One Meeting, Countless Ways to Connect and Engage
Veteran attendees share insights from their RSNA annual meeting experiences
Ask three veteran RSNA annual meeting attendees what keeps them coming back year after year, and the answers vary, but a common theme emerges: the meeting offers myriad ways to connect, learn and grow, with attendees tailoring the experience to their own interests and career stage.
For Vivek Kalia, MD, MPH, MS, who first attended while in medical school and has returned to McCormick Place for nearly 20 years, one of the meeting’s greatest strengths is the opportunity to connect with colleagues at every career stage.
“It’s one of the most wonderful places to actually meet people who are your role models,” said Dr. Kalia, chair and medical director of radiology at Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas. “It’s a meeting that serves as a great ‘leveler’ for people.”
The opportunity to connect with established leaders in the field is one reason many attendees value the experience. Katja Pinker, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology and division chief of breast imaging at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, shares Dr. Kalia’s sentiment and welcomes those interactions when approached onsite.
“For younger faculty, residents and trainees, this is where they actually can meet the people they are learning from; the people who wrote the books and the textbooks,” she said. “They can go and ask questions; it’s such an important way of connecting for the younger people—the upcoming superstars.”
In addition to building professional relationships, Vinay Prabhu, MD, MS, noted that the annual meeting also offers a prime opportunity to strengthen personal connections.
“The networking is on a scale unlike any other radiology conference,” he said. “This is, in part, because it is so large in size, with so many subspecialties all present under the same roof.”
Dr. Prabhu, vice chair of the Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee (AMPPC) and chairs the AMPPC Noninterpretive Skills & Practice Management Subcommittee, said he considers the size of the event one of its best selling points.
“It is the largest and most important meeting that we have in radiology,” he explained. “It’s not a subspecialty-focused meeting, so we can get into topics that are unique, cross-specialty and cross-discipline. There is something for everyone.”
The Draw of Global Perspectives and Cutting-edge Science
While many attendees value the relationships they build at the meeting, educational and scientific programming remains a major draw. Attendees come for the latest in medical imaging research and education, to access emerging technologies and to explore the latest innovations in the field. Dr. Prabhu described the quality of programming as “unmatched.”
“We typically feature the most cutting-edge and hottest topics out there. Attendees come to RSNA to know what is coming next and what the best and brightest are doing,” Dr. Prabhu said. “Our science program always solicits the highest level of research because it’s so competitive and so many submissions are received from across the globe. Applicants know they must have their best data together so they will be selected to present.”
The meeting’s global reach is one aspect that particularly resonates with Dr. Pinker, current chair of the AMPPC Breast Imaging Subcommittee. She said diverse representation among attendees, presenters and planning committee members helps bring a broader range of experiences and approaches to patient care.
“We have to make sure we have global diversity in the meeting via diversity on the planning committees, because it’s important to understand how colleagues in other countries are practicing medicine differently,” Dr. Pinker said.
Creating Your Own Annual Meeting Experience
Dr. Kalia noted that with so many sessions, activities and opportunities packed into a single week, attendees can quickly find themselves trying to do too much. “Learning to navigate the agenda, site and activities effectively and productively is a skill in its own right,” Dr. Kalia said.
His advice to those tempted to see and do it all throughout the course of a single week is simple: don’t.
“I put a lot of effort into structuring my schedule in a way that helps me stay engaged, make the most of my time and focus on what’s most important to me,” Dr. Kalia shared.
As residents, for example, attendees will spend more time on fundamental talks, such as case-based sessions and board reviews. Later in their careers, they may gravitate toward scientific sessions or other components of the meeting or may become more involved through committee service and meeting planning.
“That's what I convey now when I talk to trainees: you'll evolve over the years and what you find valuable will evolve,” Dr. Kalia said. “That’s the beautiful thing about it—you design the meeting however you want it to be. It’s like visiting New York City—in my experience, no two trips there are the same.”
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