FROM YOUR PRESIDENT - aawr.org 2006.pdf · chaired by Drs. Ines Boechat, Etta Pisano and Jocelyn...

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AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION

FOR WOMEN

RADIOLOGISTS

VOL. 26 NO. 1

SPRING 2006 focusFROM YOUR PRESIDENTFROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Nancy Ellerbroek, MD

in

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II want to thank Dr. Katarzyna Macura, theAAWR immediate Past-President, for all ofher hard work and efforts on our behalf. Itwould take more than one column to describeher accomplishments, many of which arewell known to anyone who has been follow-ing the progress of the AAWR these past fewyears. For now it will have to suffice to saythat many of our activities and processes arenow quite improved thanks to her. Her sub-stantial accomplishments during her presi-dency year brought credit and inspiration toall of us.

In this newsletter you will find a review ofour activities during the 2005 RSNA annualmeeting; the attendees were excited to partic-ipate in such interesting events. Sundayopened with the meeting of the AAWRExecutive Committee, which made severalimportant decisions. It was determined thatwe need to take a stand on the issue of salaryinequities between men and women in radiol-ogy. To this end, we formed a new SalaryEquity Committee, which will be jointlychaired by Drs. Ines Boechat, Etta Pisano andJocelyn Chertoff. A second new committeewas formed; the Legislative Committee, tobe chaired by Dr. Amy Kirby, who took partin a Weatherford Fellowship sponsored by theAmerican College of Radiology (ACR). Thecommittee’s goal will be to be alert to leg-islative issues concerning women as theycome up so we can work with the ACR orother appropriate organizations in a pro-

active way. We prepared for increased and enhanced

AAWR activities during the 2006 annualmeeting of the RSNA, during which we willcelebrate the 25th anniversary of the AAWR.There will be a special Sunday evening galacelebration and a presentation of “Manya – ALiving History of Marie Curie”- scheduledfor Monday evening. The latter will be free ofcharge for RSNA attendees and will be anexcellent educational event.

The following are thoughts on the impactthat AAWR will have on its members duringthis year and the years to come. There is aplace for every woman in our organization.We are here to serve you all and to promoteyour career as you work towards a satisfyingand fulfilling professional and personal life.

What does AAWR offer to the privatepractitioner?

I received some feedback at the 2005RSNA meeting from a physician in privatepractice who is an active AAWR memberworking on the Part-Time EmploymentCommittee and who has written for Focus onthe subject. She made an observation aboutthe relative lack of involvement or recogni-tion of the achievements of non-academicwomen radiologists. She had spoken with atleast three current and former colleagueswho were AAWR members but did not renew

From Your President ..........................1-3

The 2005 Marie Curie Award ..............4

AAWR Corporate Partners ..................4

Komaki Acceptance Remarks............5

The 2005 Alice Ettinger Award ...........5

Pathways to Leadership.......................6

Balancing Career andPersonal Life ....................................7-8

Necessity of Legislative Process in theRealm of Women’s Imaging ........9-10

AAMC Early-Career Seminar............11

In Memoriam: Howard S. Stern .......12

AAWR at the 2006 ECR .......................12

A Historical Plaque in a Chicago Hotel..13

AAWR Statement of FinancialPosition................................................13

The Pregnancy Guidelines ................14

Manya......................................................14

AAWR Celebrates its 25thAnniversary........................................14

Volunteers at AAWR Booth...............14

Kudos and Plaudits ........................15-16

2006 Contributors to the R&E Fund .....16

AAWR Moments...................................17

RSNA Moments....................................18

AAWR President’s Literature Picks....18

In the News............................................19

AAWR International Members.........19

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membership because they were non-academic radiologistsand had no feeling of “connectedness” with the organiza-tion. They expressed that to them AAWR felt much gearedtoward academic radiologists and their achievements.

These are valid concerns. I have explored the reasonswhy such feelings of disenfranchisement might occur. Theymay stem from interactions (or lack of interactions)between the AAWR and our members, which occur primar-ily at our meetings and through our newsletters and publi-cations. Our meetings, held during the academic meetingsof RSNA, ARRS, SPR and ASTRO are meant to be inclu-sive. AAWR sponsors an instructional and a refreshercourse at the annual meetings of the ARRS and the RSNArespectively. There are special talks during luncheons, andaward ceremonies that honor the outstanding achievementsof our members. It is true that the subjects of many of thetalks are of an academic nature. For example, the inspiringtalk by Dr. Kazerooni, described the life of a full-timemother and academic physician. Most of our honorees arewomen in academic radiology.

Our awards and courses accomplish only a portion of ourgoals, and our website is a good resource as well as anavenue for interaction with our members. A review of thewebsite reveals the inclusive nature of our organization andprograms. The Goals and Mission of the AAWR are out-lined in the Strategic Plan section of our website:www.aawr.org/about/strategic_plan.htm and addressesissues that are equally applicable to women in private prac-tice and academics.

