It has been an honor and a privilege to chair the committee on the state of science in nuclear medicine. As a diagnostic radiologist, a clinicianscientist, and the chairperson of a large academic radiology department, I have been exposed to the many advances in nuclear medicine and have observed their clinical benefits up close. Participating in this review, however, has allowed me to step back and appreciate the magnitude of the progress that has been achieved, and the crucial role that government funding has played in it. Investments in chemistry, physics, engineering, and training are responsible for the state-of-the-art radiopharmaceuticals and imaging instruments that we now rely on to.
