At its meeting during RSNA 2007, the RSNA Board of Directors celebrated the success of the Society's 93rd annual meeting and also looked forward to future annual meetings and other education initiatives.

RSNA 2007

Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c.
Chair, 2008 RSNA Board of Directors

Attendance at RSNA 2007 was the highest in the history of the RSNA annual meeting. Audience-response technology, which helps instructors tailor courses to the audience's interests and competency level in real time, has proven popular with attendees and will be expanded at future meetings.

RSNA 2007 plenary sessions, including the opening session and New Horizons Lecture, are being developed for online presentation on RSNA.org. The RSNA 2007 Image Interpretation Session on-demand is already available at www.welcome2theshow.com/rsna2007/register.asp.

Making its debut at RSNA 2007 was a special program to highlight the radiologic science of a particular country. RSNA teamed with the Italian Society of Medical Radiology to offer Italy Presents, an Integrated Science and Practice (ISP) session featuring large multicenter screening studies. The program was extremely well received and RSNA looks forward to offering Japan Presents at RSNA 2008.

Planning for RSNA 2008

Other RSNA 2008 content has been determined as well. The opening session will be devoted to adult lifelong learning and medical simulation and the New Horizons Lecture topic will be radiology engineering in the era of nanotechnology. Special focus sessions will address topics such as managing radiation risk, quantitative reporting in cancer imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasound.

The RSNA 2008 Categorical Course in Diagnostic Radiology will be devoted to cardiac imaging and the Categorical Course in Diagnostic Physics will address advances in CT and MR. The Bolstering Oncoradiologic and Oncoradiotherapeutic Skills for Tomorrow (BOOST) program will be expanded in its second year, with a focus on thoracic, head, neck and central nervous system, breast, prostate and gynecologic cancers.

RSNA 2008 promises big changes in the technical exhibition. Due to the need for more space for technical exhibits and expanded food service in all exhibit halls, technical exhibits will be featured in Hall D (Lakeside Center) as well as Halls A and B of the South and North Buildings. Scientific posters, education exhibits and other content currently located in the Lakeside Learning Center in Hall D will move down one floor to Hall E, across from the Arie Crown Theater. The RSNA 2007 technical exhibition, at 535,300 square feet, occupied a recordbreaking amount of space. More than 120 of the 758 companies were first-time exhibitors.

Always looking to better serve annual meeting attendees, RSNA continues to work on increasing the number of hotel rooms available during the annual meeting and also finding suitable uses for the new West Building at McCormick Place.

Other Education Initiatives

To help radiology residents attain required physics knowledge, RSNA has embarked on an 18-month project to work with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) to turn the AAPM curriculum into distance learning modules. Also in the works for residents is a Web-based resident learning portfolio to be ready by July 1. RSNA is working with the education committee of the Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR) to develop the portfolio, which will allow residents to document their activities as now required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

RSNA has agreed to be one of the organizations working in a federated structure to plan the World Molecular Imaging Congress to be held Sept. 10–13 in Nice, France.

RSNA’s efforts to promote the development of imaging biomarkers and quantitative imaging remain strong, with a focus now on facilitating communication among the imaging response assessment teams (IRATs) and the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program. Both IRATs and CTSA support the use of imaging to enhance and streamline research to improve patient care and make new technologies and therapies available.

RSNA is urging pharmaceutical companies and equipment manufacturers to coordinate development of protocols and methodologies for imaging biomarkers and quantitative imaging. Envisioned is an effort similar to what the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE®) initiative has done for informatics.

Publications and Communications

RSNA hosted more than 165 members of the medical media at RSNA 2007. Of particular interest to reporters were press conferences about studies of the effects of secondhand smoke on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, all-terrain vehicle injuries to children and increased radiation exposure in pregnant women. News media also used RSNA 2007 as a backdrop for reaction to an article on CT and radiation exposure published in the Nov. 29, 2007, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

A new larger screen was introduced in the Arie Crown Theater at RSNA 2007. Some plenary sessions, including the opening session and New Horizons Lecture, are being developed for online presentation on RSNA.org.

RSNA continues to analyze the results of a recent RadioGraphics reader survey. The survey indicated that, compared with seven other major radiology journals, readers believe RadioGraphics is the most popular and useful journal. Because some readers are unaware of all the features offered via the online version, RSNA is exploring ways to publicize these features more fully. A preview of the results appears on Page 23 and an article on the survey will appear in the March issue of RSNA News.

The online features of Radiology will expand, thanks to plans by new editor Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D. Included is an increase in social interaction features such as message boards. RSNA has also announced plans to publish two supplements to Radiology in the coming year. Focus groups held during RSNA 2007 indicated that people are using Radiology and find it to be an objective, trusted source of information when compared with more commercial sources.

RSNA has approved a revised statement on medical professionalism. The statement emphasizes how professionalism is the basis of medicine’s contract with society, placing the interests of society above those of the physician and setting and maintaining standards of competency and integrity. The statement can be viewed at RSNA.org/About/professionalism.cfm.

R&E Foundation

The RSNA Research & Education Foundation reports it now has 36 Pacesetters, individuals who have committed to a new gift of $25,000 or more before the Silver Anniversary Campaign celebration at RSNA 2009. Four people committed to becoming Pacesetters during RSNA 2007.

Intersociety Collaboration

Leaders of many radiology-focused societies in the U.S. and around the world met during RSNA 2007 to discuss common goals, concerns and experiences. Thanks to an enthusiastic response during RSNA 2006 and RSNA 2007, the American Board of Radiology has announced plans to offer board exams again during RSNA 2008.

RSNA also renewed its commitment to a leadership collaborative with the Association of University Radiologists, APDR and Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments and will continue managing the organizations as well. In addition, the World Leadership Council, made up of the heads of major radiology-related societies, focused on the results of an RSNA survey on educational outreach throughout the world. The RSNA Committee on International Relations & Education plans a Web page to compile information from radiology-related organizations throughout the globe.

Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c.
Chair, 2008 RSNA Board of
Directors

Note: In our continuing efforts to keep RSNA members informed, the chairman of the RSNA Board of Directors will provide a brief report in RSNA News following each board meeting. The next RSNA Board Meeting is in March 2008.