A memorial service in honor of Michael J. Welch, PhD, who was a faculty member for more than four decades at Washington University in St. Louis, will be held at 3 p.m. June 4 in Graham Chapel.
Welch, who was professor of radiology, of chemistry, of biomedical engineering and of developmental biology, died May 6, 2012. He was the founding leader of the Oncologic Imaging Research Program at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine and a member of the cancer center’s senior leadership.
Welch, who wrote more than 550 scientific papers, contributed to the development of positron emission tomography (PET) at the university in the early 1970s.
His many accomplishments include contributions to the compounds that allow imaging of brain blood flow and creation of imaging agents for the study of many types of cancer.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Welch Foundation, 55 Walls Drive, Fairfield, Conn., 06824. A website, mjwelchfoundation.org, also is in development. His survivors are establishing the foundation to support research in nuclear medicine.