Damadian didn't invent MRI. Paul Lauterbur did. Damadian is a crank who's spent 25 years, largely unsuccessfully, trying to claim Lauterbur stole his idea. I have first hand knowledge of this. When Lauterbur left SUNY Stony Brook, I was hired as his replacement. I inherited the laboratories and equipment Lauterbur used; including some of the first samples and probes using for MRI imaging. I've talked with colleagues of Lauterbur's, off whom he used to bounce his ideas. Not only is it clear Lauterbur came up with the idea on his own, but it's also true that Damadian is an MD and didn't have the mathematical or physical knowledge to invent the technique. No scientist in the field gives credit to Damadian, though quite a few politicos and ingnorant journalists have been swayed by him. He's rich, and persistent.
In an interview a couple of years back, Damadian was quoted as saying something to the effect that if he'd had enough time, he'd have come up with Lauterbur's experiment. In science, a conviction you could have beaten the inventor to it, if given enough time, does not establish your priority.