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In This Issue:
Paul Morrison, Medical Physicist, Radiology
BWH Radiology mourns the loss of Paul Morrison, MS, who died on Sept. 24 after battling cancer. A medical physicist whose expertise encompassed MRI and laser safety, Mr. Morrison worked at BWH for more than 20 years. Colleagues described their admiration for his kind, thoughtful demeanor and devotion to his family, friends and co-workers.
"So much of what we do as care providers springs from the trust and camaraderie we feel towards one another," said Angela Kanan, RN, nurse-in-charge for the AMIGO suite. "Paul was the total embodiment of that. He was hard-working, smart, reliable and a great teacher. The warm respect he had for everyone he worked with was the source of so much of that camaraderie we have among the AMIGO team."
Mr. Morrison grew up in Dorchester and attended Holy Cross College. After college, he entered the graduate program in Physics at the Illinois Institute of Technology, earning his MS degree in 1987. Mr. Morrison then returned to his home state to begin his career and start a family with his wife, Gina, with whom he has a son, Nicholas. He joined the BWH Department of Surgery to work on applications of laser technology in otolaryngology in the early 1990s.
During this time, Mr. Morrison's expanding research into the therapeutic possibilities of lasers coincided with the introduction of the first generation of Image Guided Therapy techniques. His experiments in MR imaging of thermal events in tissue showed the promise of this method in the minimally invasive treatment of tumors throughout the body. In 2000, Mr. Morrison transitioned to Radiology, where his expertise in clinical applications of laser technology and MRI thermal imaging were an ideal addition to the department's services and programs. Mr. Morrison was involved in more than 1,000 cryotherapy, radiofrequency and laser ablative procedures, including the first ablations of kidney tumors under 3.0T MRI guidance in the U.S.
He co-authored more than 35 articles and gave presentations at BWH as well as at the Radiological Society of North America and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, of which he was a longstanding member.
"Paul was extremely dedicated and loved both his work and contributing to the care of patients," said Stuart Silverman, MD, director of the Tumor Ablation Program and the Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Section. "In addition to his vital role at BWH, he was a warm, thoughtful and sensitive colleague and friend who will be deeply missed."
Mr. Morrison's colleagues in Radiology are establishing a fund to provide assistance to his family. Please e-mail Angela Kanan at akanan@partners.org or Tina Kapur at tkapur@bwh.harvard.edu for information about donating to the fund.