Five ACR members share their insights to encourage others to work toward earning this distinguished membership award.
One of the highest honors ACR bestows is the Fellow of the American College of Radiology (FACR) credential. Members with 10 or more cumulative post-training membership years are on the pathway for eligibility to become an ACR Fellow. FACR-eligible members with extraordinary achievements, such as volunteer leadership or efforts to advance diagnostic and interventional radiology, medical physics, radiation oncology and nuclear medicine, can seek to become ACR Fellows according to the FACR Nomination Criteria.
With the 2025 FACR application cycle underway, to date, members from 35 of the 54 chapters are working on their FACR applications. The College hopes the insights below from several ACR Fellows will encourage members to focus their efforts and work toward earning this distinguished membership award bestowed by the ACR Board of Chancellors (BOC).
Paul Clark, DO, who will become a Fellow at the 2025 Convocation, reflects on his motivation to become an ACR Fellow: “The honor and privilege to join the illustrious ranks of ACR Fellows along with colleagues being awarded the FACR inspired me to seek fellowship.” With his retirement from the military, Clark began seeking professional advancement, which includes earning the FACR credential. “Having many leadership opportunities during my career led me to take this next professional step,” he says. Clark’s military achievements in radiology, comparable to his civilian counterparts, were represented in the Military Nomination Criteria for FACR eligibility, which prompted him to begin his FACR application.
Betsy Jacobs, MD, FACR, notes that becoming a Fellow was an opportunity to become more involved in ACR and pay it forward by encouraging others to become more engaged. “One of the best parts of fellowship is meeting other radiologists with shared interests, whether it be advocacy, education, leadership or other service. It provides a sense of belonging,” she says.
Fellowship is a significant and meaningful recognition of one’s effort in advancing education, research and clinical practice in radiology.
Kirk G. Banerian, MD, FACR, says his inspiration to become a Fellow came from encouragement from the College itself. “I welcomed receiving outreach from the ACR that I had met the minimum eligibility requirement, and that encouraged me to apply,” he says. When assessing his professional background while in independent private practice, he concluded that his published works, faculty presentations and volunteerism in radiology societies supplemented his membership year eligibility, kickstarting his FACR application. Banerian notes that his award acceptance at the 2023 Convocation with his family cheering him on was a career highlight.
Kay S. Lozano, MD, FACR, says the mentorship and encouragement from her colleagues motivated her to apply to become a Fellow. “Radiologists in all practice types — academic, private and teleradiology — provide value to our profession,” she says. “Keeping track of your activities and achievements is a great path to meeting FACR criteria.
”Fellowship is a significant and meaningful recognition of one’s effort in advancing education, research and clinical practice in radiology,” says Simon S. Lo, MB, ChB, FACR. His research contributions and ACR chapter leadership roles motivated him to apply along with the active support of an ACR Fellow. Lo describes promoting this valued award to members as a testament to one’s contributions, and he pays it forward by guiding FACR candidates through the application process.
Clark notes the ACR Fellowship is a path toward acknowledgement of professional and institutional development. “As we advance in our chosen field of study, we do so together with our peers — fostering service in the College as inspired by our predecessors,” he says. “Becoming a Fellow is much more than the four letters after your name and degree. It represents a dedication to the radiology specialty with like-minded professionals in service to our patients and the College through ACR leadership opportunities.”
By Julie Huxsoll, ACR Member Engagement Team Lead
With support from chapter leadership and ACR staff, the goal is to support all FACR-eligible members seeking to attain this highly distinguished membership award. In May, the ACR BOC will induct 133 members as ACR Fellows at the Convocation ceremony during ACR 2025.
Interested in learning more about becoming an ACR Fellow? Reach out to your chapter fellowship chair or email the FACR team to review your eligibility and identify areas to strengthen your FACR candidacy. Your continued ACR membership is your first step toward earning the FACR credential.
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