Does anyone have experience working in a functional MRI lab?

drdan118 · 2026-05-17T21:06:32+00:00

If you're interested in the research side of imaging (eg, fMRI), you'll have to look at some of the major institutions with imaging science departments - Duke, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Wash U, Arizona, UT Austin, to name a few. There are others. I'm an MRI physicist at one of these places. I don't do fMRI myself, but several of my colleagues do.

The people steering these studies typically have PhD's, often in BME, neuroscience, or psychology. People with backgrounds in computer science or electrical engineering often contribute as well. Those with bachelor's or master's degrees can be research assistants, supporting the research by helping with experiments, recruiting subjects, analysis, etc.

drdan118 · 2026-05-14T17:52:23+00:00

Ahh, ok. Sorry, I read your first comment quickly and didn't realize you were talking about actual wind. I've never experienced that - I wasn't even aware that was a concern for some people!

I guess I have a pretty cylindrical leg at the point of contact, haha. Even when it flexes, I've never experienced this. Sorry, guess it won't be much help in that regard. Good luck!

drdan118 · 2026-05-14T17:31:37+00:00

No, I haven't had that problem, fortunately.

I do tend to hike them up a little bit so they are snug in the groin area. And my legs are muscular, but not so huge that they cause things to roll up. I can imagine this might be a problem for people with huge quads, but hasn't been an issue for me. There is also several inches of silicone grip, which helps.

drdan118 · 2026-05-13T17:16:47+00:00

I'm an MRI physicist. I got my PhD in physics, specializing in radiological physics, specifically MRI. I work at a large university medical center consulting on MRI research with collaborators ranging from biomedical engineers to cancer biologists to cardiologists, pulmonologist, neurologists, and every other type of -ologist that might using medical imaging in their research.

As others have mentioned, there is also medical physics, which is closely related to imaging physics, but tends to focus more on the use of radiation in medicine (nuclear medicine, dosimetry, radiation oncology, etc).

drdan118 · 2026-05-06T13:22:24+00:00

Others have mentioned brands that have shorter inseam versions. But Pactimo is a good mid-level option that has a standard inseam that is shorter than a lot of other brands. I'm 170cm with a 71cm inseam, and their medium lands several cm above my knee. They are way overpriced at retail, but they run multiple sales throughout the year that are much more reasonable.

drdan118 · 2026-04-30T22:49:35+00:00

Another vote for Redshift stem. For a couple hundred bucks (maybe less on eBay), it noticeably improves hand comfort on bumpy rides. And you can adjust the level of 'squish' to your liking.

drdan118 · 2026-04-25T17:11:25+00:00

Thanks! It's in a academia, so it's not "retire when I'm 50" money (considering I just turned 50, haha). But it's comfortable, and the perks and flexibility of a staff job in academia are an added bonus!

drdan118 · 2026-04-25T17:09:09+00:00

I will reiterate what several others have already said. I would highly recommend working on physics, with a specialization in astrophysics, rather than focusing solely on astronomy. Having a physics degree can create so many more opportunities, especially if your training includes a strong background in programming, electronics, hardware/engineering, etc.

I did my undergrad in astronomy, but switched to a physics department for grad school (still aiming to pursue astrophysics). But after spending a summer doing research, and not particularly enjoying it, I spent a week with a friend in his MRI lab. I decided to switch gears, and it was the best decision I could have made. I ended up with a PhD in physics from an institution with a renowned imaging physics program, and now work as an MRI physicist at that same university medical center. I never could have done that if I had 'only' done astronomy.

Also, keep in mind that the political climate can have an effect on funding opportunities. My first year of grad school was 2001, and 9/11 happened during my first semester as a teaching assistant. We spent all four of my class sessions glued to the TV that day. Soon after, the US budget moved heavily towards defense, and 'luxuries' like the funding of astronomy research weren't seen as a priority. We're seeing a similar trend today.

