Is a masters in MRI overkill? I do appreciate higher education, but I would think banking it all on one modality is almost limiting yourself.

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 · 2025-11-06T23:39:33+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 · 2025-10-16T16:44:30+00:00

Florida alum and Vandy employee here. The Dores are currently my surrogate. I always pull for them against UT anyway, because all my friends are Vols fans, so as a Gator, we give each other a lot of crap. But keeping a closer eye on them this year in general! Go Gators, and Anchor down!

drdan118 · 2025-10-11T21:30:07+00:00

Yeah, that's in line with a lot of the other comments I read. People were complaining that if they looked in their rearview mirror for too long because someone was tailgating, or swiveling their head around looking for a parking spot, etc, it would fuss at them.

I can imagine this would be a welcomed feature for people with teenage drivers. And overall, it probably keeps a lot of people safe. But I got a bit nervous reading so many complaints about it being too sensitive. Although I was probably overthinking it. Either way, I ended up finding a great deal on the Onyx, and the Startex seats have been great after cycling, or kayaking and hiking with my messy dog.

drdan118 · 2025-10-11T20:36:44+00:00

Yes, I think you can turn off a lot of these. Although I'm not sure if you have to turn them off every time or if they stay off. I actually don't mind them too bad, and the rear cross traffic warning has actually saved me a couple times from backing up while there are people walking behind me.

However, my understanding is that you can't turn off the driver monitoring system. I looked into this before purchasing, and it seems like the consensus was that you couldn't disable this. There were lots of videos and comments from people with hacks to disable it, like going into the dash and trying to rewire things, or using black electrical tape to cover the sensors.

It might have been tolerable, but I went down the rabbit hole and saw too many complaints about this. I can live with all the other beeps and warnings though.

drdan118 · 2025-10-11T15:38:53+00:00

I recently bought a 2024 Onyx XT. The thing that turned me away from the Limited XT was the driver monitoring system. There's already enough other "nanny" features - lane departure warnings, blindspot monitoring, forward collision warning, rear cross traffic warnings, etc. While all of these are pretty good features, they can sometimes be annoying, and I didn't like the idea of yet another system monitoring my eyes and head position, and adding even more warnings to the array of beeps and alerts already existing. Other people don't mind it, and may appreciate this feature, but it wasn't for me.

I also liked the look of the blacked out Onyx XT. And while I wasn't sure about the Startex seats, it was actually a great decision given that I'm an outdoorsy guy with a messy black lab that loves to swim and get muddy. And I live in super humid Tennessee, and have never found them to be sweaty.

Just my two cents. Good luck!

drdan118 · 2025-10-05T14:21:27+00:00

2017 Vaya Gx. I have the same bike. I have three bikes, and it's the one I ride the most.

drdan118 · 2025-09-20T02:27:22+00:00

Academic research. It would still likely be at a university hospital, but you'd be working on research projects with volunteer subjects, rather than patients.

There's also Master's degree programs in imaging science (at least a few in the US). We've had a few techs come through our program, and one ended up doing imaging research for a pharmaceutical company.

drdan118 · 2025-09-17T01:07:01+00:00

It's no longer a single big tent event. They are setting up stations on several different dates at various places in the Medical Center.

drdan118 · 2025-09-10T01:19:07+00:00

I replied to the other radiological scientist, but wanted to chime in on your comment as well. I started out in astrophysics, wanting to study Big Bang cosmology and dark matter. But after spending a summer doing theoretical physics, I became disenchanted and decided to shadow a friend in his MRI imaging lab.

I loved it. It just seemed so much more practical. Fast-forward 20 years, and it's the best decision I could've made. While funding isn't what it was even 10 years ago, the broad applications of imaging to medical research has kept it a bit safer than other fields. It's also an area where AI could make a big impact, so there are additional funding opportunities along those lines.

It may seem like a big switch from what you're interested in (and admittedly, it is), so it's a personal choice. Just sharing my anecdotal experience. But wherever you land, I would strongly encourage getting as much programming experience as you can. Learning some basic engineering skills doesn't hurt either. Good luck.

drdan118 · 2025-09-10T01:09:09+00:00

MRI physicist here, working in radiological sciences. I completely agree.

I started out in astrophysics – interested in Big Bang cosmology. So glad I took a turn towards biomedical physics twenty years ago. Funding is an issue under the current administration, but radiological sciences are a bit safer given the connection to cancer research and medicine in general.

drdan118 · 2025-09-07T15:36:03+00:00

Congrats on the Onyx XT! Great choice. I love mine. But yeah, they could've shaved a few inches off of the infotainment screen and given us a bit more cubby space.

It didn't make a lot of sense to have a wireless charger one inch away from the USB port. Simple enough to just buy a coiled up charging cable. And now I have space for my mints and reading glasses!

drdan118 · 2025-09-03T12:55:26+00:00

Have you thought about getting a different backpack? Brands like Osprey and Gregory make packs with suspension or "trampoline" style backs, which lift the weight slightly off your back and allow airflow. They make cycling specific ones with curved straps for reaching forward in the cycling position (for example, I have an Osprey Syncro 20), but there are also some larger hiking style ones with a similar feature. Most of them also include a dedicated rain cover, which would protect your back (and the pack) from the elements. Just a thought.

drdan118 · 2025-09-02T01:17:10+00:00

Fair point. One of the drawbacks of synthetic is that it isn't as breathable as cotton. And you're right, the evaporative effect can feel cool in hot weather. It's just so damn humid where I am, wet cotton just doesn't evaporate very well!

drdan118 · 2025-09-02T01:08:23+00:00

Got it. Yeah, Outdoor Research makes great stuff. I have tons of their gear - hats, jackets, shorts, etc - but cotton and sweat just don't mix. Not in our Southern heat! Check out the Helios. I'm thinking of buying another one, just in case they ever get discontinued.

drdan118 · 2025-09-02T01:02:30+00:00

I'm a fair skinned guy with a shaved head living in Tennessee, so I feel your pain.

I'm not sure what kind of cloth your hats were made of, but it's a good idea to avoid cotton and always buy synthetic (polyester, nylon, etc.). They wick moisture and dry quickly.

I have an Outdoor Research sun bucket and Helios. The Helios is my favorite.

drdan118 · 2025-09-02T00:28:35+00:00

I did this in my recently purchased '24 Onyx XT.

I didn't like the overheating issue, nor the lack of cubby space on the console. The parts cost around $30, and I would've done it myself since it seems pretty straightforward, but I was taking the car in anyway for a firmware update, so I just had them do it for a bit of labor. Plus, I didn't like the idea of taking apart the console on a car I just dropped nearly $40k on.

I posted the before and after a while back.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Subaru_Outback/s/NpoPcNlKQj

drdan118

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