Ethan LaRochelle
36 | CEO and Co-founder, QUEL Imaging
Residence: White River Junction
Career highlight(s) you are most proud of:
Founding QUEL Imaging. We’ve taken an academic idea and translated it into a company funded by SBIR grants and a growing customer base. QUEL Imaging aims to build an ecosystem to 
accelerate and standardize methods for clinical translation of in vivo optical imaging technologies. We manufacture reference targets and phantoms to support the development of fluorescence imaging systems used during surgery and for academic research. Our technology is catalyzing the field of fluorescence-guided surgery by providing scientific methods to characterize performance while reducing time to 
market.
Your community involvement:
I’ve worked with the nonprofit ACTS Honduras for over a decade. This Norwich-based organization partners with communities in rural Honduras to develop sustainable programs for health, education, agriculture and economic development. I was first connected with the organization as an undergraduate engineering student volunteering with Engineers Without Borders. Our initial projects focused on bringing clean water to communities, but more recently I have focused on supporting educational programs.
Since 2019, I have also become involved with the ALS Association and its northeast regional activities. This organization has an extensive care-services program to support families impacted by ALS, in addition to educational and research support. I plan to grow my involvement with the organization over the coming years.
Inspiration for living and working in Vermont:
The Vermont lifestyle motivated my wife and me to choose Vermont; it helped that there was already fiber-optic internet installed at our log house when we moved in 2019. White River Junction is a great place to start and grow a business, with great proximity to events and services around the Upper Valley.
Favorite part of your job:
I really enjoy creating, whether it’s new software, hardware or growing our business. Building something from an idea and bringing it into reality for others to see is extremely rewarding.
Most inspiring mentor:
I’ve had many great mentors, but I honestly think my mom planted this seed in my head that anything is possible. She always encouraged me to be creative and not necessarily accept the status quo. She also saw great value in pursuing education.
Best career advice you have received:
I’ve worked for a lot of organizations focused on research and development and had been told earning a PhD would open a lot of opportunities. I debated for a while if I wanted to go back to school, but I think it has been very rewarding.
Something fun about yourself that few people know:
I have two tattoos that are luminescent, which means they glow under UV or black light. I also published a paper in the academic journal Medical Physics using these tattoo inks to visualize radiation beams.
Three words that best describe you:
Motivated, level-headed and curious.
Favorite Vermont escape:
Running around the Ompompanoosuc River in the Union Village Dam recreation area. It’s fun getting lost on the Mystery Trail and seeing the remnants of washed-out mills taken over by the forest.
Favorite Vermont season:
Mud season. Can’t go around it, got to go through it.
Favorite downtime activities:
Reading outside or by a fire with my wife and dogs.
Favorite social media:
Twitter, because a lot of academic researchers provide updates on their work before it is officially published.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with:
The surgeon and public health researcher Atul Gawande, because his books provide great perspective on how data and systems can be used to improve the world we live in.
Cause(s) you would support if you had unlimited funds:
I would develop a system to bring educational opportunities and the supporting nutrition and shelter to underserved populations.
A song on your playlist you are embarrassed to admit to your best friend:
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from the “La La Land” soundtrack.
Where you see yourself professionally in the next five to 10 years:
I’d like to see QUEL Imaging’s current technology provide a sustainable income, and I plan to continue to lead a team pursuing cutting-edge research and development ideas to advance the fields of biomedical optical diagnosis and treatment.
Goal(s) you’d like to accomplish in the next five to 10 years:
Leading QUEL Imaging to become a sustainable company providing world-leading expertise on the clinical translation of new optical imaging technologies.
How your community service has changed since the pandemic:
My community service with ACTS Honduras was limited due to travel restrictions. I participated in a number of virtual walks and runs to support the ALS Association and their care services.
How your job has changed since the pandemic:
We opened QUEL Imaging’s first physical office November 2020 and have been hard at work and expanding since.
