# Patrick D. Barnes

Patrick Barnes (born February 3, 1948) is an American pediatric radiologist and pediatric neuroradiologist. He was an emeritus professor of radiology at the Stanford School of Medicine. He also served as the chief of the section of Pediatric Neuroradiology and the inaugural director of the Pediatric MRI and CT Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. He is known for his contributions to the field of pediatric neuroradiology, particularly in the development and implementation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of pediatric neurological conditions.
Barnes is a co-founder and past president of the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR) and has held leadership roles in various professional societies, including the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) and the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR).

## Early life and education

Barnes was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was valedictorian of his high school class in Vinita, Oklahoma, in 1966. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied Letters/Pre-Medicine from 1966 to 1969. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 1973, graduating with honors and being inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
Barnes completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1976, followed by a fellowship in pediatric neuroradiology and cardiovascular radiology at Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He was subsequently certified by the American Board of Radiology in diagnostic radiology with added qualification in neuroradiology.

## Career

Barnes began his career as a pediatric radiologist and the chief of pediatric neuroradiology at Oklahoma Children’s Memorial Hospital, where he also served as the inaugural co-director of the MRI center from 1977 to 1986. During this period, he was an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
In 1986, Barnes joined the Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served as the chief of the Division of Neuroradiology and the inaugural director of the MRI center until 1999. He also held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, where he was promoted to associate professor of radiology.

## Research and contributions

Barnes was instrumental in the early adoption and development of MRI for pediatric central nervous system (CNS) imaging. His work with researchers from the University of Oklahoma and Oral Roberts University demonstrated MRI's efficacy in screening for spinal dysraphism, eventually replacing myelography in pediatric spine imaging. Barnes co-led the establishment of MRI research programs at institutions like Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical Center, and Stanford's Packard Children’s Hospital. His efforts led to studies on MRI’s use in imaging vascular anomalies and contributed to faster imaging techniques, reducing sedation needs and improving patient access. Notable contributions include the first comprehensive textbook on pediatric neuroradiology and advancements in motion-correction software for MRI.
Barnes also played a key role in developing MRI methodologies for evaluating pediatric brain tumors. Collaborating with experts at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and others, he helped establish the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium. His research on image-guided techniques has enhanced therapeutic interventions and outcomes. He contributed to studies on Stereotactic radiation therapy and MRI’s role in distinguishing treatment effects from tumor progression.
At Boston Children's Hospital, Barnes worked with Deborah Levine of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to advance ultrafast fetal MRI, which improved the prenatal diagnosis of CNS and other anomalies impacting maternal counseling. His research demonstrated that fetal MRI could provide crucial additional information beyond ultrasound, guiding the management of fetal conditions and influencing multidisciplinary fetal medicine programs.
Barnes collaborated with teams at Boston Children’s and Packard Children’s-Stanford to develop MRI techniques for neonatal evaluations. His work included using diffusion-weighted imaging to detect ischemic injuries early and comparing MRI with cranial ultrasound for predicting outcomes in preterm infants, as well as, term infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.
Barnes has been a pivotal figure in the development of imaging techniques for evaluating childhood trauma, including child abuse. Co-founding the Child Abuse SCAN team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, he has contributed to addressing controversies and refining diagnostic approaches. Collaborating with Kathy Keller of the Santa Clara Medical Center, their research has influenced recommendations for vitamin D supplementation and clarified the limitations of imaging in differentiating abuse from its mimics.

## Honors and awards

Barnes has received the John A. Kirkpatrick Jr. Faculty Teaching Award from Harvard Medical School, the S.B. Rossiter / Senior Radiology Faculty of the Year Award (x3) from Stanford University Medical Center, and the Herman Grossman Lecturer award from Duke University Medical Center.
From 2012 to 2018, he was recognized as one of America’s Top Doctors, ranking in the top 1% of neuroradiologists in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly Medical.
In 2018, Barnes was honored as Emeritus Professor of Radiology (Pediatric Radiology – Neuroradiology) at Stanford University Medical Center.

## Selected publications

* Findley, Keith; Risinger, D.; Barnes, Patrick; Mack, Julie; Moran, David; Scheck, Barry; Bohan, Thomas (1 December 2020). "Feigned Consensus: Usurping the Law in Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma Prosecutions". Articles.
* Laptook, Abbot R.; Shankaran, Seetha; Barnes, Patrick (March 2021). "Limitations of Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Predictor of Death or Disability Following Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in the Late Hypothermia Trial". The Journal of Pediatrics. 230: 106–111.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.11.015. ISSN 1097-6833. PMC 7914162.
* Duncan, Andrea F.; Bann, Carla M.; Dempsey, Allison; Peralta-Carcelen, Myriam; Hintz, Susan (January 2019). "Behavioral Deficits at 18-22 Months of Age Are Associated with Early Cerebellar Injury and Cognitive and Language Performance in Children Born Extremely Preterm". The Journal of Pediatrics. 204: 148–156.e4. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.08.059. ISSN 1097-6833. PMC 6394414.
* Li, Matthew D.; Forkert, Nils D.; Kundu, Palak; Ambler, Cheryl; Lober, Robert M.; Burns, Terry C.; Barnes, Patrick D. (July 2018). "Preterm Neuroimaging and School-Age Cognitive Outcomes". Pediatrics. 142 (1): e20174058. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-4058. hdl:1805/19076. ISSN 1098-4275.