The Vision

“The American Association for Women Radiologists willassist women in radiology, radiation oncology and relatedprofessions to achieve personal and professional fulfillmentthrough equal recognition and opportunities; and willensure that issues unique to women are acknowledged andaddressed by all the members of the profession.”

The question raised is, is there a disparate application ofresources to support academic radiologists, and if true isthat appropriate? It is very important to remain active withpolicies affecting training programs, because that is whereour future members come from. If a training program hasno policy for pregnant radiology residents, that would cer-tainly cause an applicant to think twice about the programand the field in general. The “Proposed ProgramGuidelines for Pregnant Radiology Residents” written byMeghan Blake, Elizabeth Oates, Kimberly Applegate andEwa Kuligowska (1), will affect primarily those in training,but the benefits will further our field. Many innovations inradiology have their start in academic centers, and so can

gender inequities. Such inequities may also discouragefemale applicants, and aggressive attempts to promotewomen to higher ranking (and higher-paying) positions willteach our future private practitioners to not accept less.

Need for Information about Private Practice Issues

Issues such as part-time work, occupational exposureduring pregnancy, and salary or promotion inequities affectwomen in private practice. Much of the available data isfrom ACR survey information, which gives us generalinformation. Our mission “to provide a forum for issuesunique to women in radiology, radiation oncology andrelated professions; to sponsor programs that promoteopportunities for women and to facilitate communicationamong members and other professionals” should beapplied equally (or in proportion) to women in private prac-tice. The proportion of resources could be based on num-bers of members in academics versus private practice, seri-ousness of the issue in question, or on the level of interestexpressed by the group who would be receiving the benefitof the resources. It may be that in the recent past there havebeen relatively fewer vocal members in private practice.The problem may not be that we are devoting too manyresources to issues primarily affecting women in academicradiology, it is rather that we are not addressing privatepractice issues as actively as we could.

To increase effectiveness in identifying and addressingprivate practice issues, the AAWR must have input andhelp from our members in private practice. The numbersare large, and the potential for resources, especially diversi-ty of ideas is enormous. Our members work in practices,which run from solo to very large, with a variety of organi-zational structures.

How much distinction is there between academicand private practice?

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your situa-tion, there is less distinction between academics and privatepractice than ever before. Funding for resident salaries hasbeen lessened, as has discretionary money for “teachingfunds” resulting in increased pressure on academic physi-cians to not only continue to be productive in research, butto be productive in the clinic at a level that may match thatof private practices. Large academic centers that have builtor acquired “satellite” facilities and have at times staffedthose facilities with physicians with academic appoint-ments but less direct involvement with the research facili-ties at the University. Those in private practice have sharedthe pressure from lowering rates of re-imbursement, and

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have strived to keep up with their competitors in a numberof ways which may include teaching and maintaining aclinical academic appointment. Not only is academic med-icine becoming more like private practice, private practiceis under more pressures previously experienced mostly inacademia. The “Pay for Performance” initiative ties reim-bursement to demonstration of adherence to quality mea-sures. “Maintenance of Certification” will involve submis-sion of practice information on a regular basis. Thus, weall are under pressure to measure and report our outcomes.

What can be done to improve Private PractitionerParticipation?

There is a need to disseminate knowledge about theAAWR and the services it provides. When I first read thePocket Mentor by B.J. Manaster, I read it from the perspec-tive of a radiation oncologist in private practice, and Ienjoyed it immensely. Kimberly Applegate and others inthe AAWR were responsible for the initiation of the chil-dren’s program at the RSNA. Promotion of such servicesand initiatives (I bet most female radiologists don’t know ofthese services) should promote membership by privatepractitioners.

One of the goals of the AAWR is to “Refine programsfor recognition of outstanding achievement”. The over-rid-ing principle of this goal is that recognition of outstandingachievement should be more inclusive of women. Perhapswe can re-define some of our awards and programs of out-standing achievement to be more inclusive of women inprivate practice. I would appreciate hearing suggestions asto how that could be accomplished. Even our research seedgrants could be granted to private practitioners withresearch ideas.

Another one of the goals of the AAWR is to “Broadennetworking opportunities at meetings and on the Internet”.Opportunities for networking at national meetings and com-mittees might be more readily available for women in acad-emics. Perhaps the AAWR could provide a framework forsetting up such a network. The AAWR online mentoringprogram has recently been activated, and is, I think, under-utilized. I encourage everyone to participate, especially ourmembers-in-training or those newly in practice. I reallywish there had been such a program when I was starting out.Another program has been developed through our OutreachCommittee consists of local gatherings hosted by our mem-bers. Dr. Kuligowska has hosted some, and Dr. Macurahosted the Hopkins in Radiology gathering this year, whichwas well attended. Dr. Yoshimi Anzai has really stepped upand she has been appointed to the position of Co-chair for

the Outreach Committee-Regional. This sort of local net-working could be initiated with or without the AAWR, butif we share ideas for what provides a successful networkingevent, more such gatherings will be encouraged.

