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President's Address
Lucy B. Spalluto, MD, MPH
Associate Professor
Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion
Director, Women in Radiology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
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Dear AAWR members,
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3, I was awakened by the emergency weather alarm on my phone, followed shortly by the sound of tornado sirens. Within minutes, an EF3 tornado had plowed through the heart of Nashville, laying a path of destruction. This included devastating effects on the homes of friends and colleagues, local businesses, and storage facilities for medical supplies.
As our local community bands together to overcome this natural disaster, we find ourselves also joining the global community in the worldwide fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic and the resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The challenges COVID-19 presents to the healthcare community and our society are unprecedented.
The first quarter of 2020 has been, to say it mildly, difficult. As I reflect on these current challenges, I identify a common thread of community. I am incredibly thankful for the communities surrounding me. This includes my colleagues at Vanderbilt, colleagues I work with through national societies including the AAWR, family, neighbors, and friends.
I encourage each of you to engage with the communities that surround you. Be thankful for these communities and for the support they offer us. Be thankful for our loved ones, our friends, and our colleagues. And, remember the members of your community who might be more affected by these current events than you are and consider ways in which we can work together to overcome our current challenges.
Due to the serious nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming in-person AAWR events at the American College of Radiology (ACR) Meeting have been cancelled. The AAWR is working to develop virtual methods to connect in lieu of any in-person conference programming as necessary. We will also continue to offer an array of webinars and explore additional e-meeting opportunities.
As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. And, remember the AAWR community is available to engage with during these trying times.
Your President,
Lucy Spalluto, MD, MPH
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Editor's Note
Candice Johnstone, MD
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
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Dear fellow AAWR members,
COVID-19 has challenged all of us in ways we have not previously been challenged. Radiology and Radiation Oncology are adapting to an onslaught of new clinical information regarding diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, new hospital procedures and policies while trying to be safer at home. Many of us have children attempting to learn virtually while we work from home or our clinics and hospitals. We have parents and other elderly relatives at risk and alone.
AAWR is a strong network of women in radiology and radiation oncology. Let us know if and how we can help you during these days. Know that you are not alone. Reach out to us with ideas or concerns.
Best wishes for health and sanity!
Candice
ACR 2020 Annual Meeting Update
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACR® 2020 annual meeting is transitioning to a completely virtual format that prioritizes ACR governance activities. ACR 2020 will be held entirely online May 16-19.
Please be on the lookout for information on the May 16th virtual caucus, speed mentoring, and new webinars. AAWR sponsored in-person events (Evening of Equality, Power Hour) have been cancelled.
Click on the link below for more information and to register for the ACR virtual meeting: https://www.acr.org/Lifelong-Learning-and-CME/Meetings-and-Course-Calendar/ACR-Annual-Meeting
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AAMC Leadership Development Seminar for Early-Career Faculty Award
Nanda Thimmappa, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology, Medical Director of Ultrasound, Associate Program Director of Radiology Residency Program
University of Missouri |
Dr. Thimmappa is Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology, Medical Director of Ultrasound, and Associate Program Director of Radiology Residency Program at University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou). She obtained fellowship training in Body Imaging and Body MRI at Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York. As faculty at Mizzou, she established Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound service and introduced iMorgan software for ultrasound reporting, which resulted in improved workflow. Dr. Thimmappa’s research and teaching interests include US and MRI imaging modalities, particularly in the areas of contrast enhanced ultrasound and Liver MRI.
Dr. Thimmappa represents the Body Imaging section at the Radiology Education committee, and is Radiology representative to the University of Missouri School of Medicine Faculty Affairs Council. She serves as lead facilitator of Annual Mistreatment Awareness Training for the Department of Radiology. Dr. Thimmappa leads a case-based peer-learning program for the Department of Radiology. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Radiology Society – the Missouri Chapter of ACR. She also serves as Medical Advisor to the Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound Program at the School of Health Professions, University of Missouri.
The AAMC Early-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar is a three-and-a-half-day seminar designed for women physicians and scientists holding medical school appointments at the instructor or assistant professor level, and in the early stages of leadership positions within their discipline, department, or institution.
The 2020 AAMC Early-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar will be held July 11-14, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
ACR Guidelines on COVID-19
To help radiologists make informed decisions, the ACR has collected radiology-specific COVID-19 materials.
Access COVID-19 Resources
Managing increasing professional responsibilities, busy schedules, and personal life demands can be overwhelming. This is further complicated when dealing with uncertainty.
For the second installment in our Work-Life Harmony series, we have invited two nationally recognized leaders in Radiology and Radiation Oncology - Carolynn M. DeBenedectis, MD and Jessica Schuster, MD to discuss ways that they have navigated this time of uncertainty while continuing to meet their professional and personal objectives.
LEARN MORE & SAVE YOUR SEAT
My Experience with AAWR
Suzanne M. Parets, MD
Radiology resident
Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
It all began with my first national meeting ever — ACR 2019 — and naturally I was shy and completely overwhelmed. I was chosen by my program as one of two resident representatives for Connecticut and was shipped off to Washington, D.C. To this day I have no idea how or why they picked me given how painfully introverted I am, but I am forever grateful.
