The Academy’s Academic Council is made up of over 50 of the nation’s top medical schools and is part of what makes the Academy such a powerful voice for the medical imaging research community. The department chair of each institution serves as the representative to the Academy.

There are many questions that arise regarding the categories of the Academy members’ research and the answer is not a simple one. While all are using imaging, the application of the technology is extremely diverse. From artificial intelligence to dose reduction, imaging is used to work towards curing many diseases, genetic anomalies, and cancers. The vast majority of research is funded with grants from the NIH with additional funding coming from university endowments, foundations, corporate investment, venture capital, and even crowdsourcing. The Academy’s prime function is to advocate on behalf of medical imaging research funding through the NIH and other federal programs and ensure that funding levels are sustainable and ongoing.