Thomas Lang, PhD
Recall Professor
Radiology
School of Medicine

415-476-1323

Thomas F. Lang, PhD, has been a faculty member in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco, since 1994. Dr. Lang obtained his BA in Chemistry at the University of Chicago in 1983, and completed his PhD in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1990, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Radiology Imaging at UCSF in 1992.

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Over the course of his 27 year career at UCSF, Dr Lang has served the University in multiple areas in addition to his role in Radiology, including as Chair of the Conflict of Interest Committee since 2010 and as Associate Dean for Research and Presidential Professor in the School of Dentistry between 2015-2020. Dr Lang has served in leadership roles outside of UCSF including as a member of the NIH Skeletal Biology and Regeneration Study Section, Musculoskeletal Alterations Team Lead at the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Associate Editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and as an Editorial Board Member of the FASEB Journal.

The focus of Dr Lang's Research is focused on development and application of quantitative analytic methods centered on bettering our understanding of two major chronic problems that affect the growing elderly population: osteoporosis, a main cause of age-related fractures, and sarcopenia, a loss of skeletal muscle strength, endurance and function. The aim of this research is to characterize skeletal density, geometry and indices of strength from volumetric CT scans of the hip and spine, as well as similar imaging based methods to quantify skeletal muscle anatomy and function. With the growth of his research group, Dr. Lang and his group have carried out a robust program in methods development, integrating density and structured analysis with serial image registration to improve sensitivity for detecting changes in longitudinal measures, and finite element modeling in order to understand how density and structure measures of bones are related to bone strength, stiffness, and fractures.

Expertise: Osteoporosis and Musculoskeletal

Specialty: Bone aging, quantitative computed tomography, sarcopenia Professional Interests: Osteoporosis, computed tomography, bone mineral density measurements, CT and PET/CT imaging in the study of the human biology of the musculoskeletal system

Education and Training:

  • Bachelor of Art: University of Chicago - Chemistry
  • Doctor of Philosophy: University of California, Berkeley - Chemistry
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: University of California, San Francisco - Radiology Imaging
  • UCSF/Coro Leadership Collaborative Program

Awards

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  • Editorial Board Member, FASEB Journal, 2019
  • Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, 2014
  • Editorial Reviewer, NIH Center for Scientific Review, ZRG1-MOSS-C56 DP2, Director's New Innovator Award Study Section, 2014
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2013-2017
  • Distinguished Investigator Award, Academy of Radiology Research, 2013
  • International Space Station Top Discoveries in Microgravity Award, American Astronautical Society/NASA, 2013
  • 2012 Citation Prize, Osteoporosis International, 2013
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Board, American Federation for Aging Research, 2012
  • Editorial Reviewer, NIH Center for Scientific Review, ZRG1 DTCS-A81 Imaging Study Section, 2011
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2010-2012
  • Conflict of Interest Advisory Committee Chairman, University of California, San Francisco, 2010
  • Skeletal Biology, Structure and Regeneration Study Section, NIH Center for Scientific Review, 2009-2013
  • Musculoskeletal Alterations Team Leader, National Space Biomedical Research Institute, 2008-2012
  • Bridge Funding Grant Award, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, 2007
  • Visiting Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, 2004
  • Young Investigator Award, World Congress on Osteoporosis, 1995

Interests

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  • bone mineral density measurements
  • Osteoporosis
  • CT imaging
  • human biology of the musculoskeletal system
  • PET/CT imaging
  • computed tomography

Websites

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Grants and Projects

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Publications (162)

Top publication keywords:
Hip FracturesFinite Element AnalysisFemurSpinal FracturesHipAstronautsFractures, BoneBone and BonesSpace FlightOsteoporosisTomography, X-Ray ComputedFemur NeckBone DensityOsteoporosis, PostmenopausalAbsorptiometry, Photon

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