Cliff Gronseth, MD
During a hands-on session at Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dr. Gronseth volunteers his own leg to show Dr. Rony Derius how ultrasound ‘sees’ inside the body.
After graduating Dartmouth College with a degree in geology, Dr. Cliff Gronseth worked in Africa and Asia. Following a bout with malaria that almost killed him—and thankful for the Kenyan doctor who didn’t let that happen—he had the epiphany that medicine, not rocks, was his calling. He received his M.D. degree from the University of California San Francisco Medical School and completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan.
After his residency Dr. Gronseth moved to Colorado where he held a faculty position at the University of Colorado Medical School in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine. During his time in academia, he founded the University Spine Center, a multispecialty center focused on spine care, and served as Medical Director for the University of Colorado Department of Rehabilitation’s Outpatient Services and Medical Director of the University Physical Therapy practice in Boulder. While at the University of Colorado he also received multiple Outstanding Teaching Awards and helped to establish several rehabilitation clinics in Colorado communities including Boulder, Aurora, and Steamboat Springs. Dr. Gronseth is founder and currently managing partner of Spine West, a private practice in Boulder, CO, specializing in non-surgical, musculoskeletal medicine. He is triple board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Pain Medicine.
Dr Gronseth working with Dr. Exantus, NYAGI Project’s country lead in Haiti, on setting up distribution of ultrasound machines and on-going training programs.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Gronseth continues to be a passionate champion for ultrasound and education. He holds several patents related to ultrasound. In 2013, he created 7D Imaging, Inc., an EdTech company focused on accelerating ultrasound education and skills. 7D Imaging’s NAV™ software suite offers an interactive platform for learning ultrasound that is used around the world. Learning modules include OB/GYN, heart, lung, abdominal and orthopedic ultrasound.
In 2014 Dr. Gronseth founded NYAGI Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to bring specialized training for basic, life-saving ultrasound skills to low-income and resource limited areas of the world. As part of 7D Imaging’s social mission, it donates royalty-free, unrestricted licenses for the NAV™ suites to NYAGI Project.
In 2018 Dr. Gronseth received the Humanitarian Service Award from the International Foundation for Sonography Education and Research for his work in Nepal focused on prenatal ultrasound training of Skilled Birth Attendants from remote healthcare clinics. In 2019 Dr. Gronseth led a NYAGI Project team to Haiti to teach medical providers how to identify life-threatening conditions of pregnancy and trauma. In 2020 NYAGI Project, in collaboration with Caris Foundation International, included identifying COVID with ultrasound to the curriculum.