It is with profound sadness that the International Organization for Medical Physics mourns the passing of Professor Charles “Chuck” Mistretta — a titan of medical imaging physics whose brilliance, generosity, and quiet humility left an indelible mark on our field and on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
Chuck’s invention of digital subtraction angiography transformed the way we see the human body. His ideas — elegant in conception, revolutionary in impact — now live in every angiographic suite and every image-guided intervention worldwide. More than 40 patents, landmark contributions to MR angiography, and a lifetime of dedicated teaching testify to a career driven not by recognition, but by a genuine desire to make medicine better for patients.
To those of us in the medical physics community, Chuck was more than a pioneer. He was a role model who led with intellectual openness, treated every student and colleague with equal warmth, and reminded us that the measure of a great scientist is not only what they discover, but how they treat the people around them.
IOMP is honoured to have recognised his contributions through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Award. His legacy will endure in our science, in our institutions, and in the generations of medical physicists he inspired.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who were touched by his life and service.
May he rest in peace.
Read the full tribute: https://www.iomp.org/a-tribute-to-charles-mistretta/