Orhan Oz, M.D., Ph.D.

Orhan Öz, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Radiology and Interim Chief of Nuclear Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and holder of the Wechun Pak Professorship of Bone Biophysics. He also holds a secondary appointment as Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and serves as Medical Director of Nuclear Medicine at Parkland Memorial Hospital. His clinical interests include nuclear medicine, radiology, and cancer and cancer screening, with a particular interest in melanoma.

Dr. Öz holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, and mathematics from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Clark Atlanta University. After receiving his medical degree and doctoral degree in biophysics from Stanford University, he completed his residency training in radiology at UT Southwestern, where he remained to receive advanced training through a fellowship program in radiology and molecular biology. He then received fellowship training in radiologic pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and in proton emission tomography (PET) at the University of California – Los Angeles.

Although the majority of his time is dedicated to clinical practice, Dr. Öz is highly involved in research. His interests include imaging pancreatic beta cells, tumor imaging, and investigating the mechanisms underlying estrogen regulation of bone mass and metabolism. His research has resulted in numerous publications throughout his career, including the publication of a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) based scoring system to stage the severity of foot infections in people with diabetes.

A career marked by service

Among Dr. Öz’s administrative responsibilities, he serves as Co-Director of the Preclinical Nuclear Imaging Laboratory and the Molecular Imaging Probe Laboratory at UT Southwestern, as well as Chief of Radiation Safety at Parkland Health & Hospital System, and Chairman of the Radiation Safety Advisory Committee at UT Southwestern. He also serves on numerous committees, including Parkland’s Radiology Performance Improvement Committee, and UT Southwestern’s Radiation Safety Advisory Committee, Radioactive Drug Search Research Committee, Research Compliance Committee, and the IRB Subcommittee on Human Use of Radiation. Dr. Öz’s committee service also extends internationally, including membership on the Credentialing Committee of the International Society of Clinical Densitometry.

Dr. Öz is a member of several national and international professional societies, including the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, International, National Medical Association, World Molecular Imaging Society, Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society.

In addition to authoring more than 66 research publications, Dr. Öz is a reviewer for multiple academic journals, including Bone, Laboratory Investigation, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Endocrine, Laboratory Investigation, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, PLOS One and Cell Chemical Biology.

Dr. Öz is frequently invited to lecture nationally and internationally at numerous events, including conferences in Australia, Turkey and China. He has also received a number of grants and awards to support his research, and has been recognized by his peers for his contributions to the RSNA and SNMMI.