ACR’s annual meeting opened my eyes to new ways that I could make a difference in the world of medicine, and specifically in radiology. Still one experience stands out as one of my most memorable — that was the speed mentoring lunch. I sat down at a random table and began to listen as different mentors discussed various topics ranging from how to publish manuscripts to how to find a job. I slowly realized I’d joined Elizabeth K. Arleo, MD — the 2019 AAWR President — almost by accident. I remember briefly looking at the description of her table and asking myself, “What is the American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR)?”
The whole talk was informal but informative. When I asked about the AAWR, she explained to me that it was a society for women in radiology, by women in radiology. To put it simply: the purpose of the AAWR for women to help lift each other up; to propel us forever in the male-dominated field of radiology. I think you could have seen the sparkles in my eyes at that moment; I wanted to join. I wanted to be a part of this, but sadly our time was short. Dr. Arleo urged me to email her if I wanted to get involved in the AAWR. I promised I would, but to be honest, I think it took me a week or so just to muster the courage. I was scared of not getting an answer back or of looking desperate. I thought for sure she would be too busy to remember me.
Little did I know that I would not only receive a prompt response, but also be put in contact with Member-in-training (MIT) subcommittee members. I was immediately welcomed and invited to telephone meetings during which I could share my ideas and be heard. To this day I am thankful to the ACR for hosting the speed mentoring lunch and to the AAWR for allowing me this chance to get involved in a society that is so invested in empowering all women in radiology. I cannot wait to attend this year’s annual meeting — ACR 2020 — and attend all of the AAWR-sponsored events.
If you would like to become a member of this amazing organization, please visit aawr.org/Membership/Join-AAWR. MIT, including fellows, can become members for free!
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Five Ways to Be A Great Mentee
Yasha Parikh Gupta, MD
Mount Auburn Hospital
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Our primary job as residents is to learn and practice radiology so that we can become competent practitioners once we begin our lives as attendings. However, in order to become successful, an important piece of the puzzle comes in the form of networking. Often times, who you know is even more important than what you know — but it takes work to cultivate these relationships.
A good mentor-mentee relationship is vital to the success of radiologists today. Whether your mentorship is about radiology leadership, business, or advocacy, every trainee can benefit from the advice of those that came before us.
Here are five ways to ensure you are being the best mentee you could possibly be:
1. Know your goals. While it may seem obvious, being aware of your future goals can really benefit you when it comes to speaking with mentors. You should be open and honest about what you are trying to achieve. Mentors can then guide you in the right direction and create stepping stones to help you reach those goals.
2. Give updates often. Mentors are very busy and are volunteering their time to help you, so it is imperative that you take the initiative to send status updates about your goals. If you received an award or publication, your mentor would likely love to know! Instead of overloading their email inbox, you can send updates quarterly or leading up to a conference where you may be able to meet in person.
3. Be responsible. If your mentor has gone out on a limb for you, make sure you hold up your end of the bargain. This means being timely and punctual with deadlines and making sure project timelines stay on track. Again, mentors are there to help you, but your success depends on you!
4. Be open. You want to be the go-to person anytime the mentor has an idea or opening for a position. Being excited about projects that come your way shows your mentor that they can send you more projects. Sometimes, the projects are not exactly what you had in mind — and that’s okay, too! Many times, these projects will lead to other opportunities that otherwise would not have found you. Attitude is everything.
5. Be respectful of your mentor’s time. Always have an agenda when meeting via telephone or in person. This way, your meeting will be efficient and you will hit the ground running. Coming prepared with updates on your goals and potential areas for growth will let your mentor know exactly how to help you best. If this is at a conference, scheduling your meeting early can help create potential contacts even at the conference to help reach your goals more effectively.
That’s it! Really, all it takes to be a good mentee is to be excited, enthusiastic, and respectful of your mentor’s time. This will help you successfully create projects outside of your residency program and can help you take your talents to the national level.
Originally published on the ACR RFS Blog linked here.
A little birdie told us…
Check out some of the many accomplishments of our talented members that have been shared on #RadTwitter recently!
