Associated Sciences Consortium
RSNA News continues its series highlighting the work of organizations working with RSNA in the Associated Sciences Consortium.

American Institute of Architects — Academy of Architecture for Health

At nearly 64 years of age, the Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) is the most senior organization within the Washington, D.C.-based American Institute of Architects (AIA) and has a long history of collaborating with RSNA to design physical spaces that work efficiently for patients and healthcare professionals.

"It's not just how we can build buildings, it's how we can build buildings that provide better places to heal and take care of patients," said Morris A. "Mo" Stein, principal/senior vice-president of HKS Architects and director of their Phoenix office. Stein served as AAH president from 1996 to 1997.

AAH hosts seminars and Web-based training for members and publishes a healthcare research journal, the Academy Journal. "We provide instruction in planning proper healing environments that also lead to medical clinical efficiency, in terms of both science and function—air, power, water, size, adjacencies, those kinds of things," said Stein.

Stein and other AAH members work with RSNA leaders in both partner and client relationships. "Every year people ask me what the heck I'm doing at the RSNA meeting," he said. "But the clients are there, and we've made incredible relationships because of our involvement." When RSNA opened associate membership to architects, "I jumped at the opportunity to join," said Stein, a member of the former RSNA FutuRAD Committee.

Patient safety can be improved by quality design, Stein said, and AAH strives to promote evidence-based practice. "That's a topic that radiology certainly understands," he said. "We have a real scientific basis for making decisions about how and what we design in terms of how it will help deliver care. We believe that the architectural world, particularly in health, is at the forefront of that."

For more information on AIA-AAH, visit AIA.org.

QIBA Technical Committees Give Progress Report

Three RSNA Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) technical committees reported progress on projects and goals at a May 19-20 working meeting in Oak Brook, Ill., attended by about 70 representatives from the clinical community, imaging equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical industry, government and medical informatics companies and imaging societies.

Under the leadership of RSNA Science Advisor Daniel Sullivan, M.D., the meeting included a discussion of present and future goals for QIBA, whose mission is to help transform radiology from a qualitative to a more quantitative science and improve the value and practicality of quantitative biomarkers by reducing variability across devices, patients and time.

The FDG PET/CT, dynamic-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) and volumetric CT (vCT) technical committees reported progress in planning the adoption of hardware and software standards to improve accuracy and reproducibility of quantitative results from imaging biomarkers. Committees are identifying sources of variability, collecting data, devising mitigation strategies and writing and promulgating profiles.

Technical committee reports will be part of the next update at the Quantitative Imaging/Imaging Biomarkers information session at RSNA 2009 on Monday, Nov. 30, at McCormick Place Chicago. A QIBA working meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 3 at RSNA 2009.

Medical Students Investigate Radiology Careers

At the RSNA table at the American Medical Association (AMA) Medical Specialty Showcase in June, radiology residents Venu Vadlamudi, M.D., and Munira Charania, M.D., talked to medical students about careers in radiology. The showcase, held during the AMA Medical Student Section Annual Meeting in Chicago, featured representatives from more than 40 specialties assisting medical students in making career decisions.

Many students were eager to join RSNA upon learning that membership is free for residents, fellows and medical students and includes free admission to the RSNA annual meeting. RSNA members-in-training also receive other member benefits including access to myRSNA, online subscriptions to Radiology and RadioGraphics and use of the Resident Learning Portfolio.

In an article in the August 2009 issue of RSNA News, radiology leaders will discuss the current climate of attracting medical students to the specialty.