K. Kirk Shung, Ph.D.

Professsor K. Kirk Shung has assumed the role of Dwight C. and Hildegarde E. Baum Chair in Biomedical Engineering as of July 1.

Joining USC Viterbi’s Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in 2002, Shung conducts research primarily in the area of high frequency ultrasonic imaging and transducer development. His research has been supported by an NIH National Resource grant on transducer technology. The goal: to develop high frequency ultrasonic transducers and arrays with improved spatial resolution that can be used for dermatological, ophthalmological and intravascular imaging as well as small animal imaging.

In 1993, Shung became a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In addition, he is a fellow of American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and a founding fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

Shung, also a Dean’s Professor of Biomedical Engineering, obtained his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. Since 1997, he has served as director of the NIH Resource Center on Medical Ultrasonic Transducer Technology… Continue reading.

A world-renowned leader of biomedical ultrasound technology, K. Kirk Shung’s pioneering discoveries have contributed significantly to the health and welfare of society. His early work involving the interaction of ultrasound and blood has set the standard for research activities and the development of diagnostic ultrasound equipment. His study led to a thorough understanding of the origin of echogenicity of biological tissues in an ultrasonic image. Shung is also credited for developing the world’s first high-frequency linear array at 30 MHz for imaging, an important technological breakthough in the field. His recent innovations include applying high-frequency ultrasound beams to trap microparticles and cells and in assessing cellular responses to ultra-high-frequency ultrasound stimulation.An IEEE Life Fellow, Shung is the Dean’s Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.