The World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) awarded the 2025 Gold Medal Award to Christopher H. Contag, the James and Kathleen Cornelius Distinguished Chair and professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology, and director of the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering at Michigan State University,
According to WMIS, “The Gold Medal is the highest honor awarded by WMIS and highlights outstanding molecular imaging research and new discoveries focused on the integration of molecular imaging into science and healthcare to develop innovative complementary approaches to understand biology and improve patient care.”
Contag was recognized for his pioneering work in establishing, and utilizing, in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to understand complex biology. This imaging tool has fundamentally changed biological investigation and shaped the way researchers visualize and understand biological processes in living animal models of human biology and disease.
“I am grateful to the many students, collaborators, colleagues and scientists who have contributed to the impact that in vivo bioluminescence imaging has had in the study of biology and testing of new therapies,” said Contag. “Many fields have been greatly enriched by the contributions of these people.”
Through Contag’s scientific vision and leadership, BLI has become a cornerstone biomedical imaging technology that continues to accelerate discovery, translation, and innovation.
“On behalf of our BME community at MSU, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Chris Contag on this remarkable recognition,” said Cheri Deng, Tom and Lupe Izzo Endowed Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “His achievements in developing in vivo bioluminescence imaging have profoundly influenced biomedical research and clinical translation. We are so proud and fortunate to have such an innovator, leader, and mentor within our community."
The award was presented to Contag at the 2025 World Molecular Imaging Congress in Anchorage, Alaska, on Sept. 30.
Contag received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul and his doctorate in microbiology from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
In 1995, he was appointed to the Stanford faculty in the Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology and Immunology, with courtesy appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering and Radiology. In 2017, Contag joined MSU as the founding director of the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineeringand served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. The Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering was created at MSU to create biomedical innovations at the interface of multiple fields, and use engineering principles to solve complex biological problems.
About World Molecular Imaging Society
The World Molecular Imaging Society is an international scientific educational organization dedicated to the understanding of biology and medicine through multimodal in vivo imaging of cellular and molecular events in normal and pathologic processes and to the utilization of quantitative molecular imaging in patient care.
Written by Judi Melena Smelser
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page