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Maddy Artunduaga
@martunduagaMD
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Published “Pediatric Chest Radiographic and CT Findings of Electronic Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-associated Lung Injury (EVALI)” in Radiology
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https://twitter.com/DrArtunduaga/status/1234953251977486336?s=20
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Melissa Chen
@MelissaChenMD
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Lectured at Texas Radiologic Society Meeting
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https://twitter.com/markmontMD/status/1230987336437129222?s=20
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Catherine DeBenedectis
@c_debenedectiMD
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Promoted to Vice-Chair of Education at UMass Memorial – 1st female Vice Chair of her department
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https://twitter.com/LBSrad/status/1217464201192435714?s=20
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Lauren Golding
@LaurenGoldingMD
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Published “How Radiology Maintains Relative Value Units But Could Lose Big in Reimbursement: The Power of the Conversion Factor” in JACR
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https://twitter.com/LaurenGoldingMD/status/1213470948122337280?s=20
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Carol Hahn
@CancerDocNC
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Co-Authored “Financial Toxicity: The unseen side effect that erodes the efficacy of our cancer treatments” in ASTRONews
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https://twitter.com/ASTRO_org/status/1219737703576670210?s=20
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Hedvig Hricak
@hedvighricak
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Co-Authored “Interactive, Up-to-date Meta-Analysis of MRI in the Management of Men with Suspected Prostate Cancer” in Journal of Digital Imaging
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https://twitter.com/i_u_ma/status/1213858789402796032?s=20
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Hedvig Hricak
@hedvighricak
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Presented Grand Rounds on the future of imaging at Johns Hopkins Radiology
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https://twitter.com/Hopkins_Rad/status/1233402127097090048?s=20
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Reshma Jagsi
@reshmajagsi
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Presented 10th annual Bishop Lecture in Bioethics “Promoting Gender Equity in Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach”
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https://twitter.com/CBSSM/status/1237740351890350082?s=20
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Reshma Jagsi
@reshmajagsi
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Co-Authored “Sex Differences in Salaries of Department Chairs at Public Medical Schools” in JAMA Internal Medicine
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https://twitter.com/CMangurian/status/1234693531530190848?s=20
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Elizabeth Krupinski
@EAKrup
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Invited to present the Dwyer Lecture at SIIM20: “Tech is Cool, but What About the Users?”
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https://twitter.com/SIIM_Tweets/status/1237091284952797185?s=20
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Elizabeth Morris
@DrLizMorris
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Authored “Assessing Breast Cancer Phenotypes with MRI Biomarkers in Clinical Practice”
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https://twitter.com/AntjeHellwich/status/1218047007002124288?s=20
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Geraldine McGinty
@DrGMcGinty
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Lectured on Fearless Leadership at UCSD Radiology
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https://twitter.com/DrAliceChong/status/1218226376601268224?s=20
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Carolyn Meltzer
@brainbanker
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Co-Authored “Department Preparedness for COVID-19: Radiology Scientific Expert Panel” in Radiology
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https://twitter.com/DarelHeitkamp/status/1239611139522285568?s=20
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Amy Patel
@amykpatel
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Testified in support of SB841 to expand breast cancer screening to women with above-average risk
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https://twitter.com/SenLaurenArthur/status/1237746804629942274?s=20
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Amy Patel
@amykpatel
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Featured on the cover of Radiology Business Journal
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https://twitter.com/amykpatel/status/1233450471685328897?s=20
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Lucy Spalluto
@LBSRad
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Awarded VUMC Cancer
Caring Hearts Fund grant for “Breast Cancer Risk Assessment: Achieving Equity in Breast cancer outcomes in the public health setting (BRAVE).”
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https://twitter.com/VUMCradiology/status/1237037065834913794?s=20
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Anne-Sophie Touret
@AnneSophieRAD
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Selected to be Resident Moonlighting Coordinator at BWH Radiology
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https://twitter.com/BWHRadEdu/status/1234496828868943873?s=20
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We LOVE hearing about the triumphs of our members! If you know of an AAWR member who has done something awesome recently and we missed it, tweet us at @AAWR_org so we can all give them the props they deserve!
Welcome!
The AAWR is pleased to welcome its newest members who joined the Association since January 1, 2020:
| Sarah |
Ali |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Rebekah |
Anders |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Sarah |
Berg |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Senta |
Berggruen |
Active Member |
| Claire |
Brookmeyer |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Megan |
Carrillo |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Kathryn |
Champ |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Aditi |
Chaurasia |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Sarah |
Cheng |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Krizia |
Chien |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Elizabeth |
George |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Bourtai |
Gold |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Carolina |
Guimaraes |
Active Member |
| Nicole |
Hindman |
Active Member |
| Miki |
Hirano |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Elizabeth |
Jeans |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Dana |
Kerr |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Lauren |
Larsen |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Joy |
Li |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Yannie |
Li |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Amber |
Liles |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Claudia |
Martinez-Rios |
Active Member |
| Xiu |
McKenzie |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Emily |
Merfeld |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Erin |
Moffett |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Alexandra |
Napolitano |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Domnique |
Newallo |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Halley |
Park |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Jordan |
Perchik |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Victoria |
Podsiadlo |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Jessica |
Scholey |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Ila |
Sethi |
Active Member |
| Tina |
Shiang |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Jennifer |
Smith |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Sharon |
Smith |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Jorge |
Vidal |
Active Member |
| Stephanie |
Walker |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Imani |
Williams |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Christine |
Xue |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Leng Leng |
Young Lin |
Member-In-Training Member |
| Kaitlin |
Zaki-Metias |
Member-In-Training Member |
Chair, Newsletter Committee
Dr. Jean Mathew Kunjummen
Chief Editor
Dr. Candice Johnstone
Administrative Editor
Barbara L. Hickman, MS, CMP
Executive Director
Stephanie Huppert Hige
Contact AAWR
info@aawr.org