H. Marvin Pollard Professor of Endoscopy Research

Pioneered a number of creative optical approaches for the early detection of cancer in the digestive tract. Demonstrated first endoscope that uses autofluorescence to identify pre-malignant lesions (dysplasia) over large surface areas in colon. This approach has been patented, commercialized, and developed for clinical use, and is widely cited in the literature as a major impetus for the accelerated convergence of fluorescence spectroscopy and endoscopy in the digestive tract. Challenged existing paradigms in microscopy by developing the first fiber coupled dual axes confocal microscope for performing in situ histological evaluation of intraepithelial neoplasia that serves as the basis for the intra-vital microscope. Designed peptides that preferentially bind to dysplastic mucosa, and first demonstrated the use of these novel imaging contrast agents to perform targeted imaging and detection during endoscopy.