Nahla M.H. Elsaid, Ph.D. Research Faculty (Assistant Professor of Radiology and of Pediatrics Tenure Track)
Nahla M.H. Elsaid, Ph.D., is Research Faculty (Assistant Professor of Radiology and of Pediatrics Tenure Track) who joined the Developing Brain Institute (DBI) in August 2024. Dr. Elsaid earned her doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto. She continued her postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland and at Indiana University’s Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. After, she joined Yale University as an Associate Research Scientist to work in Yale’s Magnetic Resonance Research Center. Dr. Elsaid’s academic training pushed the envelope in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and magnetic resonance parametric mapping and used dMRI and functional MRI, which shows areas of the brain that are most active, to examine neurodegenerative and traumatic illnesses in adults and newborns.
Her research focuses on developing novel MRI methods in dMRI, emphasizing motion detection and super-resolution. Dr. Elsaid’s work has received several awards from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine’s diffusion study group and from the Alzheimer’s Imaging Consortium.
Address: 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010
Email: fetalbrain@childrensnational.org
Department: MRI Lab
Recent publications & presentations
2026 | May
Elsaid NM. Moderator: “Image Reconstruction.” 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Cape Town, South Africa. May 2026.
Elsaid NM, Twohy K, Surapaneni K, Ngwa JS, Kapse K, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. "Brain Microstructural Maturation in Preterm Infants Follows Distinct Trajectories Based on Brain Injury Severity." Digital Poster. 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Cape Town, South Africa. May 2026.
Elsaid NM, Andescavage N, Kapse K, Limperopoulos C. "Diffusion Tensor MRI Thermometry in Preterm Neonates: Validation of a CSF-Based Model Toward Fetal Temperature Estimation." Digital Poster. 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Cape Town, South Africa.
Elsaid NM, Zhuo J, Kapse K, Twohy K, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. "Robust Acquisition and Processing for Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Moving Fetus." PowerPitch Oral Presentation. 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Cape Town, South Africa. May 2026.
Zhang HZ, Elsaid NM, Nixon T, Dewdney A, Peters D, Weinreb JC, Sprenkle PC, Constable RT, Galiana G. “Short TE From a Nonlinear Gradient Coil Improves Image Quality and Lesion Conspicuity of Prostate DWI.” Oral Presentation. 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Cape Town, South Africa. May 2026.
2026 | April
Elsaid NMH, et al. “Brain Microstructural Maturation Trajectories in Preterm Infants Vary by Injury Severity.” Poster. Research, Education & Innovation Week 2026. Washington, D.C. April 2026.
Elsaid NMH, et al. “Robust Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Moving Fetal Brain Using Phase-Based Motion Detection.” Poster. Research, Education & Innovation Week 2026. Washington, D.C. April 2026.
Elsaid NMH, et al. “Validation of Diffusion MRI–Based Thermometry in Preterm Neonates Toward Noninvasive Fetal Temperature Estimation.” Poster. Research, Education & Innovation Week 2026. Washington, D.C. April 2026.
Twohy K, Elsaid NMH, Limperopoulos C, Andescavage N. “Structural Assessment of the ex Vivo Placenta Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography.” Poster. Research, Education & Innovation Week 2026. Washington, D.C. April 2026.
2026 | March
Twohy K, Elsaid NMH, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. “Mapping Mechanical Properties of the ex Vivo Human Placenta Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography.” Oral Presentation. ISMRM Workshop on Unlocking the Potential of Prenatal MRI: Advances in Fetal Brain, Heart & Placenta Imaging. Washington, D.C. March 2026.
2026 | February
Yuan C, Acosta-Rodriguez H, Elsaid NMH, Weber CF, Bobba P, Tran AT, Malhotra A, Payabvash S. “Neuroimaging Correlates of the NIH Toolbox Cognition and Trail Making Tests: Normative Benchmarks in Healthy Aging.” Clinical and Translational Neuroscience. 2026; 10(1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/ctn10010005
2026 | January
Zhang HZ, Elsaid NMH, Nixon TW, Dewdney A, Peters DC, Weinreb JC, Sprenkle PC, Constable RT, Galiana G. "Strong-Gradient Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using an Inside-Out Nonlinear Gradient Coil." Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 2026 Jan 8. doi: 10.1002/mrm.70252. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41505274
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41505274
2025 | October
Elsaid NMH, Zhang HZ, Fettahoglu A, Sun C, De Simone A, Nixon T, Dewdney A, Peters DC, Weinreb J, Constable T, Galiana G. “A Nonlinear Single Channel Gradient Insert for Prostate Diffusion Imaging.” Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 2025 Oct 13. doi: 10.1002/mrm.70125. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41078149.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41078149/
2025 | August
Hui SCN, Elsaid NMH, Ngwa JS, Kapse K, Limperopoulos C, Andescavage N. “Measures of Brain Metabolism and Diffusion in Neonates of Diabetic Mothers.” AJNR American Journal of Neuroradiology. 2025 Aug 25:ajnr.A8982. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A8982. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40854684
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40854684/
2025 | May
Elsaid NMH, Kapse K, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. “Fetal MR Thermometry Using Diffusion MRI.” Oral. 2025 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Honolulu, Hawaii. May 2025.
Elsaid NM, et al. "Measuring Perfusion in Normal and Pathological Placentas Using an Advanced IVIM Method." Poster. 2025 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Honolulu, Hawaii. May 2025.
2025 | April
Elsaid NMH, Tagare HD, Ngwa JS, Kapse K, Limperopoulos C, Andescavage N. “Measuring Perfusion in Normal and Pathological Placentas Using an Advanced IVIM Method” Poster presentation. Children’s National Hospital 15th Annual Research, Education and Innovation Week. Washington, D.C. March-April 2025.
2024 | July
Zhang HZ, Elsaid NMH, Sun H, Tagare HD, Galiana G. Efficient standardization of clinical T2-weighted images: Phase-conjugacy e-CAMP with projected gradient descent. Magnetic Resonance Medicine. 2024 Jul 10. doi: 10.1002/mrm.30214. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38988054
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38988054
Elsaid NMH, Dispenza NL, Hu C, Peters DC, Constable RT, Tagare HD, Galiana G. Constrained alternating minimization for parameter mapping (CAMP). Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2024 Jul;110:176-183. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2024.04.029. Epub 2024 Apr 23. PMID: 38657714; PMCID: PMC11193090
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38657714
2024 | May
Elsaid NMH, Peters DC, Galiana G, Sinusas AJ. Clinical physiology: the crucial role of MRI in evaluation of peripheral artery disease. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2024 May 1;326(5):H1304-H1323. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00533.2023. Epub 2024 Mar 22. PMID: 38517227; PMCID: PMC11381027
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38517227
2024 | February
Elsaid NMH, Tagare HD, Galiana G. A Physics-Based Algorithm to Universally Standardize Routinely Obtained Clinical T2-Weighted Images. Academic Radiology. 2024 Feb;31(2):582-595. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2023.05.036. Epub 2023 Jul 6. PMID: 37407374; PMCID: PMC10761595
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37407374
2023
Rodriguez Y, Elsaid NMH, Keil B, Galiana G. 3D FRONSAC with PSF reconstruction. Journal of Magnetic Resonance. 2023 Oct;355:107544. doi: 10.1016/j.jmr.2023.107544. Epub 2023 Sep 1. PMID: 37672990; PMCID: PMC10592039
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37672990