Planes, Trains and Automobiles: RSNA 2025 Travelers Brave Chicago's Historic Snowfall - Part 2
Tales of resilience, teamwork and unexpected adventures
This is part two of a three-part series chronicling the travel challenges and successes of several undaunted RSNA annual meeting attendees. Read part one.
In part one of this series, several radiologists set out from various locations bound for Chicago to attend RSNA 2025.
After a flight cancelation, RSNA Past President N. Reed Dunnick, MD, and his wife Marilyn Roubidoux, MD, a professor of radiology at the University of Michigan Medical School reworked their plans to fly from Ann Arbor, MI, to Chicago. Instead, they flew to Milwaukee with another RSNA attendee they had met at the airport and planned to take a train more than 80 miles to Chicago from there.
Kate Hanneman, MD, MPH, anticipated flight delays and cancelations out of Toronto and scheduled a backup flight in case the first one failed.
Meanwhile, also in Toronto, M. Alejandra Bedoya, MD, a pediatric radiologist at SickKids Hospital, connected with four other radiologists whose flights were canceled. The group opted to forego further delays with air travel and make the trip via car—a journey that would take eight hours in even the best weather conditions—instead.
Changing Course to Keep Going
“We rented a big SUV, started driving at 1:30 p.m and we were going to drive until sunset, to allow for as much light as possible,” Dr. Bedoya said.
She and her fellow passengers had four hours to go before they reached the U.S. border.
In Milwaukee, waiting at the luggage claim with their fellow RSNA attendee, Drs. Dunnick and Roubidoux then took the shuttle to the Amtrak station. In the near-empty depot, Dr. Dunnick inspected the schedule. Our travel companion said she planned take an Uber down,” Dr. Dunnick said. "I asked her, ‘Think we can get a car big enough for the three of us?’”
Dreams Meet Obstacles
Third-year radiology resident Roberto Muñoz Estrada, MD, was excited for his first trip to the RSNA annual meeting—in fact, his first trip to the United States. “This journey began a year ago when I won a prize for an oral presentation at the Chilean Congress of Radiology,” Dr. Muñoz said. “The prize consisted of this trip to RSNA. I waited a full year for this, so expectations were very high.”
Passengers waited three hours on the ground until it became clear that it wouldn’t be possible to fly to Chicago. The closest they could get was Indianapolis, 185 miles away from McCormick Place.
Unexpected Bonds, New Experiences
Despite her colleague’s offer to stay in Ann Arbor, Dr. Bedoya’s group decided to push through the night, stopping only once for food and fuel.
“Our team was sending us car games on WhatsApp—like, name 11 countries that start with an A,” she said. “And our fellow was the DJ, so we were playing music all the time.”
Waiting more than an hour for his suitcase at the baggage claim in Indianapolis, Dr. Muñoz found a group of Chileans. “We were all strangers to each other, but the situation brought us together,” he said.
Their drive was estimated to take three hours, not accounting for the additional weather delays or traffic that could add to the time.
Flight Delays Test Travelers’ Resolve
In Toronto, Dr. Hanneman’s “backup” flight would eventually end the same as Dr. Dunnick’s had.
It was delayed a couple of hours, optimistically boarded, patiently awaited from a packed cabin, and ultimately remained grounded for the day.
She booked another flight for the next morning, which would get her to RSNA 2025 late on opening day.
In a testament to their resilience and to the importance of the annual meeting, part three of our series recounts how the travelers overcame delays and hardship, finally reaching Chicago for RSNA 2025.
For More Information
Read a summary of the top 10 most-read stories from the RSNA 2025 Daily Bulletin.
Access the RSNA 2025 Daily Bulletin video playlist.
Experience the annual meeting from the comfort of your home or office using Virtual Access. Visit Meeting Central or use the meeting app.