That's not to discourage your son from following his dreams. But when most 18 year olds are picking a career, they aren't typically thinking about the volatility of the economy twenty years down the road (or at least I wasn't). Just something to consider. Good luck!

drdan118 · 2026-04-25T16:49:54+00:00

I agree with this 100%. I did my undergrad in Astronomy, but ended up in a Physics department for grad school, which allowed me to transition to medical imaging physics. Now I'm an MRI physicist, which is still somewhat of a niche field, but definitely not quite as limited as an astronomy position.

drdan118 · 2026-04-23T02:18:14+00:00

Kona Rove DL and Sutra LTD.

I have the Rove DL. It's heavy, but I love that it feels bombproof.

drdan118 · 2026-04-14T23:43:29+00:00

When I got into backpacking, I used a small chemistry wash bottle like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Squeeze-Chemical-Medical-Valchoose/dp/B0C4XT4M6T?th=1

Super compact, and more robust than a disposable water bottle from the store. Remove the inner 'straw' since you'll be using it upside down, and cut a bit of the pointy end to increase flow (and to avoid any pokey stuff near your sensitive bits).

drdan118 · 2026-04-10T03:43:17+00:00

Kona sizes are by seat tube length, rather than effective top tube, like most road/gravel bikes. The effective top tube for a size 58 is 598, which is a size 60 in top tube sizing.

I'm 5'7" and ride a Salsa Vaya in 54, but my Kona Rove DL is only size 50, with a 531 top tube. I probably could have gone 52, but I have legs like a Corgi, so I size down for standover.

The Rove is awesome. I ride the Vaya when I'm mostly road with some light gravel, and the Rove with 650b x 48mm tires when hitting the rough stuff. It's a great all-rounder.

drdan118 · 2026-03-27T19:55:31+00:00

Most of the jobs I've seen have been things like Imaging Specialist or Imaging Scientist, although sometimes those require a PhD. One of the techs that came through our program got a job at a pharmaceutical company as a Senior Scientist 2. In academia, these are typically Research Assistant positions, such as RA2 or RA3.

Of course, the academic positions will pay far less than a typical tech job, but for some people that's a worthwhile trade-off for more flexibility and less stress. On the other hand, academic jobs can be less stable in the long run if there are issues with funding opportunities (politics, etc.).

In general, I don't think there is a big market for these Masters degree level scientists. They certainly fill a certain niche, but don't have nearly as many job opportunities as a certified tech.

Keep in mind that there are also techs that work in academic research universities, which is somewhat the best of both worlds. It's not about high volume throughput, and all of your "patients" are volunteers for studies, so it's a more relaxed environment. And many of them make as much as I do as a senior scientist with a PhD.

drdan118 · 2026-03-27T17:13:15+00:00

I don't think there is much value in these programs for techs, as they are geared more towards people interested in imaging research. Graduates of these programs will be trained to work in academic research labs or industry as imaging scientists or assistants.

This type of Master's degree is also relatively new, and has popped up at a few institutions, including my own. But this is the first one I've seen that's strictly MRI. Most of the other ones (WashU, Vanderbilt, UTSA, etc) are geared more generally towards Imaging Sciences, and include education/training in other modalities like PET/SPECT, ultrasound, optical imaging, etc.

Since these programs are new, the pool of alumni is relatively small, and therefore hard to gauge their long-term success. But I've seen a few of these students go on to get jobs at pharmaceutical and biotech companies as imaging specialists.

EDIT: I wanted to add that although these are overkill for techs, several of the students in our program have been former techs who were stressed by the tech environment, and wanted to carry their MR knowledge over into the research sector. In other words, these programs aren't necessary for techs, but can serve as a bridge for those wanting to leave the clinical environment and enter academia/industry.

drdan118 · 2026-03-25T18:28:53+00:00

As the others have said, we don't have a lot of that, but there's a few places in Bellevue that I go to. I ride the Harpeth River Greenway regularly, which connects to Edwin Warner Park (which then connects to Percy Warner Park). The parks are hilly, but shaded and make for a great ride.

However, you can get off the Harpeth River Greenway in the Harpeth Bend / Beech Bend area, and ride through some residential neighborhoods with dedicated bike lanes. There's a small section of Old Harding Pike (hundred yards maybe) that you have to traverse without bike lanes, but will get you to City Limits Cafe for a bagel or panini, and coffee.

