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Welcome to the September 2026 issue of the
Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC) newsletter!
In this issue, you'll find:
- A new interoperability pilot with NIH's All of Us Research Program
- MIDRC's expansion into theranostics with a new NIH award
- NIH highlights MIDRC as an example of a trusted data repository
- RadGPT, an AI tool helping patients better understand radiology reports
- MIDRC-Learn, including the seminar recording
- Updates from APPM annual and upcoming RSNA 2026 activities
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Linking MIDRC to All of Us
MIDRC has received funding for a year-long interoperability pilot with
NIH’s All of Us Research Program. The project will connect medical imaging data from MIDRC with health information available through All of Us. This will give researchers new opportunities to study imaging alongside other types of health data, including electronic health records, genetic data, surveys, and wearable device data.
The pilot has two parts:
- Adding imaging data
- Connecting to existing eye imaging data
Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) will allow records to be matched across platforms without exposing personal information. Linked data will be available to credentialed researchers through the All of Us Researcher Workbench.
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MIDRC Expands into Theranostics
MIDRC has received a U24 NIH award to expand its data commons into theranostics, a growing area of cancer care that combines targeted imaging and therapy (1U24EB039663-01).
The project will support the collection, curation, and sharing of real-world theranostics imaging data, with an initial focus on neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer, as well as cardiac MRIs.
Initially, MIDRC will add PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging along with relevant clinical data. This will expand MIDRC’s data model and workflows to support theranostics-specific imaging and metadata.
The project will also bring updates to MIDRC’s harmonization mappings, image quality workflows, and data portal, making these resources available to the growing theranostics research community.
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NIH Highlights MIDRC as an
Example of a Trusted Data Repository
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Why Data Repositories?
Research data repositories preserve valuable scientific resources and make them available for future discovery. By allowing researchers to securely access and reuse existing datasets, repositories help accelerate research, reduce duplication of effort, and improve scientific transparency.
NIH reports, repositories like MIDRC help:
- Advance the FAIR Data Principles by making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable
- Support scientific rigor, transparency, and reproducibility
- Enable secure access to high-quality research data
- Increase the long-term impact of NIH-funded research by encouraging data reuse and new scientific discoveries
Read the NIH article, MIDRC is featured under the NIBIB section.
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RadGPT: Making Radiology Reports
Easier to Understand
Radiology reports often contain complex medical language that can be difficult for patients to understand. RadGPT is an AI tool that explains radiology reports in plain language, helping patients better understand their imaging results and prepare for conversations with their healthcare providers.
What is RadGPT?
RadGPT is an AI-powered tool that supports patient education by:
- Explaining medical terms and findings in plain language
- Answering questions about radiology reports
- Suggesting follow-up questions patients can ask their healthcare providers
- Helping improve communication between patients and clinicians
How can patients use RadGPT?
Patients can use RadGPT to:
- Better understand the language used in their radiology reports
- Learn the meaning of unfamiliar medical terms
- Ask questions about report findings
- Prepare questions to discuss with their healthcare provider
- Feel more informed before and after medical appointments
How can researchers use RadGPT?
Researchers can use RadGPT to:
- Study how AI can improve patient understanding of radiology reports
- Evaluate AI-generated explanations of medical information
- Support research on communication between patients and healthcare providers
How can you access RadGPT?
RadGPT can be found on MIDRC.org under the Resources tab (web-based tools).
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Exploring MIDRC-Learn
MIDRC-Learn, MIDRC's new education hub focused on interoperable medical imaging data, data commons, and AI-ready research infrastructure is live.
This past month, MIDRC hosted a seminar, Chris Meyer, PhD, and Jordan Fuhrman, PhD, from the University of Chicago, to demonstrate MIDRC-Learn's features and resources. They discussed the goals of MIDRC-Learn, how it makes complex topics related to medical imaging data more accessible, and how the platform can support a broad range of audiences.
Watch the MIDRC-Learn seminar recording.
Upcoming seminars:
November 2026, January 2027, March 2027, and May 2027.
Virtual and free to attend, registration is required for the 2026–2027 series.
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MIDRC at RSNA Annual Meeting 2026!
Chicago, IL from November 29 – December 3, 2025
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MIDRC will be at RSNA 2026 in Chicago, November 29–December 3, with an in-person booth in the Lakeside Learning Center and several presentations throughout the meeting.
Stop by our booth to meet MIDRC researchers and learn more about:
- What MIDRC does
- Our latest research and projects
- Available imaging data and resources
- How MIDRC can support your research
We’d love to meet you, answer your questions, and talk about how we can help advance your work.
We hope to see you at RSNA 2026!
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MIDRC at AAPM Annual 2026
Vancouver, Canada from July 19–22
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MIDRC was pleased to participate in the AAPM Annual Meeting. MIDRC researchers presented on topics related to medical imaging, AI evaluation, image quality, and the use of imaging data to support clinical translation.
The MIDRC team also connected with researchers and attendees throughout the meeting to share our latest data, tools, and resources and discuss how MIDRC can support research and AI development.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, attended our presentations, and connected with the MIDRC team!
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If your NIH-funded project will generate medical imaging data, consider including MIDRC in your NIH Data Sharing Plan
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Our virtual seminars offer the medical community a chance to hear from our team. Free and open to everyone! Catch up on past talks and stay updated with our seminar video library!
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Connect with us!
Follow MIDRC Data Commons on LinkedIn and to stay informed on the latest updates & news about our research activities and advancements
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Stay tuned for the latest updates & innovative developments in medical imaging research! Follow MIDRC Media on YouTube @MIDRC_ |
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MIDRC researchers remain actively engaged in producing and disseminating impactful research! You can find a selection of recent publications HERE. |
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Should you have any questions or wish to discuss facilitating a data contribution from your institution in support of MIDRC's mission, please contact us here
MIDRC's open source web-based tools can be accessed here
MIDRC's open source downloadable tools can be found here
Our growing data portal is live and can be accessed here
Thank you again for your interest in and support of MIDRC!
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