You can’t fight magnetic attraction. Especially when the world of fMRI — which lets you see how the brain functions — comes calling.

The new UNLV MR Imaging Core (UMIC), Nevada’s first and only fMRI facility dedicated to university research, is now open and fully operational. Faculty started conducting research scans in July, and a program for students is being introduced in fall.

Minerva Massis, senior fMRI technologist and lab manager, played a huge role in all of this. She came on board in March to provide the expertise needed to run it safely and efficiently.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Massis belongs to a family full of medical practitioners. Her brother is a pharmacist, her younger sister is an x-ray technologist, and her husband is a project manager in healthcare — so her career choice isn’t surprising.  

She originally considered nursing but found herself drawn toward magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). “It was more appealing to me because I liked cross-sectional anatomy, and it meant the chance to see inside the body without the risks of radiation.”

As fate would have it, her professional path even bears some resemblance to the stages of how fMRI measures the brain’s blood oxygen level development signals.

Setting the Baseline 

After graduating from high school, Massis went to Panama City, Florida, where she completed an associate’s degree in radiography while receiving additional training for MRI.

“It’s really interesting to see how the hydrogen atoms in your body align when the magnet is running and taking pictures of you,” Massis said.

Feeling a pull back to Vegas, she enrolled at UNLV. Massis recalls “really beautiful memories” as a student — from the football games and tailgating, to hanging out with friends in the student union and spending hours, or often all-nighters, in the library.

With a bachelor’s degree in comprehensive medical imaging under her belt, coupled with dual radiography and MRI licenses, jobs at a local outpatient center and two hospitals came easily.

Experiencing a Stimulus

Marrying a man who lived in Saudi Arabia caused a major shift in her life, with Massis relocating to the other side of the world.   

Although nervous to move, she landed an MRI technologist role at one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the Middle East: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh. It serves patients across the country and boasts over 1,500 beds. Massis never imagined a facility of that size. Until then, she worked at places where two MRI machines were the norm.

“They had seven MRI machines there, including one in the operating room — and that’s unusual,” she recalled. It was “full-on, crazy busy” but also presented unique learning opportunities.

Massis was there for three years, and because of the health center's enormous scale, she encountered patients with genetic anomalies and got to work with infants who were placed under anesthesia for the scans.

Further Activation

Massis and her husband later found their way to the United Arab Emirates, where she joined Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. At 411 beds, it was a smaller hospital and a very exclusive one. Princes and international royalty were among those being treated.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi had three MRI machines when she got there, with a fourth one arriving a year before she left.

The pace was fast, but it was “a great atmosphere” with caregivers coming from all over the Middle East as well as Europe, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, and New Zealand too.

“I learned from everybody including doctors from different countries who all had different tips and tricks,” she said.

Time for Recalibration

Massis has three young children, and for her family always comes first. “Growing up with grandparents being 10 minutes away makes a really big difference for my kids,” she said about the desire that drew her home to Las Vegas again.

The opportunity to take on new challenges at the UNLV MR Imaging Core was also irresistible. “When I was offered this job, I was excited to come back,” Massis said. “This is like déjà vu. I’m working in the building where I studied for my degree.”

However, when she attended UNLV, there was no fMRI machine. An imaging facility has been much-needed on campus for a long time, and she’s excited to be part of it now. “I wish I had this as a student.”

What’s more, instead of walking into a place where all the policies and procedures are set, Massis has been able to mold things and pull from her diverse experiences. She’s created everything from website content to screening forms, and is hosting an open house at UMIC in September. Plus, as part of an introduction to MR physics, there’s going to be a lab course including between 10 and 15 hours of hands-on experience with the fMRI machine.

“I have trained others in the past while working in the hospitals, but now I’ll be training students which I’m excited for — and it’s another moment where I feel like I’ve come full circle.”