Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Chemistry, 1988
B.A., Vanderbilt University, Chemistry, 1979
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-1475
Dr. Tromberg is interested in the development and application of novel optical techniques for non-invasive monitoring and imaging of physiological processes in tissues and cells.
He and his group have developed a method, known as photon migration, which can be used to measure the magnitude of light scattering and absorption in thick tissues at depths of several centimeters. Dr. Tromberg is applying this technology to in vivo functional imaging of breast, cervix and uterine physiology in humans.
A second area of emphasis is in the use of optical microscopy to generate functional maps of molecular events in living cells. Dr. Tromberg and his group are employing a combination of laser micro-irradiation and microscopy technologies to simultaneously visualize and perturb cell physiology. This work should lead to a better understanding of the relationship between gene activation and light-induced oxidative, thermal, and mechanical stresses in cells.
Dr. Tromberg directs the UCI Laser Microbeam and Medical Program, a biotechnology resource center funded by the NIH. He also is associate director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and co-leader of the Photomedicine Clinical Program at the UCI Chao Family Cancer Center. Dr. Tromberg holds a joint appointment with the Department of Surgery and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
