Rachelle Crescenzi, PhD, Named Pinn Scholar by UVA School of Medicine

Rachelle Crescenzi, PhD, associate professor of radiology and medical imaging, was one of three faculty members selected for the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s 2026 Class of Pinn Scholars. Dr. Crescenzi is the director of UVA’s Sodium, Adipose, and Lymphatic Translational (SALT) lab, which uses MRI imaging to study lymphedema and lipedema.

The program is named in honor of the extraordinary career of Vivian Pinn, MD, one of the first African American graduates of the UVA School of Medicine. The Pinn Scholars program honors mid-career faculty based on their scientific expertise, research productivity, and additional contributions to the School of Medicine and to the greater research community through mentoring and service.

The award provides $120,000 for each scholar’s research program at the beginning of a three-year term. Faculty are expected to develop a new project or direction in their research and share their results at an annual symposium. The other winners this year were Clint Miller, PhD, associate professor of genome sciences, and Justin Taylor, PhD, associate professor of medicine.

It’s not the first time Dr. Crescenzi has contributed to a program honoring Dr. Pinn’s legacy. This past May, Dr. Crescenzi participated in the National Institutes of Health’s Vivian W. Pinn Symposium as part of Women’s Health week. For 10 years, the symposium has provided a critical forum for experts to share ideas and collaborate on the advancement of women’s health. For this year’s event—focusing on chronic conditions in women—Dr. Crescenzi participated in the Basic and Translational Research panel to discuss the study of lymphedema and lipedema, diseases with disproportionally affect women.

“It was a great opportunity to share a message about the need for imaging science to improve women’s health through developing diagnostics, disease mechanism, and treatment options,” said Dr. Crescenzi.