Most Notables and Ones to Watch

Most Notables

Michael M. Graham, MD, PhD

As a professor of radiology and director of nuclear medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, he has been elected the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s (SNM) president for 2009-10. As president, Graham plans to work with SNM members to advance nuclear medicine and molecular imaging and therapy. His vision encompasses three main goals: protecting and expanding reimbursement for nuclear medicine procedures; providing high-quality member service by offering essential education; and preserving and expanding available funding to support nuclear medicine research and development.





Theodore S. Lawrence, MD, PhD

He was selected by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to receive the 2009 Gold Medal, its highest award. Lawrence is Isadore Lampe Professor of Radiation Oncology and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and a professor in the Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is the chair of the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Councilors (Clinical and Epidemiology) and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Lawrence is an editor of The Cancer Journal: Journal of the Principles and Practice of Oncology, associate editor for Seminars in Radiation Oncology, and editor-in-chief of Translational Oncology. In addition to serving as ASTRO’s president and chairman of the board, Lawrence has dedicated significant effort to professional societies.




William U. Shipley, MD, FACR, FASTRO

He was selected by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to receive the 2009 Gold Medal, its highest award. He currently is the Andres Soriano Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Harvard Medical School and the head of genitourinary oncology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston. Shipley, who holds many national and international leadership positions on committees and consensus panels in genitourinary oncology, has also chaired the ASTRO committee that has developed international educational courses with the local radiation oncology societies of emerging countries.




RSNA R&E Foundation

The RSNA created a Silver Anniversary Campaign to celebrate 25 years of funding research through its Research and Education (R&E) Foundation. They aim to raise $15 million by the end of 2009 to continue helping researchers conduct studies that can profoundly impact radiology. According to the RSNA Web site, each dollar that the Foundation awards a researcher translates into $30 the researcher receives later in life. Funded research is an integral element in radiology innovation and discovery.



Ilyse Schuman

She is the vice president of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the managing director of the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA). As a leader in the imaging community, she participated in a Capitol Hill Briefing in March to promote reimbursement for virtual colonoscopy. She also advocates for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage for PET scans. Greater access to both virtual colonoscopy and PET would result in more screenings and earlier diagnoses, essential when treating cancer.





Ones to Watch

Healthcare Reform

Healthcare reform is very likely this year, although possibly without bipartisan support, say Scott Cowsill and Liz Quam, chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Imaging e-Ordering Coalition, an alliance of healthcare providers, technology companies, and diagnostic imaging organizations. One effect on medical imaging will be “a reimbursement cut through a change in the Medicare practice expense formula through an increase in the equipment utilization rate.” More long-term, “siloing” of imaging providers may result in cuts in reimbursement for services exceeding rate caps. Cowsill and Quam also warn that the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act that was part of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package “could cause significant duplication of services and increased investment in extremely expensive equipment and storage solutions.”



ACR-ARRS Integration

The strategic integration of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) took effect on July 1. Leaders of both groups plan to expand and improve educational programs and resources, among other goals. This alliance may signal a trend of more radiology organizations collaborating to provide a higher level of services to group members. The ACR-ARRS is likely to have a greater influence on the radiology field than they had separately, because they are combining strengths and eliminating redundancies. Leaders in radiology may find that the ACR-ARRS integration will have a serious impact in radiology in the near future.



Proton Therapy/ProCure Treatment Centers

ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. CEO Hadley Ford says this has been a “seminal year” for the Bloomington, Ind.-based company, which opened a proton therapy center in Oklahoma City in July. Other centers are on the way in Chicago, Detroit, New Jersey, and Florida. “There is no question that proton therapy will be more accessible to patients, which is very good news. This is a wonderful treatment option. Centers will open not only in academic medical centers, but in community settings, which is important since this is where almost 80 percent of patients receive cancer care,” Ford says.



Vincent Ho, MD

Vincent Ho, MD, was appointed as the chair of the newly integrated Department of Radiology of the National Naval Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, to open in 2011 in Bethesda, Md., will be one large military medical center staffed by U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy medical personnel. Ho is a professor and vice chair in the radiology department at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and is an expert in cardiovascular imaging, currently serving as the president-elect of the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging.






Wii & Touch-Screens

The latest technology to improve workflow and productivity is on the horizon. Witness the Wii remote, currently in use by radiology instructors at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College as a tool for scanning images. Developers plan to link Nintendo’s popular gaming remote with the diagnostic computer for future clinical use. The wireless, motion-sensitive remote could free radiologists from the repetitive-motion injuries they are prone to from using a traditional mouse. Touch-screen technology has also stepped up this year in products like IMIX Americas Inc.’s digital radiography products. Touch-screens make workstations more intuitive and easy to use, and therefore more efficient.