RSNA 2026 Outstanding Community Impact Award

An internationally recognized pediatric radiologist, educator and global health leader, Kassa Darge, MD, PhD, is a pediatric radiologist and the William Van Alen Endowed Chair of the Department of Radiology, and the Radiologist-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He is also a professor of radiology with a secondary appointment as professor of radiology in surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in Philadelphia.

Dr. Darge is an honorary professor of radiology at the Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, where he has established a CHOP Global Pediatric Radiology Education Program.

“Dr. Darge’s extraordinary commitment to pediatric radiology education has expanded access to expertise, strengthened care, and built lasting capacity across communities worldwide,” said RSNA President Jeffrey S. Klein, MD. “Through visionary leadership, collaboration, and service, he exemplifies the transformative impact this award honors.”

Dr. Darge started his research career in basic science parasitology and immunology research. He was awarded a three-year research fellowship from the World Health Organization (WHO), which gave him the opportunity to earn his Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Parasitology. Once he joined radiology, he focused on clinical research, earning a doctorate for his work on the use of US contrast agent in children. He is currently fully dedicated in his practice scope in all areas of body imaging in children.

Dr. Darge has been engaged actively for the past 22 years in various forms of teaching of trainees and peers. He not only teaches at CHOP, but also takes part in teaching for the Masters in Public Health course at UPenn. Dr. Darge established the CHOP Center for Pediatric Contrast Ultrasound (CPCU) which has carried out regular hands-on training courses for more than 300 pediatric radiologists and sonographers. This program has resulted in the establishment of pediatric contrast US services in more than 50 pediatric hospitals in the U.S.

Dr. Darge is the president of the Board of the Radiology Associates of the Children’s Hospital (RACH) and the Radiology Associates of New Jersey (RANJ). He is a past president of the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR).

He has been recognized for his work by the Swiss Radiological Society with the Schinz Medal and honorary membership. He also is a honorary member of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) and the German Society of Radiology. Dr. Darge received the RSNA Honored Educator Award and the Heidi Patriquin International Fellowship for Education Award from SPR. He received the Contrast Agent Research Award from the German Radiological Society and The Schering Prize from the European Federation of Societies of Ultrasound in Medicine. He is also recipient of the American College of Radiology’s Global Humanitarian Award.