A Brief Look Back, a Bold Look Forward
While 2015 was a year full of accomplishments and milestones including the 20 year anniversary of the Academy, the recognition of Stanley Baum, MD, one of our founding members as a Gold Medal recipient, and most recently, a $2 billion budget increase for the NIH; 2016 arrives with a renewed interest in serving our membership and achieving our mission of enhancing patient care through advances in biomedical imaging.
Carolyn C. Meltzer, President, Academy of Radiology Research
As the Academy welcomes Carolyn C. Meltzer as its new President, we thank outgoing President Jonathan S. Lewin for his distinguished service and leadership and look forward to his continued service as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors. Read a message from Dr. Meltzer describing the organization’s focus for the year to come, including an emphasis on supporting the interests of early career researchers to include the Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI2).
2016 Academy Activities are Well Under Way:
The Academy prepares for the 2016 CIBR Medical Technology Showcase on April 12, 2016, bringing together perspectives of CIBR members to help promote awareness in Congress of the impact of imaging research and technology. Look for a listing of Med-Tech travel awardees next month, noting that travel award recipients become members of the Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI2).
The Academy is currently receiving nominations for the Distinguished Investigator awards to acknowledge and celebrate high levels of achievement in the field of academic imaging research. View the full list of members of the Distinguished Investigator Council by year, from its inception in 2012, including 2015 awardees.
Academy working groups are in development focusing on additional initiatives for 2016 that include the new Academy/CIBR Venture Imaging Pilot, an inter-society collaboration with industry and venture capitalists similar to the popular “Shark Tank” television show. The pilot aims to provide investigators with the opportunity to present their translational research and technology development ideas.
Additional collaborative efforts are under way including a Patient Advocacy task force, as well as a team focused on the Interagency Working Group on Medical Imaging (IWGMI) (formerly known as the Medical Imaging Research Initiative or MIRI). We look forward to sharing updates from these teams in the months to come with more information.
The Academy of Radiology Research welcomes the following Societies as full members of the Academy:
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine – The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine is a multidisciplinary medical association of more than 9,300 physicians, sonographers, scientists, students, and other health care providers. Established more than 60 years ago, the AIUM is dedicated to advancing the safe and effective use of ultrasound in medicine through professional and public education, research, development of guidelines, and accreditation.
The work of the AIUM supports the Academy’s goal of raising awareness of the value of imaging research and its impact on patient care. The AIUM does this through the development of practice parameters, the publishing of clinical research, and its support of the basic science community. In addition, the AIUM committees on Bioeffects, Clinical Standards, and Technical Standards provide a consensus on the safe and effective use of ultrasound to enable quality patient care. AIUM CEO Carmine M. Valente, PhD, CAE, commented, “The AIUM has a long history of working collaboratively with imaging societies and looks forward to continuing that work with the Academy.“
The AIUM had previously served the Academy as a supporting member and is pleased to now be a full member of the Academy.
World Molecular Imaging Society – The World Molecular Imaging Society is an international scientific educational organization dedicated to the understanding of biology and medicine through multimodal in vivo imaging of cellular and molecular events involved in normal and pathologic processes and utilization of quantitative molecular imaging in patient care. The Academy is very pleased that he WMIS has chosen to renew its membership to the Academy following a brief hiatus.
The Academy also welcomes the University of Arizona as our newest Academy of Radiology Research Academic Council (ARRAC) member.
The ARRAC is composed of top academic radiology departments in the U.S. The Academic Council builds awareness of improvements in patient care made possible by the cutting edge imaging research being performed at the nation’s premier institutions. University of Arizona is the 48th ARRAC Member.
Grassroots Advocacy Update: It’s Time to Take Action for 2017!
Special thanks to everyone who participated in the grassroots advocacy efforts to help influence Congress to increase funding at the NIH for 2016! Through our efforts in the booth at the RSNA, and driving visitors to take action online, more than 3,000 letters were sent to Congress in 2015. The time is now to take action again and begin momentum for 2017 funding!
Notice Something Different?
Beginning in 2016, the Academy Newsletter content will be hosted on the Academy Website for easier reference. Newsletter announcements will still be delivered via e-mail, but will direct back to the Academy Website for the full content. The Academy would also like to thank everyone who participated in our survey, indicating their interests for the type of content to include in the newsletters. We look forward to developing additional features and content based upon your feedback.
Quick Hits:
Obama Takes First Step in a Cancer ‘Moonshot’ – http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/politics/first-step-by-obama-in-a-cancer-moonshot.html?smid=fb-share
Lack of Deep Sleep May Set the Stage For Alzheimer’s – http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/04/460620606/lack-of-deep-sleep-may-set-the-stage-for-alzheimers
NIH Notice on Coming Requirements for Formal Instruction in Rigorous Experimental Design and Transparency to Enhance Reproducibility http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-16-034.html
NIH Lupus Research Action Plan –http://www.niams.nih.gov/About_Us/Mission_and_Purpose/action_plan_lupus.pdf
NIH unveils FY2016–2020 Strategic Plan – Detailed plan sets course for advancing scientific discoveries and human health. – http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-unveils-fy2016-2020-strategic-plan#.VnF-9csuQwI.twitter
Meaningful Use Will Likely End in 2016, CMS Chief Andy Slavitt Says – http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/andy-slavitt-puts-meaningful-use-ice-read-his-jp-morgan-speech-transcript
Coming Soon: Be on the lookout for the February Academy newsletter to provide more information on the upcoming Medical Technology Showcase and be sure to take action now for 2017!
