Woman hosting a podcast

RLI Taking the Lead Podcasts

Episode 65: Denise R. Aberle, MD




Leading Lung Screening Research


August 29, 2024

In this first annual William G. Bradley Memorial RLI Taking the Lead episode, sponsored by the California Radiological Society Foundation, host Geoffrey Rubin, MD, MBA, FACR, talks with Denise R. Aberle, MD, Professor of Radiological Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Professor of Bioengineering in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.  

A distinguished researcher and leader in the field of thoracic imaging and lung cancer screening, Dr. Aberle served as National PI for the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN), a multi-center endeavor and the largest prospective randomized imaging trial on lung cancer screening in the world.  This pivotal trial documented the value of the use of computed tomography for the early detection of lung cancer as a basis for reducing mortality. 

Born and raised in Wichita, KS, Dr. Aberle attended medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed her diagnostic radiology residency at the UCLA School of Medicine and has served on the faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for almost four decades.

Dr. Aberle continues to shape lung cancer screening policy in leadership capacities for multiple organizations, including ECOG-ACRIN (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-American College of Radiology Imaging Network), where she is Co-Chair of the Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Surveillance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee through which all clinical trials and research opportunities are approved. She also serves on the IASLC (Intl Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) Screening Executive Committee and Co-Chairs the Radiology Working Group. She has been awarded for her teaching excellence at UCLA and received awards for outstanding scientific leadership from ACRIN, the Society of Thoracic Radiology, the IASLC, the Academy of Radiology Research, and the inaugural award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical and Translational Research from the UCLA Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI).

Tune in to this very special episode to hear Dr. Aberle’s advice for those just beginning their radiology career, the impact she believes AI will have on the profession and how a heavy stethoscope led to matrimony.

 
Sponsor
Production support for this first annual William G. Bradley Memorial episode of this RLI “Taking the Lead” podcast has been provided by the California Radiological Society Foundation, committed to advancing the future of radiology in California. Tax deductible contributions to the Foundation can be made at www.calrad.org/crs-foundation.

Denise R. Aberle, MD

Denise R. Aberle, MD is distinguished professor of radiology and bioengineering at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where she has been on faculty in Cardiothoracic Imaging for 37 years. She trained on both coasts while completing residencies in internal medicine and diagnostic radiology, then assumed a faculty position in Radiology at UCLA in 1987. At UCLA Radiological Sciences, she served as section head of thoracic imaging for 18 years and as vice chair for research for 20 years. Dr. Aberle was President of the Society of Thoracic Radiology in 1997 and chaired the Lung Committee of the newly formed American College of Radiology Imaging Network from 1998-2005, where she wrote the ACRIN protocol for the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) that she later led for ACRIN. She was Deputy Chair of ACRIN from 2007-2012. She is a member of the Council of Distinguished Investigators from the Academy of Radiology Research. Dr. Aberle has received various awards for her work in early lung cancer detection, including a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to Lung Cancer Screening, and later the Joseph W. Cullen Prevention/Early Detection Award for Lifetime Achievement, both awards from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). She was awarded the Lung Force Impact Award from the American Lung Association in recognition of her role in the NLST. She is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering (AIMBE) and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Did You Know?

Dr. Aberle has been married for 42 years. She met her husband while finishing medical school at the University of Kansas.  She had a really heavy stethoscope that she continuously lost; John, her future husband was the one who always brought it back to her.

She and her husband have two adult daughters aged 33 and 31, both of whom live in Los Angeles and work in the music industry.  Dr. Aberle also has two puppies, standard poodles, who are in a long line of pets throughout the years.

Dr. Aberle will travel anywhere if her two daughters will join her.  Her daughters get to pick the destinations. So far, Dr. Aberle, her husband and her two daughters have traveled to Hawaii and other US destinations, Canada, several EU countries, Equador and the rain forest, French Polynesia, Africa, and China.

Now you can get the RLI Taking the Lead Podcast on iTunes. Subscribe today and never miss a new episode!

Now you can get the RLI Taking the Lead Podcast on Spotify. Subscribe today and never miss a new episode!

Resident & Fellow Scholarships



The RLI has scholarships available for residents and fellows for the annual RLI Leadership Summit as well as several ACR Chapter Scholarships.


See scholarship offerings »