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In Memoriam: A Tribute to Bruce J. Hillman, MD

January 22, 2024 by Henry Lin-David   |   Leave a Comment

uva radiology's Dr. Bruce J. Hillman

Bruce Hillman, MD

The University of Virginia’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging announces with great sadness the passing of its former chair and renowned radiologist Dr. Bruce J. Hillman, who died on the morning of January 9, 2024.

Dr. Bruce J. Hillman was born in 1947 and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, where his father managed the family’s small South Beach hotel. After his father’s early death, his mother returned to teaching, and Bruce took on a series of part-time and summer jobs that included bagging groceries at a local supermarket, providing janitorial services at a hotel pool, and grinding welds for a piping contractor. He attended Princeton University and received his medical degree from the University of Rochester. He then trained in radiology at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he spent an additional year as a National Institutes of Health research fellow, specializing in genitourinary radiology. During a 1984-85 sabbatical as a Pew fellow — which he credits with setting the course for the remainder of his career — he earned a certificate from the RAND/UCLA program in health services research and policy. Following this training, Dr. Hillman rose through the academic ranks at the University of Arizona, becoming professor and vice chair of radiology in 1985. In 1992, he was appointed chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Virginia, serving in this capacity until 2003. As chair, Dr. Hillman played a key role in developing UVA’s first outpatient imaging center, and also oversaw the department’s transition from film-based imaging to a PACS system. He also served as president of the Health Services Foundation, the UVA physicians’ corporation.

Dr. Hillman also greatly influenced the broader medical landscape as an educator, researcher, and leader. He presented hundreds of talks that included more than 40 distinguished or named lectureships, and he authored more than 400 publications.  He was the editor-in-chief of three peer-reviewed journals and was the founding editor for the Journal of the American College of Radiology and Academic Radiology. As a researcher, Dr. Hillman demonstrated that physician self-referral for diagnostic imaging was associated with higher utilization and costs: work which has helped to inform federal and state laws limiting self-referral. He also founded and chaired the American College of Radiology Imaging Network, a clinical trials cooperative group funded by the National Cancer Institute. During his almost 10 years of leadership, ACRIN oversaw $200 million in funding for research, including large clinical trials studying the role of screening imaging tests for lung, breast, and colon cancer, generating data and imaging care algorithms which have positively impacted the lives of many patients around the world.

Dr. Hillman served organized Radiology in many volunteer leadership roles, including being the president of five different radiological societies and a member of the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors for 19 years. He was elected an honorary fellow of the French Society of Radiology, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiology, and Royal College of Radiologists. Dr. Hillman was also awarded the Gold Medal by the Radiological Society of North America, Association of University Radiologists, Society of Uroradiology, and American College of Radiology; as well as being recognized by the ACR with its 2015 Luminary Leadership Award.

Dr. Bruce Hillman, left, faces Dr. Spencer Gay, right

Dr. Bruce Hillman (left) celebrates the retirement of Dr. Spencer Gay (right) at UVA in 2016.

Aside from his more traditional contributions to the medical literature, Dr. Hillman published eight short stories in literary journals.  His book, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: How Medical Imaging is Changing Health Care (2010), eloquently informed readers about the applications, politics, and economics of medical imaging and potential future developments in the imaging sciences. Dr. Hillman also published two works of creative nonfiction, including the well-reviewed book The Man Who Stalked Einstein How Nazi Scientist Philipp Lenard Changed the Course of History (2015), and the 2016 Publisher’s Weekly starred book selection A Plague on All Our Houses: Medical Intrigue, Hollywood, and the Discovery of AIDS.

Even as a professor emeritus, Dr. Hillman remained engaged with UVA from his home in North Carolina. In all of these endeavors — from his service to radiology and medicine, to his creative work — Dr. Bruce Hillman will be remembered fondly for his expansive vision, brilliance and creativity. His drive to succeed and tenacity to achieve difficult things were traits that laid the foundation for his long and illustrious career. UVA’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, the literary world, and the community of radiology are all better off due to Dr. Hillman.

 

Comments (10)

  1. Dongfeng Pan says:

    Dr. Hillman, the former Chairman of UVA Radiology, interviewed me in 1999 and played a crucial role in guiding my early research efforts. He will be remembered as a mentor in my academic career. May he rest in peace. RIP!

  2. C Douglas Phillips MD FACR says:

    Bruce guided me early in my career and gave me confidence to move in many directions. He was a far-sighted individual who could grasp the second and third steps in a process. His acceptance meant a lot to me. His vision for our department was well ahead of its time. I will miss him.

  3. Karen Barden says:

    Thank you for sharing your condolence message, Doug.

  4. Bruce McClennan MD FACR says:

    A huge loss for our profession, an old friend and colleague with whom I have many happy shared memories. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

  5. Martin Tornai says:

    Bruce lectured in my Medical Physics Frontiers Seminar course at Duke over several years (2013-2016). It was always amazing having this giant in Radiology come and share his travel/personal stories amongst the eye-opening technical and historical perspectives he gave us all about the evolution of modern medical imaging. I’m grateful to have gotten to know him and watch him reach the next generations of innovators and biomedical engineering & medical physics practitioners… RIP.

  6. Theresa V Crouch, M.D. says:

    Dr. Bruce Hillman was one of the most articulate speakers I have ever heard at any radiology meeting! May he rest in peace.

    Theresa Vogel Crouch, M.D.

  7. Jason Birnholz, MD says:

    Long-time friend and co-author, this is very sad. Bruce was the finest exemplar of scientist and humanitarian of any Radiologist I have ever worked with.

  8. David J. Ballard, MD, FACP, MSPH, PhD, MBA says:

    Bruce was one of the first leaders in his field to apply health services research methods to care delivery issues in radiology, shaped by his time spent in the mid-1980s at RAND. He was a great colleague and collaborator of mine at UVA in the early 1990s. He will be missed, while his landmark contributions in radiology and health care policy shaped the field of radiology forever. He will be greatly missed as a boundary crosser throughout his career.

  9. Spencer Gay says:

    Bruce Hillman was a visionary in Radiology. He enhanced patient care at UVA Health by development of the imaging center model for outpatient exams. Bruce was so helpful to me in guiding my career and for that I am very grateful.

  10. Charles McBride, MD says:

    Bruce it saddens me to be hearing of your passing. We were great friends at Rochester and I am not at all surprised that you made great contributions to medicine. The preceding postings are a pleasure to read.
    I knew you early on and my most vivid memories were of your flaming red hair (thinning a bit) and your great sense of humor. We were so innocent then not knowing of the boons and satisfaction the future would hold.
    I wish you a fine afterlife. The world misses you already.

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