Setting the Direction for Future Research
Part of a three-part series:
Concurrent with the ACR® 2026 Annual Meeting in May, the ACR Center for Research and Innovation™ (CRI) and Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute® (HPI) brought together leaders from across radiology and beyond for its first-ever ACR Strategic Research Summit, a deliberate step toward building a more coordinated and forward-looking research strategy.
Led by ACR Commission on Research Chair Christopher Comstock, MD, ACR Chief Research Officer Etta Pisano, MD, and ACR Executive Vice President of Research Charlie Apgar, the Summit delivered on its promise to spark meaningful conversation and alignment on where imaging research is headed next.
With the theme, Focused. Forward. Together.™, the Summit was a catalyst for a more coordinated, collaborative approach to research across the field by academic radiologists, federal partners, industry leaders and representatives from professional societies and associations, who worked together to define shared goals and research priorities.
The day was designed to accomplish two key objectives.
The first objective was to give ACR research committees the opportunity to share and request feedback on current scientific research initiatives. The morning featured committee leaders walking through active and emerging projects — many already in development — that reflect the breadth of today’s research landscape.
Second, Summit attendees collectively set priorities for radiology research moving forward based on impact, feasibility and potential for funding. Priorities resulting from the consensus-building will be published in the JACR® to promote broader advancement of research in key areas.
The 2026 ACR Strategic Research Summit offered a unique environment for participants to challenge ideas, offer feedback and share perspectives from their own organizations — the kind of energized exchanges that are often challenging to create at a conference.
One of the strongest defining characteristics of the Summit included the broad range of perspectives in the room.
Participants included:
Together, these voices created a more complete picture of the research ecosystem and reinforced a key message that surfaced throughout the day: Progress happens faster when we work together.
Radiology is evolving quickly. AI is moving from pilot projects into clinical workflows. Real-world data is becoming just as important as traditional clinical trials. And funding pressures are forcing us to think more creatively about how research studies are designed and supported.
The Summit reflected that shift. The conversation expanded beyond individual projects to focus on infrastructure, collaboration and long-term strategy.
The ACR role in shaping that future is becoming clearer. Through the CRI, the College is positioned to serve as:
By the end of the day, the group had identified a set of high-priority research areas that will help guide future work and collaborations. The setting provided an ideal environment to catalyze new initiatives to accomplish these research priorities as attendees reconnected with close colleagues and identified new synergies that will drive collaborations to carry us forward.
This was the first Strategic Research Summit, but it’s clear this won’t be the last. The momentum is strong, and the need for alignment across the field has never been greater.
I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the ACR Research Committee Chairs who helped bring the Strategic Research Summit to life by sharing their work, perspectives and ideas on the future direction of radiology research.
I’d like to also share my appreciation to HPI Executive Director Elizabeth Rula, PhD, who led and guided the afternoon consensus-building session and will shepherd the group’s findings forward for publication in the JACR.
By Alexandra Kerns, Senior Business Development Manager, ACR Center for Research and Innovation™
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