Meet our first MIS class: Lindsey Brigante
Lindsey Brigante: an imaging professional mapping a new course
Lindsey Brigante had worked in medical imaging for ten years, and she was ready to take the next step. “My undergraduate degree is in diagnostic imaging, and I’ve worked as an MRI technologist and in quality control for clinical trials for a few years,” Brigante said. In her industry experience, “There’s management and there are techs. There’s really no in-between, and I wanted to do more with imaging than quality control or scan acquisition. Gaining experience within clinical trials helped me discover the vast opportunities available beyond clinical imaging.”
Finding the perfect fit
Brigante searched for a long time for the right master’s program, eschewing others that focused largely on grant writing, or programs that were more general in their curriculum and felt similar to her undergraduate experience. Her quest for an in-depth exploration of imaging modalities combined with analysis and hands-on lab work led her to the new Master of Imaging Science program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “I was super excited to find the program and see that it involved actual, practical experience” like lab work, analysis, and research.
Being back in school after ten years of being in the workforce can be an adjustment, and some things are definitely harder than others. But, she says, “I really enjoy it! A lot of that enjoyment is what the professors bring. I enjoy their classes because they’re so passionate about (imaging) and they make it fun.”
Learning within the world-class facilities of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) and being part of a research-focused university like Vanderbilt has been rewarding: “Vanderbilt itself, I love everything about it. VUIIS is an extremely impressive research facility, and everyone is so talented and welcoming,” said Brigante.
Scanning the horizon
Brigante believes that completing her MIS will prepare her to move into a role as an imaging scientist in clinical or pre-clinical trials, managing study-specific imaging protocols and performing image analysis procedures across many modalities: “The MIS coursework and lab experience gained in clinical and pre-clinical image acquisition and image analysis techniques have provided me the knowledge and skills needed to advance my career in clinical trial imaging.”
The application for Vanderbilt’s MIS class of 2025 is now open. Meet the class of 2024, learn more about the program, and apply by Feb. 15.