Edinburgh Imaging

21 Dec 16. Radiographer gains PhD

Stewart Wiseman is the first radiographer in Scotland to have graduated with a PhD in the field of brain imaging.

PhD graduation
Dr Jones, Dr Wiseman and Dr Heye

Only 0.1% of the 30,111 radiographers registered in the UK (2,439 in Scotland) have completed doctorates.

Edinburgh Imaging is therefore especially proud of its radiographer, Stewart Wiseman, who graduated from Edinburgh University with a PhD in brain imaging. His supervisors were Prof Joanna Wardlaw (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences) & Prof Stuart Ralston (Centre for Genomic & Experimental Medicine).

Stuart's thesis investigated the role of systemic inflammation in cerebral small vessel disease. 

Work used Edinburgh Imaging's 1.5T magnetic resonance scanner at the Western General Hospital to scan the brains of 50 patients diagnosed with lupus,  to try to understand better, how systemic inflammation in this inflammatory autoimmune disease might affect the brain & impact cognition.

 

"Radiographers must be research-active to maintain their accreditation and the profession has a stated expectation that 1% (about 300) of the radiography workforce will hold, or be working towards, doctoral level awards by 2021.  I am proud to have done my little bit for science and research, and to have worked with many wonderful colleagues and patients." 

Stewart Wiseman

 

Output from the work included five papers in scientific journals, summarized here.

Stuart was supported by a prestigious Edinburgh University Principal's Scholarship & by a grant from the charity Lupus UK.