MSU Department of Radiology

11/19/2025

This month’s employee Spotlight features Dr. Balasubramanya Kolar, MBBS, DABR.

Dr. Kolar is a Radiologist and Assistant Professor located in East Lansing. After completing his education and training at the University of Rochester, he’s worked in his field for 25 years, four of which have been spent with MSU Radiology. To him, the best part of his job is playing a vital role in diagnosis of the problem that a patient has.

Dr. Kolar was born and raised in Bangalore, India. After also living in Rochester, New York and Aberdeen, South Dakota, he now resides in East Lansing, Michigan. He’s married to his wife, Nayana, and they have one 17-year-old daughter, Ananya. In his spare time, Dr. Kolar enjoys crosswords, puzzles, playing chess, and exploring new places when traveling. His favorite foods are Indian and Mediterranean cuisine, and he’s a fan of film series such as Harry Potter, James Bond, Mission Impossible, and Indiana Jones. He also enjoys shows such as Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Musically, he likes country music, Hindi film songs, and Bryan Adams. When it comes to sports, he enjoys cricket, soccer, and basketball, especially following Manchester City and the LA Lakers, noting he supports any team LeBron is on. His favorite quote is, “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached,” by Swami Vivekananda, and the best advice he’s received comes from a Sanskrit verse that reads, “You have the right to perform your duty, do not let the fruits of action be your motive.”

11/18/2025

Being invited to participate in community events is always an honor. The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Radiology Interest Group students and Pediatric Interest Group students had a blast taking "x-rays" of the students' elbows, hands, and teddy bears at the White Hills Elementary School STEM night! We’re grateful for our wonderful team of staff members who help make these outreach events such a great experience for the kids. And seriously—handling a snake?! It was definitely a fun night!

11/17/2025

Dr. Morteza Mahmoudi has been recognized as one of MSU's 2025 globally recognized researchers! Read about his contributions at MSU Today.

Eight researchers and professors from Michigan State University have been recognized in the “2025 Highly Cited Researchers” list, a ranking organized annually by Clarivate Analytics.

11/14/2025

Dr. Tedla from Emory University joined the residents earlier this week as our last visiting professor of the year, and she delivered an outstanding deep dive into head and neck radiology. We’re truly grateful for her expertise and exceptional teaching.

11/05/2025

We were delighted to welcome Dr. Katie Traylor from the University of Pittsburgh yesterday! She shared her expertise in neuroradiology with our residents, delivering an engaging and educational session. Her passion for teaching and depth of knowledge made for a truly inspiring visit — thank you, Dr. Traylor!

11/03/2025

Spartans lead in care and innovation, and our rad techs are no exception. Exceptional imaging meets exceptional heart at MSU. Happy National Radiologic Technology Week to the team that shows the world what Spartan excellence looks like 💚

10/29/2025

Yesterday we hosted Dr. Jonathan Samet from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Pediatric musculoskeletal radiology is quite different from adult MSK. Our residents had lots of questions and learned from one of the best!

10/16/2025

This month’s employee Spotlight features Norman Scheel.

Dr. Norman Scheel is an Assistant Professor located in East Lansing in the Research division of MSU Radiology. In his own words, he’s a brain researcher who uses powerful computers and MRI scans to find the earliest signs of diseases like Alzheimer’s. Dr. Scheel earned his PhD in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Computational Neuroscience from the University of Lübeck in 2017, following a German Diploma in Computer Science and Medical Informatics. After completing postdoctoral fellowships in Neurology in Lübeck and MSU Radiology, he joined the department as a faculty member in 2018. His research focuses on developing imaging-derived biomarkers to predict neurodegenerative diseases, and he is particularly passionate about data quality and artifact removal to ensure robust findings. A highlight of his career was receiving MSU’s 2023 AgeAlive Research in Aging Award and the Postdoctoral Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award that same year.

Dr. Scheel was born in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany, and first came to East Lansing as a high school exchange student in 1998. Now, he proudly calls East Lansing home again. Outside of research, Norman has a deep background in music and performance, having trained in both classical and musical theater voice and served as musical director and arranger for a pop symphonic orchestra in Lübeck. When he’s not immersed in research or music, he enjoys road trips, camping, reading and cooking. He’s also a former American football player and an enthusiastic fan of both the MSU Spartans and the Minnesota Vikings. To close, Norman notes that he feels incredibly fortunate to be able to do this work in a place that has felt like a second home to him since high school. In his own words, “It's a challenging but very rewarding field, and I'm optimistic about what we can achieve in the coming years.”

10/08/2025

Yesterday, we hosted Dr. Nina Terry from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Dr. Terry is a cardiac radiologist that is an exceptional educator. She spent the afternoon working with the residents in an oral board format - oral boards are coming back, the prep is very timely!

10/02/2025

We were so happy to host one of our former fellows for Resident Conference Tuesday! Dr. Madu is currently in New York at Northwell Health. Dr. Madu shared his training and experience in breast imaging with the residents.

09/19/2025

This month’s employee Spotlight features Kent Lovell.

Kent is a Research Administrator I located in East Lansing in the Administration division of MSU Radiology. In his own words, he manages the budgets for researchers so they can focus on the research. Kent earned double associate’s degrees in business and accounting from Rio Salado College and has worked in accounting for more than ten years. He joined MSU in 2023 and enjoys interacting with researchers and helping them complete project budgets as needed. A favorite moment from his first year was participating in a photoshoot with Sparty and the Radiology team members.

Kent was born in Eastern Washington and raised in Washington, California, Oregon, and Seoul, South Korea, where he attended an International School. Now, he lives in Lansing with his wife, whom he has been with since 2012, and their red standard poodle, Lucy, named after Lucille Ball for both her looks and attitude. In his free time, Kent enjoys puzzles, Legos, coloring with acrylic pens, playing guitar, and listening to audiobooks. When it comes to media, he’s a fan of most anything by Aaron Sorkin, Broadway musicals, 80s and 90s country music, and the works of his two favorite authors, W.E.B. Griffin and Terry Pratchett. He’s an avid fan of Korean food, especially spicy ramyun and dolsot bibimbap, as well as sushi and fresh salads. His favorite quote is, “Accounting is not just about counting beans; it’s about making every bean count,” and the best advice he has received is, “Just be yourself–everyone else will adjust.”

09/17/2025

Yesterday, our visiting professor came to us from Emory University All things AI and robotic were on the agenda! As an interventional radiologist, Dr. Bercu works with cutting edge technology to better serve the patient. It was fascinating!