Giovanni Di Chiro

Giovanni Di Chiro (October 17, 1926 – August 27, 1997) was an Italian-American neuroradiologist known for his work in the use of medical imaging techniques, such as computer-assisted tomography, to study the central nervous system.

Career After graduating from the University of Naples, Di Chiro originally intended to travel to Switzerland to work as a cardiologist, but he soon changed his mind and traveled to Sweden instead. While on the train to Stockholm, he met a radiologist who convinced him to pursue a career in radiology. He went on to serve as a radiology resident in multiple Swedish hospitals affiliated with Karolinska University from 1949 to 1953. He then traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, United States, where he began working at the Boston City Hospital on a Fulbright Fellowship in July 1953. In October 1957, he began working at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness as a visiting scientist, and in January 1958, he established what became known as its Neuroimaging Branch. He served as head of this branch from its founding until his death in 1997.

Personal life and death Di Chiro met Barbara Phillips shortly after he first came to Boston in 1953; they were married on October 9, 1954. They had three children: a daughter, Giovanna, and twin sons, Patrick and Marco. On September 12, a memorial service was held in Bethesda, attended by many of his associates, colleagues, family, and friends.