RSNA 2023 Plenary Sessions: Howard B. Chrisman, MD

Howard B. Chrisman, MD, is president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, the primary teaching affiliate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, both in Chicago. Since joining Northwestern Memorial HealthCare in 1997, Dr. Chrisman has been an active clinician and leader. Today, he oversees the Northwestern Medicine healthcare system, including 11 hospitals, more than 200 ambulatory and diagnostic sites, and over 35,000 employees and 5,500 aligned physicians.

Dr. Chrisman previously served as president and chief operating officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, as well as executive vice president of clinical operations and president of Northwestern Medical Group. He has also served as interim chair of four different academic departments: Radiology, Anesthesia, Pathology and Surgery.

After getting a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, Dr. Chrisman completed a Doctor of Medicine degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, and a Health Administration MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver. He completed a residency in diagnostic  radiology at University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and a fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Chrisman continues to serve as a professor of radiology and surgery, and he is clinically active with primary expertise in treating fibroid disease using endovascular techniques. 

An active member of the Society of Interventional Radiology, Dr. Chrisman served as associate treasurer and treasurer and as co-chair of the Strategic Planning Process in 2004. 

In his opening plenary lecture, Dr. Chrisman will discuss the importance of thoughtfully embracing change, no matter how uncomfortable that may seem. 

“As radiologists, we should be excited to continue to do what we do best, which is be agile and innovative,” Dr. Chrisman said.