R&E Silver Anniversary Campaign Calls on Radiologists to Continue Legacy

Robert E. Campbell, M.D. Chair, R&E Individual Giving Subcommittee

Luther W. Brady Jr., M.D. Co-chair, R&E Silver Anniversary Campaign

The RSNA Research & Education Foundation Silver Anniversary Campaign may be nearing its finish, but the Foundation is just getting started when it comes to supporting radiology breakthroughs, said R&E leaders.

"The R&E Foundation will continue to significantly influence radiology's progress," said Luther W. Brady Jr., M.D., 1985 RSNA president and Silver Anniversary Campaign co-chair. "Whether that influence is in radiology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine or molecular biology, the Foundation will support successful research."

With continued investment from the radiology community, the Foundation will be poised to bolster the next generation of radiologic discoveries—just as it has already paved the way for research that was unimaginable two decades ago, said Dr. Brady, Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Over the last 25 years, the R&E Foundation has funded more than 760 grants totaling more than $29 million.

"I don't think you can question the influence the Foundation has had on shaping the specialty, not only technological developments but also basic molecular developments," said Dr. Brady. "Research supported 20 years ago is now in everyday clinical practice."

Critical to continuing and building the Foundation's influence, said R&E leaders, is raising the Silver Anniversary Campaign goal of $15 million that will enable additional grant funding in the future. In its final lap, the campaign has seen record-high individual member donations—$1.2 million in 2008—and a $1.5 million endowment from Paul E. Berger, M.D., the largest individual gift in Foundation history.

More than 40 individual Pacesetter donors have combined to pledge more than $1 million and corporate support has also grown with new Vanguard donations.

"We're almost there," said Anne G. Osborn, M.D., a professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Utah Medical Center, immediate past-chair of the RSNA R&E Foundation Board of Trustees and a Silver Anniversary Campaign co-chair. "Now we need our members to step up for that last sprint to the finish." (Listen In to Dr. Osborn’s call to help ensure radiology’s future)

The campaign was kicked off at RSNA 2005 with a challenge to RSNA members, asking, "What are the 25 questions we hope to answer through research?" Member responses addressed such topics as functional cancer targeting, population-wide risk assessment, personalized medicine and integration of radiologic data into the electronic health record.

The Foundation will celebrate the campaign's culmination at RSNA 2009, looking back to honor those instrumental in the Foundation's history while also looking forward to explore the role the Foundation will have in answering not only the 25 questions, but also other—as yet unimagined—radiologic inquiries.

"Imaging is uniquely positioned to assume critical roles in the elucidation of disease pathways, as well as in screening, characterization and evaluation of response to therapy," said 2009 RSNA President Gary J. Becker, M.D., who serves on the R&E Foundation Board of Trustees. "Yet to realize the potential of imaging, we must marshal the talent and manpower to make it happen—and that's where R&E comes in. R&E is about launching investigative careers in the imaging sciences."

RSNA has Long-standing Vision

The RSNA Research & Education (R&E) Foundation has almost reached its $15 million Silver Anniversary Campaign goal, said campaign co-chair Anne G. Osborn, M.D. "Now we need our members to step up for that last sprint to the finish," she said. Dr. Osborn, immediate past-chair of the R&E Board of Trustees, gave the Report of the R&E Foundation at RSNA 2008.

The Foundation can actually trace its beginnings back more than 25 years, to 1977, when Douglas W. MacEwan, M.D., was appointed treasurer for the RSNA Board of Directors. Dr. MacEwan still recalls being pulled aside by 1972 RSNA President Maurice D. Frazer, M.D.

"I was informed, in no uncertain terms, that I should be disciplined and ensure that RSNA saved $500,000 per year," recalled Dr. MacEwan, a professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and 1984 RSNA President.

"I asked, 'Why so much? What would we do with the savings?'" Dr. MacEwan continued. "Dr. Frazer told me not to worry about the details—we would need it someday for many worthy causes."

Answers to Dr. MacEwan's questions emerged in 1984, when the R&E Fund—now the R&E Foundation—was established. At a time of declining federal resources, the Foundation aimed to protect and support radiology research and education with a goal of improving patient care. The first grants were awarded two years later.

"I remember the first grant recipient was a young man from Syracuse University who was interested in PET scanning," said R&E founding trustee Robert E. Campbell, M.D., chair of the R&E Foundation's Individual Giving Subcommittee. Dr. Campbell is an emeritus professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "That was so important—it's a groundbreaking area that has accelerated in recent years and R&E helped get it off to a good start."

Dr. Campbell, 1989 RSNA president and an RSNA News contributing editor, was among the leaders asked to raise an initial $8 million in contributions. "RSNA members had never before been asked to contribute to anything like this—there wasn't anything like it in radiology," he said.

Return on Investment is Key Factor

The Foundation's success since those early days is demonstrated by its impressive return on investment, said Dr. Osborn. "Our research has shown that R&E has a return of $30 to $1," she said. "By this metric, the Foundation has enabled $850 million in radiologic research."

That radiologic research, said Dr. Campbell, has seen some of the specialty's brightest scholars flourishing in an era of astonishing breakthroughs. (Listen In to Dr. Campbell’s perspective on the prestige of R&E grants)

"Many leaders in radiology today got their start with an R&E Foundation grant—everything these successful investigators have done in their academic careers began with those first-step seed grants," added Dr. Osborn. (Listen In as Dr. Osborn explains the impact of R&E seed grants)

Collaboration Drives Success

The same spirit of collaboration being encouraged in the last months of the campaign has always been key to the Foundation's success, said R&E founding trustee James G. Kereiakes, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. "I was the physics input to the original committee, and I believe a lot of the Foundation's progress is a result of cooperation among radiologists and physicists and people from other areas," he said.

Corporate and international contributions have also been critical in sustaining the R&E Foundation, Dr. Brady added. Medical imaging companies and radiologists around the world who give to R&E recognize its proven track record and understand they are investing in radiology's future, he said. (Listen In to Dr. Brady’s observations on international investments in R&E)

Many RSNA members have steadfastly supported the Foundation, said Dr. Brady. "It's a shame that only 10 percent of members give to the Foundation, but the total raised by that 10 percent has gone up substantially nonetheless," he said. "Now almost every organization in radiology has a foundation hoping to do what RSNA has done."

Supporting the Foundation is even more vital amidst the global economic downturn, said Dr. MacEwan. "Our world is in for a rough 10 years," he said. "We must maintain a sound Foundation which is of great importance to diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, medical physics and allied sciences."