the world.
Professor Reid is also highly liked and respected by his peers. He is extremely supportive of all of his colleagues, especially younger faculty and makes a real effort to understand the concerns of those working with him. He is always available for professional and personal assistance, and his easygoing personality and sense of humor make him an exceptional asset to the University.
In conclusion, in establishing the John M. Reid Professorship, the University recognizes Dr. Reid's outstanding research and teaching accomplishments and his exemplary devotion to maintain and constantly improve the recognition of Drexel University. By such recognition, the University will provide a clear message to the next generation of faculty members that productivity and personal commitment to the University are invaluable to the future successful development of our Institution. Such recognition of Dr. Reid will also demonstrate that the University highly values Dr. Reid's educational ideals and principles and acknowledges Dr. Reid's contribution to the truly outstanding reputation of the quality of its Biomedical Engineering Program.
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Phone 215.895.2215 | Fax 215.895.4983 | Email biomed@drexel.edu |
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| ©2005 School of Biomedical Engineering, Science & Health Systems. All rights reserved. Terms of Use & Disclaimer | Last Modified: 11/25/2008 |