Academy of Radiology Research Adds New Focus

The new Academic Council formed by the Academy of Radiology Research (ARR) takes its mission to Capitol Hill this month, promoting the need for imaging research by bringing members of academic radiology departments face-to-face with their congressional representatives.

R. Nick Bryan, M.D., Ph.D. Academy of Radiology Research President

Renee Cruea, M.P.A. Academy of Radiology Research Executive Director

"This grassroots effort directly involves the departments where the radiology research is being done, which didn't happen before we formed the Academic Council," said ARR President R. Nick Bryan, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. Dr. Bryan represents RSNA and the R&E Foundation in ARR. (Listen in as Dr. Bryan discusses the formation and mission of the Academic Council)

The Academic Council is the latest accomplishment of the 14-year-old ARR, which continues its work on other fronts, including ensuring that imaging gets its fair share of stimulus package dollars. The new council is chaired by Carolyn Meltzer, M.D., chair of radiology at Emory University and James H. Thrall, M.D., radiologist-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Twenty-three academic radiology departments have already joined the Academic Council, created in mid-2008 to strengthen the role of ARR in advocating for the limited pool of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds and to educate lawmakers on the need for imaging research, according to Renee Cruea, M.P.A., executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based ARR.

"We now have all imaging stakeholders at the table," said Cruea. "Increased funding for imaging research at NIH benefits these departments and engages them in our initiatives."

This month's Washington forum includes an NIH tour and a Capitol Hill briefing on imaging research and coincides with the Association of University Radiologists (AUR) annual meeting.

Patient Outreach Continues

Incorporating all segments of the imaging community has been an ARR goal since it formed in 1995 as a consortium of 19 imaging societies to promote imaging research and fight for legislation to establish an imaging institute at NIH. The latter goal was realized in 2000 with the creation of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), which gave medical imaging a long-sought home at NIH and re-directed the academy's focus to advocating for NIBIB appropriations.

"The creation of NIBIB would never have happened if the academy had not spearheaded the lobbying and information effort," said Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. h.c., chair of the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, RSNA representative on the academy's executive committee and RSNA president-elect for 2009. (Listen in as Dr. Bryan discusses the creation of NIBIB)

Academy members soon realized, however, that raising funds—and the profile of imaging—would mean casting an even wider net for support.

"It became clear to us that it wasn't just legislators who didn't understand or appreciate how imaging benefits patients, but also that many of the patient groups didn't recognize imaging research as a tool to boost their mission and goals—no one was out there speaking to them about it," said Cruea.

The new Academic Council of the Academy of Radiology Research is promoting the need for imaging research by bringing members of academic radiology departments face-to-face with their congressional representatives in meetings this month.

In 2004, the late Ed Nagy, former ARR director, and Cruea, then government relations associate for ARR, developed the concept for a broad new coalition to bring patient groups and medical manufacturers to the advocacy table along with scientific associations. Created in 2006 as an ARR division, the Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research (CIBR) now comprises 30 patient advocacy groups, 27 imaging organizations, nine industry groups and 23 academic radiology departments. The coalition incorporates the entire, diverse membership of the academy and the Academic Council. (Listen in as Dr. Bryan discusses the formation of CIBR)

CIBR has quickly grown into the ARR advocacy arm that puts a human face on the need for imaging research. For example, during a 2008 imaging briefing on Capitol Hill sponsored by CIBR and the Diabetes Research Foundation, former Pittsburgh Steelers guard Kendall Simmons spoke about his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in 2003 and the need for research.

"The idea is that when we talk to Congress and their staffs about imaging, we do so from the perspective of a patient with the disease," said Dr. Bryan.

NIBIB Seeks New Funds via Stimulus Package

Since its inception, NIBIB has funded bold and far-reaching projects that rapidly facilitate discoveries and translate them into clinical practice. Among them are nanotechnology to detect single cancer cells and prevent metastases and image-guided, minimally-invasive robotic assisted therapies to replace more invasive treatments commonly used today.

Although the NIBIB budget has increased each year, from its first grant of about $112 million in 2002 to its current allotment of approximately $300 million, Cruea and Dr. Bryan said NIH funding has remained essentially "flat" over the last eight years. They are both hopeful that the two-year $10.4 billion funding increase—$8.2 billion in support of scientific research—granted to NIH under the economic stimulus bill will get the research dollars flowing.

"We're ecstatic over what we think is getting ready to happen," said Dr. Bryan. "We will be advocating for more money for NIBIB from the pool that has become available." (Listen in as Dr. Bryan discusses NIBIB funding issues)

"Go-To" Destination for Imaging Envisioned

The academy, funded through its membership, has nearly doubled its yearly budget by adding the Academic Council and CIBR and bolstering its general membership, said Cruea. After operating for 12 years on about $400,000 a year, the academy's budget is now almost $800,000 annually.

Plans for those funds this year include growing membership, raising the overall profile of imaging, focusing on the imaging role in health information technology development and overhauling the academy's Web site to reflect its role as the "go-to" destination for imaging, Cruea said.

The academy's primary goal never wavers, said Dr. Hricak. "The goal is to make sure that Congress, various foundations and patient organizations are aware of the importance of radiology and its need for research support," she said. "That doesn't change."