UC Davis Medical Center stands as the Sacramento region's only academic medical center, serving a vast 33-county area spanning 65,000 square miles across Northern California. This 656-bed Level I Trauma Center combines clinical excellence with groundbreaking research and the training of tomorrow's medical leaders. When you join UC Davis Health, you become part of an institution that Forbes ranked as the No. 1 hospital system in California and No. 19 nationally among large employers in 2025, a recognition the system has earned for two consecutive years.
The Department of Radiology operates under the leadership of Elizabeth Morris, MD, Professor and Chair, whose distinguished career includes the 2024 Gold Medalist award from the Society for Breast Imaging. Under her leadership, the department has maintained its commitment to subspecialty-based clinical imaging services of the highest quality while advancing research programs that leverage imaging to understand health, disease, and cost-effective care delivery.
UC Davis Health houses multiple nationally recognized centers that define the institution's clinical and research capabilities. The NCI-designated UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center provides oncology services that intersect directly with abdominal imaging, particularly for hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and genitourinary malignancies. The Alzheimer's Disease Center recently recruited a researcher with an R01 grant from Stanford, demonstrating the institution's ongoing commitment to neurodegenerative disease research.
The MIND Institute focuses on finding treatments and cures for neurodevelopmental disorders, while UC Davis Children's Hospital provides comprehensive pediatric care including the region's only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. These centers create opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration and research that extend well beyond traditional radiology boundaries.
Perhaps no facility better represents UC Davis Health's commitment to imaging innovation than the EXPLORER Molecular Imaging Center, home to the world's first total-body PET scanner. Developed through a partnership with United Imaging in China, this technology captures images of the entire body simultaneously, reducing scan times and radiation exposure while providing unprecedented diagnostic capability. As a faculty member, you will have access to this technology for both clinical care and research applications.
The center represents UC Davis Health's broader philosophy of pioneering new imaging technologies rather than simply adopting existing solutions. Faculty members have a long track record of developing diagnostic methods and treatment strategies that advance the field.
The new state-of-the-art 48X Complex features an Outpatient Surgery Center and houses Interventional Radiology, located just across from the Radiology offices. This modern facility reflects ongoing capital investment in clinical infrastructure. The main imaging center is equipped primarily with Siemens technology, including three 3T CT scanners plus an extremity scanner and eight GE 1.5T MRI units.
Multiple satellite locations extend your clinical reach throughout the region. The newly opened Folsom site includes 3 MRI units, ultrasound, and CT capabilities. The Rocklin Clinic serves patients in Placer County, and the department provides contrast coverage at Point West (Kaiser facility). This distributed footprint allows UC Davis Health to serve its expansive 33-county catchment area effectively.
The Department of Radiology maintains accreditations from the American College of Radiology across multiple modalities including MRI, CT, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission has accredited the vascular testing program, and the department holds ACR Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center status. Most recently, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging designated UC Davis as a Comprehensive Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Center of Excellence.
U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UC Davis Medical Center among the nation's best hospitals, with recognition for multiple specialty areas. These accreditations and rankings reflect the institution's commitment to quality and safety under the leadership of Vice Chair Benjamin Carney, MD.
The Radiology Department maintains a vibrant research environment with cutting-edge instrumentation development. Close partnerships exist with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Neurology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging. Dr. Morris has doubled the number of PhDs in the department, and leadership actively seeks faculty with NIH grant funding.
A new research building at Aggie Square dedicates half of one floor to Radiology research, providing ample space for scholarly pursuits. Strong relationships with Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science programs create opportunities for translational research and AI development. The department welcomes efficiency research that improves clinical operations alongside traditional basic science and clinical research.
UC Davis Health operates with a clear mission: to deliver the highest quality patient care, conduct transformative research, and train the next generation of radiology leaders and innovators. The institution's values emphasize both clinical excellence and academic contribution, reflected in the protected time allocations for research and teaching built into faculty positions.
As part of the University of California system, you benefit from institutional stability, transparent advancement pathways, and the resources of a major public research university. The collaborative culture extends across departments and disciplines, creating opportunities for the kind of interdisciplinary work that defines modern academic medicine.
UC Davis Health offers the rare combination of a major academic medical center's resources and reputation with a collegial, growth-oriented culture. As Division Chief of Abdominal Imaging, you will practice at facilities equipped with world-leading technology while shaping the future of your division and contributing to an institution consistently recognized as California's best.