$1.5 Million R&E Gift Honors Derek Harwood-Nash

A $1.5 million donation to the RSNA Research & Education (R&E) Foundation will endow a new Scholar Grant in memory of Derek Harwood-Nash, M.B., Ch.B., D.Sc. Paul E. Berger, M.D., said he made the donation to honor his cherished mentor and friend and to recognize the lasting contributions Dr. Harwood-Nash made to the study and practice of radiology.

Paul E. Berger, M.D.

Dr. Harwood-Nash founded pediatric neuroradiology and spent his life sharing his passion and expertise with radiologists around the world. In honor of his influence on the international radiologic community, the Derek Harwood-Nash Scholar Grant will focus on opportunities for international educators and investigators. "This will be the first Scholar Grant open to young academic radiologists outside North America," said Anne G. Osborn, M.D., chair of the RSNA R&E Foundation Board of Trustees. "Derek Harwood-Nash's passion for his African homeland and his numerous friends and colleagues all over the world made him a roving ambassador for RSNA."

Dr. Berger, one of Dr. Harwood-Nash's training fellows at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, said he is indebted to Dr. Harwood-Nash for guiding his way as a young radiologist. Now, Dr. Berger said he hopes that young radiologists throughout the world will have the opportunity to learn and make discoveries that will keep radiology at the forefront of medicine.

"Many radiologists talk about looking forward and giving back, but Dr. Berger has truly walked the walk," said Dr. Osborn. "Honoring those who have trained us, mentored us and helped us along the way—there couldn't be a better way to give something back."

The donation is the largest individual gift and first individual grant endowment in the Foundation's 24-year history. Dr. Berger, CEO and chairman of the board of NightHawk Radiology Services, said he is pleased to be able to pay tribute to Dr. Harwood-Nash and considers himself lucky to have prospered from radiology and knows that continued investment in the profession is critical for radiology's future.

With Dr. Berger's gift, the R&E Foundation's Silver Anniversary Campaign has reached $11 million in contributions toward its goal of $15 million to fund R&D for the future of radiology. For more information about Dr. Berger's gift and to follow the progress of the new grant, go to RSNA.org/campaign.

My RSNA® Moves Out of Beta Stage

Developers of My RSNA®, the new customizable Web page offered to RSNA members on RSNA.org, have completed their work on the initial version and will upgrade the page this month. My RSNA is a collection of mini-applications, or applets, allowing users to personalize the page with the CME subjects, news, annual meeting information and other content most important to them. A feature on the upgraded My RSNA will appear in the May 2008 issue of RSNA News.

Joint Commission Issues Alert on MR Accidents and Injuries

In a recent edition of its Sentinel Event Alert, The Joint Commission urged hospitals and ambulatory care centers to pay special attention to preventing accidents and injuries that can occur during MR imaging.

While most of the more than 10 million MR studies performed each year in the U.S. cause no harm, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received nearly 400 reports of MR-related accidents over the past decade. More than 70 percent of accidents were burns, while 10 percent of injuries occurred when metal objects such as ink pens, cleaning equipment and oxygen canisters were pulled into the magnetic field of the scanner.

Among the recommendations made by The Joint Commission to reduce risk of MR-related injuries are using trained screeners to double check patients for items such as metal objects, implanted or other devices, drug delivery patches and tattoos and using only fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and other equipment that have been tested and approved for use during MR imaging. Physicians are also reminded to never run a cardiopulmonary arrest code or resuscitate a patient in the MR room.

Past issues of Sentinel Event Alert can be found at www.jointcommission.org.

AAPM Recommends CT Radiation Dose Reporting, Reduction

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has issued a CT radiation dose management report outlining the latest in standardized dose reporting and the newest dose reduction technology, including features that automatically adjust radiation exposure according to each patient's size.

The report details the best ways to measure, manage and prescribe radiation doses and also provides an overview on optimizing modern CT scanners.

"Essentially, all modern CT systems can be equipped with automatic exposure control systems," said Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., an associate professor of radiological physics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who chaired the AAPM Task Group that authored the report. "These tools help to ensure that no patient receives more radiation dose than they need. We believe that this report equips users to properly describe and manage CT dose levels."

The report can be downloaded at www.aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_96.pdf.

Donations of Transducers Needed for Developing Countries

The Global Ultrasound Equipment Donation Foundation has received 50 Philips HDI5000 and 50 Siemens Acuson 128XP machines and needs donations of compatible transducers so that the machines may be sent to centers in developing countries.

Physicians who have excess transducers that fit the HDI5000 or 128XP are asked to donate them to the foundation. Donations are tax deductible and the foundation will assume shipping costs. To donate, contact Barry B. Goldberg, M.D., at barry.goldberg@jefferson.edu or 1-215-990-9003.

Proposals Sought for Radiation Research Center

The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is soliciting proposals for an NSBRI Center of Acute Radiation Research (CARR) as part of the NSBRI Radiation Effects Team and in support of NASA's Human Research Program and the Space Radiation Program Element.

The CARR will address acute radiation effects associated with solar particle events, utilizing beams of protons and high-energy heavy ions delivered at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., and at Loma Linda University Medical Center Proton Treatment Center in Loma Linda, Calif.

The request for applications is available at www.nsbri.org/Announcements/rfa08-02.html. Proposals are due May 8.

NPI Deadline is May 23

Starting May 23, Medicare and all other healthcare payers will require that physicians—including radiologists—use only a national provider identifier (NPI) on claims submitted electronically. The deadline doesn't apply to physicians who file only paper claims; however, physicians who send claims to a clearinghouse that files electronically on their behalf must comply. More information about the NPI is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvIdentStand/.