About RSNA

Burton P. Drayer, M.D.

Who's Who
Board of Directors:

Burton P. Drayer, M.D.
President, New York, NY

(From RSNA 2010 Daily Bulletin)

Burton P. Drayer, M.D., is executive vice-president for Risk at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, and since 1995, has served as the Dr. Charles M. and Marilyn Newman Professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He served as president of The Mount Sinai Hospital from November 2003 to September 2008.

As president, Dr. Drayer is committed to RSNA's role in supporting education, research, information technology and patient safety. "My goals for 2011 are to enhance collaborations among radiology and non-radiology societies, as well as to extend the utilization and recognition of the RSNA's extensive technology platform," he said.

"I hope to accelerate our critically important research agenda by fostering the growth and quality of our journals, annual meeting program and Research & Education (R&E) Foundation grant support, and I am committed to expanding the role that RSNA plays in advancing radiation safety," he added.

Dr. Drayer received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania In Philadelphia. In 1971, he received his medical degree from the Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School and went on to complete a medical internship and neurology residency at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Dr. Drayer served his radiology residency followed by a neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Drayer's academic appointments began in 1977 at the University of Pittsburgh Health Center. From 1979 to 1986, Dr. Drayer was at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. In 1986, he was appointed chair of the Division of Neuroimaging Research-Education at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, where he remained until 1995. Dr. Drayer then moved to Mount Sinai, where he practices today.

Since 1979, Dr. Drayer has been a manuscript reviewer for nine medical journals, including Radiology, and was editor of Neuroimaging Clinics of North America from 1991 to 2005. He has authored or coauthored nearly 200 journal articles, 41 book chapters and two books. He is also a sought-after lecturer both nationally and internationally, having given over 200 invited lectures and speeches. His research has involved the development and application of advanced imaging strategies to analyze brain iron, cerebral blood flow, contrast media safety, neurodegenerative disorders, brain infarction and multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Drayer's many awards and honors include the Cornelius G. Dyke Award from the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Board of Radiology. Dr. Drayer moderated the RSNA Image Interpretation Session in 2004.

Dr. Drayer is a past-president of the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), as well as a founder of the Neuroradiology Education and Research Foundation of ASNR. Dr. Drayer is and has been an active member in neurology and radiology organizations, including the ACR, where he was chair of the Committee on Appropriateness Criteria's Panel on Neurological Imaging from 1994 to 2003. In 2009, he began a three-year term on the ACR Board of Chancellors.

An RSNA member since 1980, Dr. Drayer served as first vice-president in 2003. He has been active on many committees during his membership, including as chair of the Public Information Committee, the Public Information Advisors Network and the R&E Foundation's Public Relations Committee. He has served on the board of the R&E Foundation since 2009.

Elected to the RSNA Board of Directors in December 2003, Dr. Drayer served a year as liaison-designate for the annual meeting and technology and another four years as liaison. He was Board chairman in 2009 and president-elect in 2010.

Last updated: 2010