The WRS has taken steps to improve patient care by uniting breast radiologists to ignite positive change within the specialty.
Across the state, breast imaging leaders have developed innovative clinical practices and techniques to offer benefits to patients throughout Wisconsin and beyond. To foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing and dissemination of best practices among breast imaging practices, the Wisconsin Radiological Society (WRS) has worked closely with the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) to develop educational programming focused on meeting the needs of breast imaging radiologists in a variety of practice models.
To foster sustainability, breast imaging radiologists from the WRS and SBI hosted a luncheon and reunion on Nov. 1, 2025, within the annual WRS Fall Meeting with the support of WRS Chapter President Robert K. Bour, MD, and administrative support from Badger Bay, our association management group. These events connected colleagues who have trained, practiced and collaborated throughout Wisconsin over the years. Attendees represented a broad spectrum of career stages, from seasoned breast imaging radiologists to medical students considering careers in the specialty. Roberta Strigel, MD, MS, breast imaging fellowship director at the University of Wisconsin, delivered the featured CME lecture, entitled “Breast MRI: Updates to BI-RADS® with Example Cases.” With the recent publication of the BI-RADS v2025 Manual, all practicing breast imaging radiologists obtained a timely, high-yield update on the revised guidelines applicable to the interpretation and reporting of breast MRI. Strigel’s case-based approach encouraged audience engagement and discussion, reinforcing best practices developed by the SBI.
Additionally, breast imaging radiologists in Wisconsin were invited to participate in a joint educational series between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, co-led by Mai Elezaby, MD, section chief of breast imaging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The lecture series, entitled “Virtual Visiting Professorship,” represents a monthly educational series focused on providing cutting-edge and foundational breast imaging educational content to meet the needs of a wide variety of practice settings. By creating welcoming educational spaces emphasizing shared experiences, mentorship and professional development, these events have strengthened professional bonds that are critical to sustaining a vibrant radiology community.
Breast imaging radiologists connected throughout the state and played a central role in the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition advocating for Gail’s Law — which would cover supplemental screening and diagnostic breast imaging without co-pays.
WRS has also brought together breast imaging radiologists across the state to ensure that policymakers understand the clinical value and impact of high-quality breast imaging on patient care. Breast imaging radiologists connected throughout the state and played a central role in the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition advocating for Gail’s Law — which would cover supplemental screening and diagnostic breast imaging without co-pays. The law is named for Gail Zeamer from Neenah, Wis., who was diagnosed with Stage IIIC breast cancer in 2016 and passed away from metastatic breast cancer in 2024.
We teamed up with Gregg A. Bogost, MD, Jennifer T. Bergin, MD and Mai Elezaby, MD, to work closely with the Coalition to convey the potential impact of this legislation. WRS breast imaging radiologists represented a critical component of the statewide Coalition. Zeamer’s advocacy efforts inspired many across the state to lobby for expanded access to supplemental and diagnostic imaging. Patients and their family members provided powerful testimony about delayed diagnoses and deaths that may have been prevented with better access.
On Oct. 14, 2025, the State Senate passed Gail’s Law (32-1), and on Feb. 19, 2026, the State Assembly passed Gail’s Law (96-0). Governor Tony Evers signed the bill on Mar 19, 2026. Wisconsin is on track to join several other states that have passed legislation to improve access to breast imaging. For ACR chapters looking to strengthen their advocacy efforts, the ACR State Government Relations Committee is available to help. Every state has the opportunity to provide a representative and share advocacy successes or appeal to the group for assistance with state-level efforts.
The WRS, led by Past President Ian A. Weissman, DO, FACR, joined the Radiology Health Equity Coalition (RHEC) on July 27, 2022. Radiologists across the state have connected with each other to improve access to high-quality breast imaging. Kristin Troy, MD, has worked with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Community and Cancer Science Network (CCSN) Mammography Quality Initiative and the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation to improve breast imaging quality, leveraging the Equal Hope Foundation’s successful efforts in the Chicago metropolitan area. Kelly Hackett, MPH, project manager for the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, provided an overview of ongoing research within the CCSN to improve breast imaging quality during the 2025 WRS Annual Meeting.
With the support of the College and the RHEC, we have worked closely with ACR quality and safety leaders to leverage their quality improvement expertise to devise strategies to reduce imaging disparities. In 2025, the ACR Learning Network launched the Mammography Health Equity Improvement Collaborative to increase utilization of mammographic screening by medically underserved patient populations. Four health systems across the U.S. signed up as initial participants within the learning collaborative, including breast imaging radiologists and technologists at the University of Wisconsin. Reducing breast cancer disparities in the communities we serve has provided an opportunity to facilitate chapter connections with breast imagers across the state.
Education, advocacy and community outreach initiatives have successfully launched collaborations between the WRS chapter and breast imaging radiologists across Wisconsin. Here are a few key lessons from their efforts that can be replicated across other ACR chapters:
Chapter Connections was launched in 2025 as a forum for ACR chapter leaders to share about the work in their chapters — and how it might translate to success in others. Future column topics will include legislative successes, successful membership recruitment, tips and tricks to run a successful chapter with representation from both small and larger chapters, and more.
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