Dr Tracy Melzer
Dr Tracy Melzer is the MRI Research Manager at the New Zealand Brain Research Institute in Christchurch (NZBRI, formerly the Van der Veer Institute). As a physicist, he has a specialist understanding in the principles of the scanning procedure known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With access to a powerful 3 Tesla MRI scanner at the NZBRI, his particular interests in measuring the movement of blood and water in the brain allows the finest details of brain structures to be seen.
The journey from the plains of Montana in the USA to the plains and mountains of Canterbury, New Zealand has been a positive move for Dr Melzer. The medical physics postgraduate is half way through what he describes as a fascinating PhD research project at the University of Otago Christchurch, based at the NZBRI. “My study is looking at how we can use MRI scans to identify early biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease which affects thousands of people in New Zealand and millions world-wide,” he explains.