ACR 2025: A Resounding Success and a Glimpse Into Radiology’s Bright Future

From the Chair of the Board of Chancellors

---

ACR 2025 has concluded, and what an incredible experience it was! The energy, engagement, and shared vision for the future of radiology were truly inspiring. It was a privilege for me to witness our community of nearly 1,200 ACR members come together with passion and purpose. From our first meetings on Saturday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 7, when we headed to Capitol Hill, we didn’t just talk about the future — we actively shaped it.

This year’s meeting was a vibrant hub of activity, marked by knowledge sharing and forward-thinking discussions. Throughout the meeting, we emphasized that — even in uncertain times — the College is hard at work supporting our members and addressing the challenges we all face.

Key Highlights of ACR 2025

Celebrating Excellence and Leadership: ACR was honored to recognize many outstanding individuals and chapters at the annual meeting. In addition to our new ACR Fellows, Honorary Fellows and Gold Medalists, the recipients of the following awards were celebrated:

• 2025 Global Humanitarian Award (Frank Minja, MD, and Toma Omofoye, MD)
  
• William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, Award (Cynthia Moran) — presented by Dr. Thorwarth himself
  
• Radiology Leadership Institute® (RLI) Luminary Award (Cheri L. Canon, MD, FACR, FSAR, FAAWR)
  
• RLI Impact Award (Yu-Hui Huang, MD)
  
• Philips Emerging Leader RLI Scholarship recipients
  
• ACR Advocacy awards

These honors underscore the remarkable contributions made across our field in 2024.

We also held elections for the Board, Council Steering and Nominating Committees, Resident and Fellow Section, and Young and Early Career Professional Section. We welcome these new leaders who will guide the College into the future.

Shaping the Future Together: The ACR Council sessions were pivotal to the future of ACR, with robust discussions and important decisions to steer the College and our profession. Our leadership reports highlighted the incredible work across all facets of ACR.

We also announced the launch of ACR Pulse, a new platform for organizations to securely view and download details about their participation in ACR’s accreditation programs. As radiology practices continue to consolidate and grow, ACR Pulse lets organizations track all their ACR activities in one space.

Focus on Networking & Collaboration: This year, we delved into timely, critical topics including an open-mic session about the rapidly evolving impact of practice consolidation, the always-popular annual Economics Forum, and an insightful Moreton Lecture, “Maximizing Professional Success Through Connectivity and Self-Knowledge,” by Alan Friedman, MA, of J3P Health.

In response to feedback from prior attendees who wanted more opportunities to network during our annual meeting, we took a new approach with our Listen & Learn lunch breakout sessions. Designed to encourage interaction and open dialogue, these programs allowed membership to directly interact and share their thoughts and questions with ACR leadership in the following domains:

• Exploring and expanding ACR Membership
  
• Quality & Safety and Education
  
• Ask the BOC Chair, Vice Chair, and CEO
  
• An open exchange on Government Relations and Economics
  
• Continuing the conversation on AI
  
• Continuing the conversation on consolidation

Unwavering Advocacy in Action: Our collective voice was stronger than ever. With RADPAC® Chair Amy K. Patel, MD, as moderator, the new Radvocacy Feud featured competing teams (the Free Radicals and the Prior Authoritarians) answering questions about ACR Association (ACRA) advocacy victories. On Tuesday evening, ACRA members enjoyed the carnival-themed RADPAC Gala on the beautiful rooftop terrace of 101 Constitution Avenue with unobstructed views of the Capitol. Finally, on Wednesday, over 450 ACR members participated in our Capitol Hill Day, meeting and advocating directly with their members of Congress.

This year, to increase our impact and ensure our delegation stood out as physicians, ACR members wore their white coats when they visited the Hill. We championed crucial issues important to ACR members, including permanent Medicare reform (via a Medicare Economic Index to eliminate the budget neutrality requirement of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule) and implementation of Medicare’s Appropriate Use Criteria program to improve correct ordering of advanced imaging studies and reduce utilization of inappropriate imaging.

Through all these efforts, ACR’s “Radvocacy” is making a tangible difference for our profession and our patients.

Innovation and the DSI: One significant goal for ACR 2025 was to raise our members’ awareness of the ACR Data Science Institute® (DSI) and its efforts to ensure AI is safely, responsibly, and effectively integrated into radiology practices.

Over the past year alone, ACR has introduced several pioneering AI monitoring and post-marketing surveillance initiatives. In June 2024, ARCH-AI (ACR Recognition for Healthcare-AI) was launched, which allows practices to demonstrate they have the necessary infrastructure and governance to implement AI safely. At time of writing, 22 organizations are fully onboarded, and 87 additional institutions are in the process of working toward this recognition. In November 2024, ACR introduced Assess-AI, the first national registry for AI in imaging practices. Again, there has been strong interest in this platform, with successful implementation at multiple sites and many more in the pipeline. Both ARCH-AI and Assess-AI (as well as the other programs in ACR’s AI monitoring portfolio) aim to ensure the safe and effective use of AI in radiology practices to enhance diagnostic accuracy and improve workflow efficiency.

In addition to incorporating the DSI into the Economics Forum and the Tuesday Listen and Learn lunch sessions, we hosted a Healthcare AI Challenge dedicated to ACR 2025 attendees. Dubbed the “ChAIpter Challenge,” this format allowed ACR 2025 attendees to evaluate how AI foundation models perform on image interpretation and report generation. The competition was intense, and participants reviewed more than 3,000 cases as part of the challenge. In the end, the Pennsylvania Radiological Society (with 790 cases evaluated) was our ChAIpter Challenge winner. Five ACR members (Linda A. Kloss, DO; Kenneth S. Kurtz, MD; Jared Martilloti, MD; Abigail Reutzel, MD; and Alexander J. Towbin, MD) were also recognized for individually reviewing the most cases.

The ACR Impact Report 2024: This year, ACR put together a new resource to underscore its significant contributions to the advancement of radiologic care throughout 2024. Our Board of Chancellors Chair Alan H. Matsumoto, MD, FACR, challenged us to put together a report demonstrating the value of ACR membership. The resulting ACR Impact Report 2024 (titled “Success in a Changing World”) encapsulates a year of relentless work shaping healthcare policy, tireless advocacy on behalf of ACR members, groundbreaking research, educational programs, a commitment to quality, and the safe and effective implementation of new technologies (like AI). We timed the announcement of the Impact Report with ACR 2025 and hope this document will be a resource to demonstrate the ongoing work of the College to all current and potential ACR members .

Overall, ACR 2025 was more than just a meeting; it was a powerful demonstration of our common commitment to advancing the science and practice of radiology. The connections made, knowledge shared, and strategies developed will undoubtedly propel us in a positive trajectory.

Thank you to every single one of you — our dedicated members, esteemed speakers, hardworking staff, and especially the CSC Annual Meeting Work Group (Melissa M. Chen, MD; Sammy Chu, MD; Fatima Elahi, DO; Kamran Ali, MD; Ryan Lee, MD; Christopher McAdams, MD; Chelsea R. Schmitt, MD; and Monica J. Wood, MD), ably led by David Boyd, MD, and Daniel A. Rodgers, MD — for making ACR 2025 a resounding success. Your engagement and commitment are the lifeblood of ACR.

We left Washington, D.C. re-energized and more resolute than ever about our mission to serve patients and society by empowering members to advance the practice, science, and professions of radiological care. Let’s carry this momentum focused, forward, and together!