ACR 2022 Annual Meeting – RFS Recap

For the first time since 2019, the ACR RFS was elated to have an in-person Resident and Fellow Section meeting at the annual conference, taking place on Sunday, April 24, 2022. The RFS sessions included a number of broad topics, including leadership, advocacy, economics, and artificial intelligence.

The keynote address was given by Dr. Geraldine McGinty, titled — Lessons in Leadership. During this address, Dr. McGinty discussed many lessons she learned throughout her career, including making a directed effort on inclusion at every step.

This session was then followed by the economics talk by Drs. Lauren Nicola and Join Luh, who discussed Current and Future Payment Models in both Radiology and Radiation Oncology. The discussions were excellent and made complex topics regarding payment models easy to digest, including likening the topic to something we all know and love — pizza!

The discussion continued with a talk on Advocacy by the all-star duo, Dr. Amy Patel and Ted Burnes. Dr. Patel discussed ways to get involved at the resident level and how we, as trainees, can contribute to the Radiology Advocacy Network, including advocating on social media! Ted Burnes also talked about the behind-the-scenes work that the RAN does for us at the government level, and how even small contributions can make big changes.

The RFS programming was rounded out by two excellent discussions about artificial intelligence. Dr. Bibb Allen discussed the Future of AI Integration and Where We Are Now, while Dr. Alexander Towbin discussed non-interpretive AI, perhaps one of the best ways that artificial intelligence can contribute to the workflow and efficiency required our specialty.

The RFS was excited to sponsor the first RFS State Chapter Luncheon, where residents were able to network with trainees from other states and learn about getting involved with the ACR RFS State Chapter in their home state! The luncheon was a full house and something that the ACR is looking forward to hosting again in the future.

Lastly, the RFS was excited to co-sponsor its first ever resolutions, which included Resolution 13 - Paid Family and Medical Leave as well as Resolution 25 - Partnership Track Associates and Changes in Practice Structure and Ownership, both of which passed in front of the Council and became ACR Policy. Both of these resolutions affect trainees greatly and advocated for the current state of family leave for trainees as well as the future of what our practices may look like, respectively. This was truly a momentous occasion for the Resident and Fellow Section!

The RFS also held Elections for the next ACR RFS Executive Committee. The next RFS Executive Committee is:

Chair — Yasha Gupta, MD
Past Chair — Natasha Monga, MD
Vice Chair — Alisha Rathi, MD
Secretary — Karim Nasra, MD
Radiation Oncology Representative — Aaron Bush, MD
AMA Delegate and Advocacy Liaison — Fatima Elahi, DO, MHA
Communications Officer — Chelsea Schmitt, MD, MPH
Education Liaison — Jeffers Nguyen, MD

The Nominating Committee was also elected at the annual meeting:

Western Region — Shannon Yoo, MD
Central Region — Kirang Patel, MD
East Region — David Payne, MD