Michael Tweedle ’73

2026 Alumni Achievement Award winner Michael Tweedle’s groundbreaking work has transformed diagnostic imaging and advanced cancer treatment for millions of patients worldwide. His career is marked by scientific discovery, industry leadership, and a lasting impact on healthcare.

“I was taught, and I had in my back pocket, the resources for thinking, clear thinking, understanding what the tools of cognition were and how to use them,” Tweedle said. “I use the same skills I was taught at Knox in every other subject I was taught.”

A pioneer in molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical innovation, Michael's groundbreaking work has transformed diagnostic imaging and advanced cancer treatment for millions of patients worldwide. His career is marked by scientific discovery, industry leadership, and a lasting impact on healthcare.

How have campus and Knox changed since the last time you were here?

I was last here in 2024, but it’s the same old, same old. The trees are bigger, and the buildings are updated. The suite I lived in no longer has a chimney. The College newspaper might have embarrassing pictures of me standing on that chimney.

What are those memories of Knox like, meeting new people, or reintroducing yourself to old friends and sharing those memories that really make this place and this experience special?

There are powerful memories and powerful emotions. You don’t think about it while you’re running and busy in your career. I think about it once a year; now I think about it more often, and I come back for those wonderful memories. You learn so much when you’re here; these are foundational moments that stick with you.

How much does Knox’s encouragement of students to think outside the box and take those non-major and minor courses help your thinking and problem-solving ability in the ‘real world?’

Knox encourages and teaches you things outside your ‘specialty’ that you might never study again. In my case, I loved them so much, I did study them more. Learning how to think is fundamentally more important than learning what to think. Those other courses teach you that. As a scientist, psychology taught me that the sum isn't just a bunch of chemistry and biology courses; the parts don't add up to the whole. The whole is more important for the human being. I learned about morality, what it means to be a moral person. Sociology teaches you that people are designed to be together in groups. It’s a classical liberal arts education, the same kind of education people had in the 19th century that helped found our country. I learned from artists I knew here how an artist thinks, which is so valuable in life, and it pushes you to think outside the box.

What advice do you have for students who are preparing to take that next step in life?

I'd encourage them to take courses outside their major and spend time with people who aren’t like them. Relish those friends. You’ll have plenty of time to study that career. Enjoy the other things that get sacrificed when you really focus on a career in a field.