Ronald L. Arenson, MD / Radiological Society of North America

Ronald Arenson, MD, is the Chairman of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and the Alexander R. Margulis Distinguished Professor of Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco. He holds degrees from Duke University (AB in Mathematics) and New York Medical College (MD).

Dr. Arenson was a systems engineer for IBM from 1963 through 1970. After completing his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boson and serving in the Navy at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, he joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1976. At Penn, he served as Associate Chairman of Clinical Services, Department of Radiology, and was the interim Vice-Provost for Computing. He also served as President of the Medical Staff.

Dr. Arenson has conducted research and written extensively on Radiology Information Systems and Picture Archival and Communication Systems. His special interests include picture archival and communication systems, workload and finances in radiology, the future of academic radiology and research training. He is a fellow in the American College of Medical Informatics, in the American College of Radiology, and in the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.

Dr. Arenson is currently serving as President-Elect of the RSNA Board of Directors. He recently finished his term on both the Advisory Council of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the NIH Council of Councils. He has served as the President of the Association of University Radiologists, the Society of Chairman of Academic Radiology Departments, the Board of GE-Radiology Research Academic Fellowship (GERRAF) and the Academy of Radiology Research. He is also past President of the medical staff at UCSF as well as past Chairman of the Credentials Committee.

As chairman, Dr. Arenson oversees four institutions – the main campus at Parnassus, San Francisco General Hospital, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Mt. Zion Hospital – as well as the Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging at China Basin Landing. He will soon oversee Radiology at the new hospital at Mission Bay, scheduled to open in 2015.