Perry Sprawls eagerly joined the Emory faculty in 1960 because the Department of Physics where he would be teaching had an established relationship with the Department of Radiology; he wanted to apply his nuclear physics knowledge to medical problems rather than to making bombs or reactors. He quickly transferred to the Department of Radiology, where he enjoyed a 45-year career. He was the department’s first full-time physicist and laid the foundation for an extensive physics and engineering program in diagnostic radiology and medical imaging.
Dr. Sprawls’ work included clinical physics support for x-ray imaging, mammography, computed tomography, and MRI at Emory and Grady Hospitals and the Emory Clinics. Within the Department of Radiology, he served as the Director of the Division of Radiological Sciences, Director of the Magnetic Resonance Education Center, and Co-Director of the Emory-Georgia Institute of Technology Graduate Program in Biomedical Information and Computer Science.
Dr. Sprawls’ greatest career contributions have been in radiology and medical physics education, not only at Emory but also in the U.S. and around the world. At Emory he developed, directed, and taught in programs at all academic levels, including continuing medical education. The highly effective Physics of Radiology for Residents program he developed and taught has been recognized nationally and was used as a model syllabus by the American College of Radiology and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). The textbooks, images, and visuals developed at Emory and widely known as the “Sprawls Resources” are used worldwide and available online through the Sprawls Educational Foundation. Dr. Sprawls traveled and worked onsite with institutions and organizations in over ten developing countries through international organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to increase both the effectiveness and safety of clinical radiology procedures.
Dr. Sprawls' leadership roles for several professional organizations included Director for Medical Imaging Continuing Education for the AAPM and Chair of the committee responsible for the physics tracks for the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Refresher Courses. For 30 years he served the American Board of Radiology (ABR) in various roles especially related to examination development.
Among his numerous honors, Dr. Sprawls twice earned the Award for Excellence in Educational Innovation as well as the Achievement Award in Medical Physics from AAMP, the Harold Johns Medal for Excellence in Teaching and Leadership in International Education from the International Organization for Medical Physicists, the Lifetime Service Award from the ABR, and the Distinguished Emeritus Award from Emory University.
Dr. Sprawls earned his BS in physics, MS in nuclear science, and PhD in engineering from Clemson University. He served in the US Army Signal Corps, and was on the research staff of Bell Laboratories. For many years he has served as the Department of Radiology’s historian, researching and publishing records to preserve and share the department’s history.