Donald Harvey, Jr
(SWCSNMMI-TS President 2005-2006 and 2016-2017)

Please tell us about yourself.

I was born in Detroit, Michigan.  I always had an interest in the medical field.  When I entered college, I was interested in becoming a doctor.  However because of a heart problem I decided to choose Nuclear Medicine instead.  After working in the field for over 20 years, I went back to school to become a minister and completed seminary in 1990.  I worked in Brain Research at UTSW for over 4 years doing Brain Spect Scans of many different problems including pilepsy, Psychiatry, Gulf War Syndrome, Trauma, and Alzheimer’s.  I found this to be the most interesting area of Nuclear Medicine.

Give us your background information related to your professional training, including nuclear medicine, and what inspired you to enter this field.

After getting my BS at Eastern Michigan University, I attended the University of Michigan for the Nuclear Medicine training, and after tha,t I worked research at the University for a while.  I learned how to perform SPECT scans while there seeing they the first to develop a SPECT Scanner. I also learned the cutting edge of heart imaging and thyroid with Dr. William Beierwaltes, James Trall, and Jim Carey.  While working a UTSW is worked with Michael Devous and Dr. Bont, as well as other great physicians in Psychiatry and Nuclear Medicine.

What do you consider your primary contribution(s) to Nuclear Medicine?

I have taken an active role in the 45 years I have been in the field of Nuclear Medicine from Brain Research to development of new radiopharmaceuticals and scanning protocols.  I was involved with developing many INR studies over the years in all areas of Nuclear Medicine.  Have activity been involved with SNMMI and the SWC chapter as 1976.  Was involve with Radioimmunoassay for Blood products.  Was involved with developing Neonatal T4 blood testing for babies from 1978 forward.

In what year were you a SWC-SNMMI President, and how did you first become involved with the chapter?

I became involved with the SWC years ago, and I have been president 3 times with SWC Technologist Section. I was elected president for a 4 time, but because of Brain Surgery, Julie Koehn took it over for me.

I go involved in Galveston many years ago when I went to  the annual meeting and was approached by two of the nicest people I have every met and ask me if I would serve on the Nomination Committee.  Since then I have actively been involved.

Please describe anything else that you would like for your Nuclear Medicine colleagues to know about yourself.

I have enjoyed working with great people with the SWC all these years and would not have missed it for the world.