Announced June 2024
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Freek J. Beekman Awards, presented for the first time at the SNMMI Annual Meeting in Toronto. Made possible by a generous contribution from Dr. Freek J. Beekman, these awards celebrate outstanding achievement in Physics Instrumentation and Data Sciences. Reflecting on the awards, Dr. Beekman said, “Wishing these talented winners success with their next career step. I hope the awards make a difference for them in achieving their goals.”
The Freek J. Beekman Awards aim to foster innovation and support young investigators. This year’s recipients include six talented individuals recognized by the Physics Instrumentation and Data Sciences Council:
🥇 First Place: Huidong Xie
🥈Second Place: Nu Ri Choi
🥉 Third Place: Julian Leube
🌟Honorable Mention: Tommaso Volpi
🌟Honorable Mention: Xingchun Zheng
🌟Honorable Mention: Yifei Jin
Congratulations to all the awardees! Your dedication to advancing biomedical imaging is truly inspiring.
Pictured from left to right: Julian Leube, Tommaso Volpi, Dr. Beekman, Huidong Xie, Nu Ri Choi. 🎉
Announced June 2023
Sipra and Gopal Saha have established a fund that will provide two annual scholarships, split between SNMMI technologist students and residents.
- $2,500 for technologist student scholarships
- $2,500 nuclear medicine resident abstract awards
About the Donors
Gopal Saha, Ph.D, Chemistry
Background
Saha, Gopal Bandhu was born on April 30, 1938, in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Came to the United States, 1976.
Education
Bachelor of Science with honors, Dacca (Bangladesh) U., 1959; Master of Science, Dacca (Bangladesh) U., 1960; Doctor of Philosophy, McGill University, 1965.
Career
Associate scientist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1970-1976; associate professor, professor, U. Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, 1976-1982; professor, U. New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1982-1984; member of staff, director nuclear chemistry and pharmacy, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, since 1984.
Achievements
Diplomate American Board of Radiology, American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine.
Administration
President, American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine twice (2000 and 2002)
Awards
2002, Life-time Achievement Award (Basic Science) by Indo-American Society of Nuclear Medicine, USA; 2008, prestigious Vikram Sarabhai Oration Memorial Award by the Society of Nuclear Medicine, India
Profile
Gopal Bandhu Saha, Bengali, American Nuclear Chemist. Diplomate American Board of Radiology, Past Member American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine. Past Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Radiological Society of North America, Society of Nuclear Medicine, Emeritus Member, American Chemical Society, Emeritus Member, American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
Dr. Saha immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in 1961. “When I went to Montreal to get my PhD, I had only $50,” he says. Raised in a village in Chittagong in Bangladesh, “I know what being poor means. My mother and I used to secretly take rice and lentils from the storage of our joint family to give to the poor people next door. I grew up with a passion for helping the poor and have supported many charitable organizations for many years.”
In 1976, he joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock as an associate professor and in 1980 he became a professor. In 1982, he joined the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as director and professor of radiopharmacy. That’s where he was working when, in 1984, he met the Chairman of Nuclear Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, who was seeking a chemist to run the nuclear pharmacy lab. After interviewing in Cleveland, he was offered and accepted the position.
As Director of Nuclear Chemistry and Pharmacy, he helped design and establish nuclear pharmacy labs in Cleveland Clinic’s nuclear medicine departments throughout the region, including the one at the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Pavilion in the main campus. “These labs were designed and operated to comply with strict rules and regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO), which inspected every two to three years and rated my lab No. 1 in the country,” Dr. Saha says.
He taught nuclear medicine and radiology residents who were preparing for their board exams. “I introduced new techniques to prepare radioactive drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of different diseases,” he says.
About Sipra Saha MSc, Mathematics, MS, Biometry
Dr. Saha is married to Mrs. Sipra Saha from Kolkata, India for over 57 years, who has a MSc in applied mathematics from Calcutta University and a MS in biometry from the University of Arkansas. She was assistant professor at Philander Smith College, Little Rock and Lake Erie College, Ohio, teaching mathematics and statistics for over 20 years.
Mrs. Saha comes from a family of similar background to Dr. Saha’s and influenced by her mother’s attribute of generosity to the poor, she also enjoys helping needy people. Both are strong proponent of education and are intent to promote it to help others have opportunities for a better living. As both of them have deep passion for charity, they have donated to many charitable and educational organizations over the years for the benefit of poor and homeless peopl
