Henry Ford physician inducted into Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame

Apr 18 2013

Scott Dulchavsky, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, will be inducted today into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame for his work training astronauts to use ultrasound technology in space.

Dr. Dulchavsky is among seven people to be inducted at the 29th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. The Space Technology Hall of Fame recognizes technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth.

Dr. Dulchavsky is being honored as the principle investigator for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) experiment, a collaboration between Henry Ford Hospital, Johnson Space Center and Wyle Laboratories Inc.

He led a team that used small, portable ultrasound devices to train astronauts aboard the International Space Station from 2003-2005 so they could obtain a wide variety of diagnostic-quality medical images transmitted by satellite to the ground where radiologists can read them. The experiment showed the effectiveness of using ultrasound as a remote diagnostic tool and sending image quality scans over long distances.

Since then, Dr. Dulchavsky has worked with the Detroit Red Wings to test the technology. A portable ultrasound device was placed in the team's locker room and connected to an ultrasound workstation at Henry Ford Hospital, where a radiologist guided Red Wings trainers to perform ultrasound tests on a shoulder, ankle, knee, hand and foot and to send the images for diagnosis.

Additionally, Dr. Dulchavsky and Henry Ford radiologist Marnix van Holsbeeck, M.D., led a clinical study to test the effectiveness and timeliness of diagnosing musculoskeletal shoulder and knee injuries on players on the U.S. Women's Ice Hockey Team.

Dr. Dulchavsky, who says the portable ultrasound devices can be used to extend medical care in rural and military locations, is also investigating the use of satellite phone technology for using the portable ultrasound devices in ambulances and at accident sites.