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Wynn Volkert, PhD, Receives SNMMI 2025 Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award

NEW ORLEANS (June 22, 2025)—Wynn Volkert, PhD, a trailblazer in nuclear medicine, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field. The award was announced by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) during its 2025 Annual Meeting, held June 21-24 in New Orleans.

Volkert is Emeritus Distinguished Curators Professor of Radiology and Chemistry at the University of Missouri (MU). He served as director of the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Institute and MURR Research Scientist at MU and as research career scientist at the H.S. Truman Memorial VA Hospital. He was director/principal investigator of the NIH-funded MU In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center.

A leader in radiopharmaceutical development, Volkert is a co-inventor of two radiolabeled molecular entities that were developed into FDA-approved radiopharmaceuticals for routine use in patients. Ceretec, a Tc-99m brain imaging agent and the first drug of its kind, can cross the blood-brain barrier and is an important diagnostic tool in brain research and medical treatment. Quadramet, an Sm-153 therapeutic agent, is a radiopharmaceutical use for pain palliation in patients with metastatic bone lesions.

“Wynn Volkert has been an innovator in the development and translation of radiopharmaceuticals, as demonstrated by his development of two FDA-approved agents and his many patents for receptor-targeting agents for the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic breast and prostate cancer,” said SNMMI President Cathy Cutler, PhD. “His expertise ranges from the production and use of unique radioisotopes to the development and evaluation of specialized delivery systems for selective targeting of cancer tissues. His leadership in radiopharmaceutical development is truly remarkable and is matched only by his teaching and mentorship, which have resulted in significant advancements in nuclear medicine.”

Volkert earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and his doctorate in chemistry and radiochemistry from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He spent more than forty years in research and educational endeavors and authored/co-authored 185 original research articles, primarily related to the fields of radiopharmaceutical chemistry and nuclear medicine. He received the Michael J. Welch Award for outstanding contribution to the field of radiopharmaceutical chemistry.

A long-standing member of SNMMI, Volkert has held numerous leadership roles within the society. He served as president of the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Council and was a member of the Government Relations Committee, the Commission on Radiopharmaceuticals, the National Radionuclide Production Facility Task Force, and the Committee on Isotope Availability. He served as president of the Missouri Valley Chapter. He also served as president of the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences.

“I am honored and grateful to have received the SNMMI de Hevesy Award,” said Volkert. “It is especially meaningful to be recognized by my colleagues, who have provided support, collaboration and inspiration throughout my career.”

Each year, SNMMI presents the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Medicine Pioneer Award to an individual for outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear medicine. De Hevesy received the 1943 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in determining the absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of radioactive compounds in the human body. His work led to the foundation of nuclear medicine as a tool for diagnosis and therapy, and he is considered the father of nuclear medicine. SNMMI has given the de Hevesy Award every year since 1960 to honor groundbreaking work in the field of nuclear medicine.

The list of previous recipients of this award includes numerous Nobel laureates—such as Ernest Lawrence, who built the world’s first cyclotron for the production of radionuclides, and Glenn Seaborg, who discovered more than half a dozen new elements.

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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit snmmi.org.