Edward Hoffman, a UCLA professor in the David Geffen School of
Medicine and co-inventor of the positron-emission tomography
scanner, died on July 1. He was 62.
UCLA announced Hoffman’s death July 9 but did not release
the cause.
“Ed was a wonderful scientist with a great mind and a good
heart,” said Michael Phelps, chairman of the department of
molecular and medical pharmacology, in a press release.
Phelps worked with Hoffman to develop the first human PET
scanner in 1973 at Washington University in St. Louis, where
Hoffman had completed his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry and had later
joined the faculty.
The two later moved to the University of Pennsylvania and then
to UCLA in 1976.
“The greatest tribute to a professor is when students
proudly say that “˜I was trained by Ed Hoffman’ and that
the students go on to become masters of what they choose to do in
their careers,” Phelps said during a memorial service held on
Saturday at the Faculty Center.
The PET scanner allows physicians “to measure in detail
the functioning of distinct areas of the human brain while the
patient is comfortable, conscious and alert. We can now study the
chemical process involved in the working of healthy or diseased
human brains in a way previously impossible,” according to a
Canadian particle and nuclear physics laboratory Web site.
During his time at UCLA Hoffman was recognized on many occasions
for his accomplishments in medical imaging.
Aside from his role as a professor, Hoffman held leadership
positions within the UCLA medical community.
Hoffman is survived by his wife Carolyn. During the memorial
service, Phelps spoke about the relationship between Hoffman and
his wife of 33 years.
Answering Phelps’ question of what Carolyn wanted Hoffman
to be remembered by, “She said, “˜I want us to remember
Ed as a person, not just (for) his science,'” Phelps
said.
In memory of Hoffman, his family requests any donations to be
made to the Edward J. Hoffman Graduate Fellowship Fund, a part of
the UCLA biomedical physics interdepartmental graduate program.