Kristen K DeStigter, MD, FACR

President and Co-Founder, Mentor

Kristen is Professor and Chair of Radiology at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the Radiology Health Care Service Chief for the University of Vermont Health Network. She is the co-founder and president of Imaging the World.

Kristen’s achievements include unique applications of ultrasound in rural medicine, the provision of integrated medical imaging services in under-served communities, medical education in diagnostic radiology, and global advances in women’s health care. She a member of the World Health Organization’s Referral Guidelines Development Group as part of the International Radiology Quality Network. Internationally recognized as an expert in the implementation science of radiology for rural health care, she sits on a Lancet Commission for Diagnosis, focusing in low- and middle-income countries. Currently, Kristen is Chair of the RSNA Committee on International Radiology Education (CIRE) and a member of the RSNA Education Committee. She also serves on the American College of Radiology (ACR) Foundation’s International Outreach Committee.

On a personal note, my introduction to global health was many years ago. Working with a research team on the parasite infection, schistosomiasis, in rural Kenya in the 1980’s, I was inspired by a Kenyan radiologist to solve an access problem for pregnant women needing ultrasound. With another radiologist, I founded the 501c3, Imaging the world, in 2007. Our original seed funding was from the Gates Foundation, but we now have funding through Industry, Academic partnerships, private donors, grants and research.