Dr. Michael Phelps is a preeminent molecular biophysicist whose pioneering work has revolutionized medical imaging and transformed diagnostic medicine worldwide. He served as the Norton Simon Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA from 1992 until his retirement in 2021, having established his career at the institution after joining in 1976 following appointments at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Phelps earned his PhD at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1970, laying the foundation for his groundbreaking contributions to nuclear medicine and imaging science. As the visionary founder of UCLA's Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, he created the only academic department globally where Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT, and Theranostics operate within a pharmacology framework to integrate in vitro biological sciences with in vivo applications. His innovative academic structure has served as a gold standard for institutions worldwide seeking to bridge fundamental science with clinical translation.
Dr. Phelps is universally recognized as the principal inventor of Positron Emission Tomography, having developed the first PET scanner by 1973 through his revolutionary synthesis of nuclear physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His seminal contributions included recognizing the potential of positron decay for coincidence detection systems, configuring circumferential detector arrays with sophisticated electronics, developing mathematical algorithms for three-dimensional tomographic imaging, and pioneering the use of positron-emitting isotopes of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and fluorine to label biochemical molecules for non-invasive imaging. With his colleagues at UCLA, he developed numerous in vivo assays for PET that provide quantitative measurements and images of biological, biochemical, and pharmacological processes ranging from gene expression and signal transduction to metabolic rates and DNA synthesis. These innovations have enabled unprecedented visualization of disease biology in living patients, transforming diagnostic capabilities in cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune conditions, with his work directly driving FDA approval and insurance coverage for PET imaging across multiple disease areas.
Beyond his technical innovations, Dr. Phelps conceptualized the miniaturization, automation, and integration of cyclotron technology with biochemical synthesizers into PC-controlled systems for producing positron-labeled compounds, enabling the global proliferation of PET radiopharmacies and making the technology clinically accessible. His leadership extended to national efforts coordinating faculty from medical schools across the United States to secure FDA approval and reimbursement for PET molecular imaging diagnostics, working closely with senators including Ted Stevens and Ted Kennedy to achieve coverage for cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, and cardiovascular disease. With an impressive publication record of over 720 peer-reviewed scientific articles and four foundational textbooks, Dr. Phelps has received numerous prestigious honors including the Enrico Fermi Award from President Clinton, election to both the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and the George Von Hevesy Prize awarded twice for his tracer methodology contributions. Though retired from UCLA, his legacy continues through the ubiquitous clinical implementation of PET technology worldwide, with current applications expanding into theranostics and personalized medicine approaches that build directly upon his enduring scientific foundation.
