For Philip Bottone, medical imaging has always been about more than creating an image. It sits at the intersection of technology, patient care, science and public health.
Bottone has brought more than 30 years of healthcare experience to the Radiologic Sciences program at Colorado Mesa University. His clinical background spans radiography, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), with a career that progressed from staff technologist to chief technologist, supervisor and manager of nuclear medicine departments.
His professional experience extends beyond the imaging suite. Bottone has been involved in radiation safety, imaging accreditation, equipment acquisition and implementation, policy and procedure development, emergency management and healthcare administration. He has served as both chair and nuclear medicine representative on radiation safety committees and as an accreditation technical director for nuclear medicine and PET.
That broad experience shapes how Bottone approaches teaching. He encourages students to understand not only how something is done, but why it is done and how the decisions made by imaging professionals affect patients, healthcare organizations and the larger community. He particularly enjoys connecting concepts taught in the classroom with situations students will encounter in clinical practice.
Bottone holds a Master of Public Health and a graduate certificate in Occupational Ergonomics/Health from Northeastern University and is Certified in Public Health (CPH). His academic and scholarly interests bring his backgrounds in medical imaging and public health together, with particular interest in medical imaging utilization, patient radiation exposure, radiation protection and the population-level impact of medical imaging.
At CMU, Bottone teaches across the Radiologic Sciences curriculum, including introductory radiologic sciences and patient care, clinical education, quality assurance and information literacy. His goal is to help students develop beyond technical competency into thoughtful healthcare professionals who understand the science behind their practice, question evidence and recognize the broader impact of the decisions they make. Central to that goal is remembering that the technology is ultimately a means to an end: providing excellent care and improving the healthcare experience of patients, their families and the communities we serve.