Priscilla J. Slanetz, MD, MPH Named RAN Advocate of the Year

The American College of Radiology Association® (ACRA®) named Priscilla J. Slanetz, MD, MPH, FACR, FSBI, FAAWR, FAUR, the Radiology Advocacy Network (RAN) Advocate of the Year during ACR 2025.

Dr. Slanetz is a breast radiologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Professor of Radiology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She serves on the Editorial Executive Committee of Academic Radiology and is a distinguished reviewer for Radiology, American Journal of Roentgenology, Journal of the American College of Radiology® and Journal of Breast Imaging.

Dr. Slanetz serves as Chair of the ACR Commission on Publications and Lifelong Learning, is Past  Subspecialty Chair of ACR’s Appropriateness Criteria® Breast Imaging panels, is Past President of the Association of Academic Radiology, and Past President of the Massachusetts Radiological Society.

ACR spoke with Dr. Slanetz about her involvement in advocacy and what the Advocate of the Year award means to her.

How did you become involved with advocacy at ACR?

During my radiology residency, I became involved with the Massachusetts Medical Society (MRS) and served as a resident delegate to the AMA. After attending several state and national meetings where I learned parliamentary procedure and collaborating on writing resolutions, I ran for and was elected to the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs as the resident representative. Given this involvement, I applied for the ACR J.T. Rutherford Fellowship in Government Relations (now the Rutherford-Lavanty Fellowship). As one of the first fellows, I was fortunate to spend two weeks in Washington, DC, with the staff in ACR Government Relations and the ACR lobbyist on Capitol Hill during my third year of diagnostic radiology residency. This fellowship solidified my commitment to advocacy for the rest of my career. I learned early on how powerful advocacy can be and how critical it is to advocate on behalf of our patients and the profession. After graduating from residency and fellowship in 1997, I immediately joined the MRS Executive Committee and have been attending the ACR annual meeting ever since.

What is your advice for members looking to become more involved in advocacy?

First, it is never too late to get involved in advocacy. All radiologists should consider attending the ACR annual meeting to see firsthand what the College is doing for our profession and patients. We all need to speak up for issues that are important to us as radiologists, guiding our legislators to ensure timely access to imaging and appropriate reimbursement for our services. Even if one does not have time to travel to Washington, DC, it is essential that all radiologists join the ACR and their state radiological society so that others can be this voice.

Second, many of us may not believe we have the skills to be effective advocates. The good news is that ACR now offers an Advocacy Curriculum.  Many volunteers are contributing to this initiative, and more modules will be online over the next six–12 months. This curriculum is a great way to start building your skills. 

Who were your mentors in advocacy? 

I have learned so much from so many different individuals during my career. I was always inspired by radiologists who continued to advocate for their cause despite facing pushback or even consternation from others within the field, most notably Dr. Daniel Kopans who has always advocated for annual screening mammography starting at age 40 years through numerous testimonials for the past 40 years. My early experiences in the AMA allowed me to interact with many dedicated radiologists who used evidence to support their positions on a wide variety of medical issues. I particularly remember Francis (Rusty) Van Houten who I first met while I was active in the AMA and later continued to work with as part of MRS. 

However, probably one of my most impactful mentors was Edward J. Brennan, Esq., the lobbyist for the Massachusetts Radiological Society. He showed me the ropes of how to interact with state legislators, and through his mentorship, our state was successful at recrafting the breast density notification law so that it would not place undue burden on radiology practices. He also guided me through the process of writing fact sheets and how to build grassroots support. These efforts ultimately led to passage of our state bill mandating coverage for supplemental screening and diagnostic breast imaging, which will be fully enacted in January 2026.

What is one of your biggest advocacy “wins” or something you were proud to work on?

I think that I am most proud of my legislative work with the MRS. As co-chair of the MRS Breast Imaging Committee, I worked with other breast radiologists to pass the breast density notification law in 2014 and more recently coverage for both digital breast tomosynthesis, supplemental screening, and all diagnostic breast imaging in 2024. The latter was a marathon and required us to be very persistent, especially as the COVID pandemic interrupted our efforts. I also had to undertake a research project to generate the evidence that ultimately got the bill across the finish line – the fact that 20% of women would not undergo screening if they were aware of downstream out-of-pocket costs. Although building a coalition and testifying is important, evidence speaks volumes, especially when a legislative bill may have financial implications for the health system.  

Two other advocacy wins were my success at bringing back a one-hour lunch break in our breast imaging practice, an essential step to mitigate faculty and technologist burnout, and my efforts mentoring two remarkable residents, Dr. Somiah Almeky and Dr. Liz Lin, who created a sustainable community outreach program for educating patients about breast, lung and colon cancer screening (Communities Crushing Cancer). The program started locally three years ago and is now a national ACR-sponsored event as part of the Radiology Health Equity Coalition.

What does this Advocate of the Year award mean to you?

It is very humbling to have been selected for this award as there are so many deserving members. Being recognized by your peers is the highest honor that anyone can receive during their career and certainly not what I was expecting. My advocacy efforts have always been motivated by a desire to leave the world a little bit better than when I found it. As practicing radiologists, we do this every day, one patient at a time, but I have found advocacy allows me to have an impact at the population level. This award belongs to everyone who supported me along the way and with whom I have and continue to collaborate. I do want to thank ACR, MRS, AMA, my residency and fellowship directors, and many of my former chairs, including Dr. James Thrall, Dr. Alexander Norbash and Dr. Jorge Soto.