McMaster professor Katherine Zukotynski has been selected to receive the 2025 American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award is presented as a token of peer recognition to individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding level of dedication to the field of nuclear medicine in terms of leadership and scholarly activity.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this international recognition of my career,” says Zukotynski, a professor in the departments of Medical Imaging and Medicine, and an associate member in the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering.

“This award is a testament to the collaborative efforts and support of my colleagues, mentors, and students throughout the years.”

“I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to contribute to the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, and I look forward to continuing our work to advance medical imaging research and improve patient care.”

Zukotynski is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, with sub-specialty training in radiology and nuclear medicine. She is also licensed as a professional engineer in Ontario and has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.

Her research is in dementia, prostate cancer and AI with an emphasis on imaging and associated therapy. A past president of the ACNM, she is the associate co-chair of research in her academic department, vice-chair on the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation’s board of directors, and vice-chair of finance for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

Zukotynski serves as a member of several cancer society councils and is a member of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine, the American College of Radiology Practice Parameters Committee and the Intersociety Accreditation Commission for Nuclear Medicine and Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

She has been named a fellow of the ACNM and a fellow of the SNMMI for her contributions to the field and community.

A faculty member with McMaster since 2015, Zukotynski has served as a tutor for almost a decade, as well as having been an integration foundation planner, an equity and inclusion champion, and an active member of medical staff and hospital partnership committees with Hamilton Health Sciences.