RSNA 2025 Outstanding Community Impact Award
Efrén J. Flores, MD, FACR
Working together with patients and their communities to co-develop programs aimed to improve access to radiology care, Efrén J. Flores, MD has devoted his career to recognizing the impact of social determinants in radiology care and leverage a community-based approach to co-develop programs with patients and their communities to overcome barriers to care.
Dr. Flores is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and serves as faculty in Thoracic Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He currently serves as MGB Radiology Vice Chair of Trainee and Faculty Enrichment, and is the founding director of the MGB Radiology Inclusion & Systemic Equity (RISE) Center, a transdisciplinary research initiative focused on increasing access to radiology care and improving health outcomes for every patient.
“Dr. Flores has shown extraordinary leadership in bridging the gap between radiology and the communities we serve. His commitment to addressing social determinants of health, advancing equitable access to care and fostering trust between patients and providers is both inspiring and essential to the future of our field,” said RSNA President, Umar Mahmood, MD, PhD. “Through his work, Dr. Flores has redefined what it means to create lasting, meaningful impact in radiology.”
His research also focuses on increasing access to care and improve patient outcomes, particularly among historically underserved communities. His work is guided by the overarching goal of improving health outcomes while fostering trust and a sense of belonging among patients and their communities.
Dr. Flores is a member of the RSNA Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee in the noninterpretative care work group. He is the previous co-chair of the RSNA Health Equity Committee. He has served as faculty at numerous RSNA annual meetings.
He is a member of the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable and serves on the health equity, prevention and imaging committees for the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, a part of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network.
In recognition for his work, Dr. Flores was selected as one of the inaugural National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence in 2021. He currently serves as associate editor of health equity for the Journal of the American College of Radiology. He is an editorial board member of CHEST and Diagnostic Imaging. Dr. Flores is the author of more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and has contributed to nearly a dozen book chapters, reviews or editorials.
Dr. Flores received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. He completed his radiology residency at MGH and did fellowship training in breast imaging, musculoskeletal radiology and body imaging at MGH.