ACR 2007-2008 Election Results
ACR President: Barry D. Pressman, M.D.
ACR Vice President: Jeffrey C. Weinreb, M.D.
Council Speaker: David C. Kushner, M.D.
Council Vice Speaker: Alan D. Kaye, M.D.
Board of Chancellors
Albert L. Blumberg, M.D.
R. Terrell Frey, M.D.
John A. Patti, M.D.
Council Steering Committee
Kimberly E. Applegate, M.D.
Philip S. Cook, M.D.
Robert D. Tarver, M.D.
College Nominating Committee
Nancy A. Ellerbroek, M.D.
Isaac Raymond Kirk III, M.D.
W. Ross Stevens, M.D.
Members-in-Training
Henry Tsai Chen, M.D.
Colleen H. Neal, M.D.
Research, Publications, Resident Outreach Among ACR's Top Achievements
The warmth of the spring day was matched by the collegial atmosphere inside the Washington Hilton, as members celebrated the achievements of the ACR, its staff, and volunteers on the second day of the ACR's 84th Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference. The ACR, the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN®), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG®), along with the Residents and Fellows Network (RFN), made significant strides in 2007 in the areas of research, publications, and attracting young doctors into the fold, according to various speakers.
Galdino: Expansion and Education
The RFS, represented at the conference by 140 attendees, had a banner year, expanding its network and providing its members with greater service, noted Chair Gregory M. Galdino, M.D. RFN's most successful initiative was the development of a teaching file of 100 member-submitted cases, expected to grow to 300.
RFN made significant outreach efforts, targeting six states for growth: Illinois, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama. It also unveiled a sleek new Web site, which is receiving 700 to 1,000 daily visits. RFN mailed to each of its 5,000 members a CD-ROM toolkit with information on the issues facing radiology, such as the Deficit Reduction Act, and why it's important to be a member of the ACR.
Galdino reminded the audience that young doctors are the future of the profession. His comment, "Encourage them to greatness" was followed by a standing ovation.
Dunnick: An Educational Plan
Like other specialty boards, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) has committed to a rigorous certification maintenance program. The last lifetime certifications were issued in 2001, noted President N. Reed Dunnick, M.D., adding that he hoped even the lifetime certification recipients will follow the 10-year maintenance program. That program requires radiologists to have an educational plan, take 500 hours of CME classes, complete 20 self-assessment exams, carry out a practice performance project, and take a cognitive exam.
This year, the ABR established a mechanism for international doctors to become certified in the United States — a crucial addition, Dunnick felt, because radiology suffers from a shortage of doctors.
Hillman: The Greatest Opportunity of My Life
The importance of research was a key theme at the morning session. ACRIN® Chair Bruce J. Hillman, M.D., detailed ACRIN's rising profile.
ACRIN trials now include 118 participating institutions. This spring, ACRIN published the findings of a study that revealed the value of MRI breast-cancer screening in high-risk patients. Widely hailed in the media, the study may help some women avoid a double mastectomy.
To build more solid funding sources, ACRIN began a for-profit subsidiary, the ACR Image Metrix™. It also established the ACRIN Fund for Imaging Innovation, which has so far received $7 million in pledges.
Hillman noted that this is the last year of his 10 years of service to ACRIN. "This has been … perhaps the greatest opportunity of my life," he said, and received a standing ovation.
Hillman went on to discuss the success of another of ACR's newer ventures: JACR, in its fourth year of publication. With 28,000 subscribers, JACR is now indexed by MEDLINE and recognized as one of the top radiology journals. With its editorial quality established, JACR's next hurdle is profitability; JACR's goal is to sign up more institutional subscribers.
Curran: Progress in Cancer Treatment Research
The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) continues to work in three major research areas: biophysical, pharmacological, and analytics. Chair Walter J. Curran, M.D., revealed that with 3,132 patients in 2006, RTOG is currently in the middle of more than 40 trials. Last year's landmarks included partnering with European organizations in a trial examining brain tumors.
Berlin: Ethics Relies on the Individual
ACR's Committee on Ethics received 32 ethics-related complaints last year, claimed Chair Leonard Berlin, M.D., mostly related to expert witness testimony. Berlin pointed out that ACR guidelines call for radiologists to be extremely cautious when giving testimony and to remember that expert testimony should stand up to peer review. Though the ACR can and occasionally does suspend members for ethical breaches, he said that, in the end, ethics relies on the individual conscience.
Legislative Update
As evening fell on the monuments and government buildings a short distance away from the annual meeting, ACR members prepared for a Wednesday blitz of Capitol Hill. Members will take three issues to U.S. senators and representatives:
- The DRA's draconian reimbursement cuts, which were enacted in a conference committee session without public hearings — the ACR is pressing for a two-year moratorium on the cuts while their impact is investigated.
- The danger of a decline in access to mammograms — a critical issue, as the Mammogram Quality Standards Act is expected to come up for reauthorization this year.
- The necessity of more funding for NIH's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering — funded at $298 million, the ACR is calling for a 2008 level of $350 million.
"This is a marathon, not a sprint," said Joshua J. Cooper, ACR senior director, Government Relations, reminding members that legislative change takes persistence — and years.