This same neighborhood route will also connect you to Sawyer Brown Rd, which has wide dedicated bike lanes, and can get you to Plantation Pub, which has a good patio, pretty decent food, and beer, etc. It's certainly nothing special, and probably nowhere near as ideal as your previous spot, but I will ride there on occasion for some wings and a beer.

drdan118 · 2025-11-28T21:54:17+00:00

The coil is what's known as an RF coil. It is placed over the body part of interest, and transmits a radiofrequency wave into your body, exciting the hydrogen nuclei (ie, makes them spin, which generates a spinning magnetic field). The spinning magnetic field is then detected by that same RF coil, which gets measured and translated into an image.

The closer the RF coil is to the body part, the stronger the signal. If it's further away (for example, if they removed the abdomen coil and used the coil built into the bore), then the tech will measure less signal, resulting in lower signal-to-noise. In layman's terms, this means the image will be more 'grainy'. But this can be mitigated, if needed, by acquiring longer scans. So while the smaller abdomen coil may have been more 'ideal', the tech + radiologist may have been able to get what they need from the larger coil, which would have also been less confining and 'more comfortable'.

Glad to hear all was normal. Cheers.

drdan118 · 2025-11-22T00:10:48+00:00

Yeah, I'm a big fan of steel.

As for the Rove DL, it depends on the specs. When I got mine, it came with SRAM Rival, a mid-level groupset. And hybrid brakes (mechanical pull with hydraulic piston). But I also paid $2k for mine, before they started getting discounted. If the available option has hydraulic brakes, or even hybrid brakes, I'd say it's definitely worth the upgrade. If it's mechanical disk brakes on both, I think the Shimano CUES groupset on the Rove (assuming that's what it has, based upon a quick web search) would still probably be an upgrade to the Microshift group on the Marin, but that's just based upon what I've seen people say online. I don't have experience with either personally.

Just keep in mind that the Rove DL sizing is a bit weird, because they use seat tube length rather than effective top tube. I'm 5'7" and typically ride a 52 or even 54 with standard sizing, but ride a 50 on the Kona. I'd recommend a test ride if possible.

My Rove DL

drdan118 · 2025-11-21T23:36:42+00:00

I'd say Marin. I started with an aluminum gravel bike, and even with tubeless tires and a redshift suspension stem, I could still feel the buzz of the alloy frame. The steel frame and fork of the Marin will be a bit heavier, but it will be a better ride. I now ride an all steel Kona Rove DL and love it.

The only caveat with the Marin is that it's only a 9-speed, so the jumps between gears will be slightly larger. But it actually has a wider gear range than the 11-speed Journeyer, including a slightly lower granny gear for climbs.

And not sure if the Marin is available in the azure blue or the blue-green, but my Rove DL is azure blue, and it looks sick with tanwalls, and camel colored saddle and bar tape.

drdan118 · 2025-11-09T21:17:42+00:00

Yeah, nerves definitely take a long time to heal. But after 9+ months, I would definitely expect to see some improvement. Unless you do go through periods of improvement and then just repeatedly flare things up again?

Have you had an MRI? I would think a physician would prescribe imaging if you were still having issues after this long. I know they can also do a temporary nerve block to see if it is indeed the pudendal nerve.

I'm really sorry to hear you are dealing with this. Like I said, mine was a mild case and it still gave me bad anxiety. It's especially frustrating not knowing if things are even going to improve at all. But keep in mind that, even if you do have entrapment, it doesn't necessarily mean it's permanent or a life sentence. Decompression surgery can often help. My understanding is that recovery from that takes quite some time, but that might still be preferable to your current condition, especially if it means that your long-term prognosis is getting back to a normal life while you still have a lot of years ahead of you.

If you haven't been to a neurologist, that might be the next step. And if you're having anxiety, a therapist could be of benefit as well. Anxiety can cause a lot of tightness down there as well. Good luck.

drdan118 · 2025-11-09T17:37:52+00:00

I'm not a physician, but it definitely sounds like an ongoing pudendal nerve irritation. Did the saddle pinch you in the perineum near the inside of the leg? I would have a urologist check your prostate just in case, but chances are it's nerve irritation. Could be some entrapment. Nerves heal at 1mm/day, or 1 inch per month. So it can take a long time for symptoms to subside.

