Brian Worthington facts for kids

Brian Worthington (9 June 1938 – 9 December 2007) was a very important British doctor. He was the first radiologist (a doctor who uses imaging like X-rays to diagnose illnesses) to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a huge honor for scientists. He is also known as a pioneer in using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help patients.

Brian Worthington was born in Oldham, England. He went to Hulme Grammar School. Later, he studied physiology and medicine at Guy's Hospital. After finishing his studies, his career quickly grew, especially in MRI research. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists.

Early Career in Medicine

Brian Worthington earned a scholarship to Guy's Hospital. There, he won three big awards in medicine. He graduated with degrees in medicine and physiology.

After his training, he worked at Guy's Hospital in London. Then he moved to Nottingham and Derby. He became a consultant radiologist there. From 1971, he worked as a consultant neuroradiologist. This meant he specialized in imaging the brain and nervous system.

He helped develop the new medical school at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham. He worked closely with Rex Coupland, a professor at the University of Nottingham. In 1975, he became a Reader in Human Morphology. By 1981, he was a Professor of Diagnostic Radiology.

Developing MRI Technology

Even though he focused on brain imaging, Brian Worthington was interested in all neuroimaging of the brain. The University of Nottingham became a center for early MRI development. It was clear that doctors needed to match MRI images with real body parts. Worthington was the local expert for this.

A research group led by Raymond Andrew had already published small MRI images. They showed pictures of fruit and even a human wrist. Worthington worked with this group. He helped them make the first medical checks using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

When the research group started doing full-body MRI scans, Worthington was key. He helped with the first study on patients. This study looked at people with different brain problems.

After Andrew's group finished their work, Worthington began working with Peter Mansfield. He became a Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Nottingham. He even had his own small department at the QMC.

He helped develop a fast MRI technique called Echo-planar imaging. He traveled the world, giving over 300 talks about MRI. He also wrote more than 300 scientific papers. His work helped doctors use MRI for many things. This included studies during pregnancy. He also trained many radiologists. These doctors then used MRI in their own work.

Throughout his career, his papers covered MRI, X-rays, and CT scans. He was interested in all kinds of medical imaging. Much of his work is now kept in the University of Nottingham's archives.

Personal Life

Brian Worthington was married and had two sons. He loved the Icelandic language and could speak it well. When he retired, he even took a part-time degree to learn more about it.

Awards and Honors

Brian Worthington received many awards during his life.

• In 1988, he was chosen as the President of the British Institute of Radiology.
• In 1990, he won the Gold Medal from the Society of Magnetic Resonance.
• In 1998, he was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society. He was the first radiologist ever to receive this honor.
• He also won the Royal College of Radiologists Gold Medal. This award recognized his huge contributions to his field.

Death

Brian Worthington became ill with pancreatic cancer. He passed away in December 2007.