Mike Middleton, MD
(SWC-SNMMI President 2006-2007)

Please tell us about yourself.

I enjoy the practice of nuclear medicine and always have since medical school.  I especially enjoy teaching and working daily with residents and fellows.

My primary interests outside of work have been as a part-time Professional Accordionist; being nationally and internationally recognized.  I perform many weekends and evenings at festivals, senior centers, churches, and other venues. I have produced four successful albums and enjoy performing in Texas and beyond.  I also serve on the Board of the World of Accordions Museum and have performed several times.  I also have enjoyed Scouting and other hobbies such as coin collecting and woodturning.

Mainly, I have been blessed with a wonderful supportive wife and three great kids as well as two grandchildren.

Give us your background history regarding training, NM, and what inspired you to field.

As a medical student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, I had the opportunity to meet a nuclear physician named Dr. Charlie Petty who encouraged me to consider Nuclear Medicine as a career. At that time in the 1980s, many other physicians and radiologists said “Nucs was a dying field” and some even called it “unclear medicine.”  I took a chance and applied and was accepted to one of the first Integrated Nuclear Medicine Residencies, at AECOM/Montefiore Medical Center, under Donald Blaufox, MD, and Lenny Freeman, MD. This unique program incorporated one year of Internal Medicine and one year of Radiology into a 4-year program and was outside of the Match.  The focus was on ALL aspects of Nuclear Medicine, including nuclear medicine imaging, PET, therapies, nuclear cardiology, and even radioimmunoassay. I had to opportunity to participate in research and enjoyed being on faculty for one year. But Texas was calling my name, and I wanted to go back.

Then I was recruited back to Texas and joined Scott & White Clinic in Temple, Texas, in 1994. I worked with Bill Carpentier, MD a former NASA space physician in the Apollo program. His second career was Nuc Med, and he taught me a lot, especially physiology. I took over as Division Director in 2000 and still hold that position.  I’ve witnessed the ups and downs of Nuclear Medicine; and have now seen the field grow rapidly. I served on the Board of Directors of Scott & White Clinic for 12 years. I brought important technologies to Scott & White, including various iterations of PET scanning and ultimately PET/CT imaging.

What do you consider your primary contribution to Nuc Medicine?

Probably the fact that I have practiced 100% nuclear medicine for over 30 years. This includes general nuclear medicine, nuclear medicine therapy, some laboratory nuclear medicine techniques, Nuclear Cardiology, and of course, PET/CT. 

Working on the Board with the ACNP nationally, I became President in 2006-2007 and helped broker the negotiation to merge the old ACNM and ACNP to become the new ACNM “American College of Nuclear Medicine.”  This came into effect in the 2008/2009 year. Concurrently, I was also working regionally with the SWC SNMMI and eventually became President.

My service with the National SNMMI also continued, and I have been an officer for many years. This includes national office as Committee on Chapters Chair, Vice Speaker, Speaker of the HOD, Secretary/Treasurer, and the long-time Finance Committee Chair; as well as many other committees and task forces.  I have had the honor of being nominated and on the National Ballot for VP Elect 5 times, but was not elected, yet stayed active in leadership. Consequently, I’ve been one of the longest serving members on the SNMMI Board of Directors.

Moreover, my largest contribution has been in teaching and influencing hundreds of Radiology residents in central Texas as well as hundreds of Cardiology fellows nuclear cardiology imaging. I continue to enjoy my interactions with radiology residents, cardiology fellows and medical students.

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

I was SWC SNM President in 2006. 

Joe Volpe, MD, a nuclear medicine physician from Austin and friend of our family recruited me to the SWC Board in the late 90s. I had also served as Scientific Program Chair and other positions leading up to the President role.  I treasure my friendship with so many in the Chapter, including Charlie Metzger who has been the longtime Executive Director of the SWC SNM.  I still consider the SWC SNM my home even though I am more active nationally in recent years.   

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

I have been blessed to practice full time Nuclear Medicine and work with many wonderful people.

For my promotion of accordion music, charitable performances to seniors and churches and multiple contest winnings; I have been fortunate to be recognized by the International publication, Accordion Stars Magazine as the cover story in recent years which discussed my role as a physician. ( see pics)

For my volunteer work as a long time Scout leader; I was recognized with the prestigious Silver Beaver Award in 2023 by the Longhorn Council of the BSA.  I’m also particular proud that over 20 boys who were in my original Cub Scout Pack and Troop eventually became Eagle Scouts, including my 2 sons.

Finally, for my long time academic work and leadership in Nuclear Medicine, and as the President 2015-2021 of the Texas A&M College of Medicine Alumni Association; I was awarded the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas A&M College of Medicine.