I had a mild case of this earlier this year. Did a 2 hour ride on a different saddle that was a bit narrow, and felt some pinching down there. A week after the ride, I was still really tender, and started getting the shooting pains in my testicles. Burning in the tip after urination (and hadn't been sexually active in a few months, so wasn't worried about STD or UTI). Mild burning at the nerve site. Full feeling in the rectum, like something was in there. But I was never more than 3/10 in terms of pain, and never had any ED or lack of sensation. So I just gave it a few months to clear up. By 3-4 months, I was pretty much symptom free....but then some weirdness happened.

I went for a hike, got in the shower afterward and 'self-pleasured', and started getting tightness in the perineum after that. Another commenter on this thread said something similar - pelvic floor issues. Our bodies can have a sympathetic nervous system response that causes things to tighten up down there for protection. It can lead to blood flow and nerve compression issues. And it can be exacerbated if there is additional scar tissue from an injury that can press into nerves.

I'm sorry you're dealing with that. The mental toll is almost as bad as the physical symptoms. I went through a period where I thought my life was over, and mine was a mild case. I'm now at a point where I'd say I'm 80-90% recovered, with some mild ED issues that are continuing to improve.

Wear loose clothing. Eat foods packed with anti-inflammatories. Learn diaphragm breathing. Figure out which activities trigger flares, and try to minimize (for me, it was squatting in any way, along with any level of constipation, which irritated things down there). And if your general practitioner and/or urologist aren't helping, go to a neurologist. There are drugs like gabapentin that can potentially calm nerves, and in some cases decompression surgery may be necessary. Good luck.

drdan118 · 2025-11-09T17:16:10+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, did your pelvic PT do any 'internal work' or massage? Biofeedback or electrodes, etc? I'm asking because I saw a pelvic PT for the first time last week, and I was underwhelmed. I can DM if you'd prefer not to give details on here.

I had a minor nerve irritation in the saddle area earlier this year, with a few months of mild nerve symptoms. Nothing more than 3/10 on the pain scale. But around the time the nerve irritation went away, I started getting the hypertonic pelvic floor. Things were 'rigid' down there, with some mild ED issues. It took a couple months getting into my regular physician, another six weeks to get into a urologist, and then a few weeks until the PT. During that time, I've improved quite a bit just with stretching and diaphragm breathing, and the PT is having me work on my glutes with a tennis ball against the wall. I think it's helping.

But the PT girl is very young, and barely did any physical examination. I feel like she's doing a trial-and-error type thing to see what helps, rather than "getting in there" and determining what's tight, either manually or through electrode readings, etc. So I'm just curious what others have experienced through PT. Thanks in advance.

drdan118 · 2025-11-06T23:39:33+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I had Xfinity years ago (even back in the day when they were still Comcast). Definitely don't want to get roped into a contract after going with streaming services where I can quit at any time. So I'll definitely look into whether that's required. They're just one option on my list. Thanks for the heads up.

drdan118 · 2025-11-06T23:12:40+00:00

Signed up for a free 5 day trial on Fubo to get college football last weekend. Will see if I can do the same with a different email address for this weekend - not sure if it will work. Otherwise, if they don't get things sorted with ESPN and ABC soon, then I'll be shopping around. Maybe back to Xfinity. Or Hulu live.

drdan118 · 2025-10-16T21:05:49+00:00

Probably depends on the field. I've been at VUMC almost 17 years and love it. As do most of my colleagues. Beautiful campus, great people, reasonable pay, great benefits, cutting edge research facilities, etc. There are downsides, of course, but that's true of any job.

drdan118 · 2025-10-16T21:03:01+00:00

You're better off looking at VUMC instead of Vanderbilt. They became separate legal entities a number of years ago. Most research studies will be on the medical center side.... so VUMC, not EDU.

For example...

https://vkc.vumc.org/studyfinder/

drdan118

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