AAWR leaders and members will be increasingly awareof the needs of our entire membership in academic and pri-vate practice, without forgetting our international mem-bers.

Our leadership comes from our members. Those in pri-vate practice should feel empowered to volunteer for lead-ership positions, and to make proposals for improvementsin policy. I am a radiation oncologist in a private practicethat recently became a large single-specialty group. Myassociation with organized radiology started out withattending professional meetings and presenting papers atthe RSNA and ASTRO meetings. When I was asked to bea member of an RSNA Committee, it became the first of anumber or what my husband refers to as my “volunteerjobs” or, sometimes, my “night jobs”, as most of my workwith RSNA and ASTRO has occurred during my years inprivate practice. We have four children, one still at home,2 in college and one starting out his career. When I firstbecame interested in issues concerning female radiationoncologists, I found the women I met at the AAWR lun-cheon meetings to be very supportive. I learned a lot fromthe practical “take-away” messages at some of the lun-cheons, and even though I was in private practice I foundthe leaders to be very welcoming of my participation. TheAAWR impressed me as the organization best able to workon remaining problems and challenges facing women inradiology and radiation oncology. It must continue toremain equally relevant to those in private practice and aca-demic radiology. It is my goal to help make it so.

Reference:1. Blake ME, Oates ME Applegate K, Kuligowska E.Proposed program guidelines for pregnant radiology resi-dents: A project supported by the American Association forWomen Radiologists and the Association of ProgramDirectors in Radiology. Acad Radiol 2006; 13: 391-401.

Visit our Websitewww.aawr.org

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The 2005 Marie Curie AwardRitsuko Komaki, MD, FACR2005 AAWR Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award Recipient

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Dr. Ritsuko Komaki holds the GloriaLupton Tennison Professorship in LungCancer Research at the University ofTexas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.She received her medical degree fromthe Hiroshima University School ofMedicine in Hiroshima, Japan, com-pleted her internship at the St. Mary’s

Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, and her radiation oncology res-idency and fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin,Milwaukee, WI.

Dr. Komaki has made substantial con-tributions to the treatment of patientswith lung cancer and is a world-renowned radiation oncologist withmajor research contributions in thisfield. She is a leader in the MDAnderson’s clinical and translationalresearch team in radiation oncologystudying thoracic tumors. Her passionfor radiation oncology had its origins inher childhood based on the experienceof having watched family members andfriends suffer the effects of radiationexposure from the atomic bomb in herhome town of Hiroshima. Her bestfriend died of leukemia at a very youngage, and Dr. Komaki as a young girlraised funds to build a memorial statuein Peace Memorial Park for her friend

and to remind all children in the world about this tragicevent. It is no surprise that Dr. Komaki expressed an inter-est in hematology and oncology early in her medical career.

She is also a leader in the development of methods forproviding prophylactic cranial radiation to prevent clinicaleffects of brain metastases and established the most com-mon method for elimination of metastatic small cell cancerto the brain. She is a leader in the treatment and manage-ment of superior sulcus tumors and her work has impactedthe lives of countless affected patients. She has been an

active investigator of the Radiation TherapyOncology Group for over 20 years.

She is the author of 235 articles in peerreviewed journals, 40 book chapters andmore than 100 abstracts and editorials. Sheserves on six editorial boards and is a boardexaminer for the American Board ofRadiology. She is a past president of theAAWR, has been devoted to the success ofour organization and has worked hard topromote radiation oncologists and interna-tional members. In 2005 she was electedVice President of the Radiological Societyof North America.

Dr. Komaki was nominated byZhongxing Liao, MD, Associate Professorof Radiation Oncology at the University ofTexas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Komaki (left) receives MarieSklodowska-Curie Award from2005 AAWR President, Dr.Katarzyna Macura. Photo by Dr.Robert Macura.


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IRitsuko Komaki Acceptance Remarks

It was truly my honor to receive the 2005 AAWR Marie CurieAward. Marie Curie has been my life-long mentor because of hertenaciousness in her work and education. I read her biography manytimes when I was growing up. I found her early life in Poland fasci-nating. When Russia occupied Poland, she was forced to read text-books in Russian supervised by Russian soldiers in her school. Shewas furious, but determined to escape from Poland to France whereshe completed her education and became a leader within the scientif-ic community. She valued education because her father was a teacher.

My father was the youngest of twelve children, and his father diedwhen he was ten. He worked from age 13 as a delivery boy for thefamily business. He received a degree in education from HiroshimaUniversity and later attended Kyoto University majoring in econom-ics. He married my mother and began working in one of the presti-gious conglomerated companies in Hanshin at the bottom of the lad-der as a streetcar conductor. My mother came from a very differentbackground. She was the oldest daughter of a samurai family, and wasa very educated young woman. Her father had a high governmentposition, and the family had a large samurai house with servants andsecretaries to assist them. As in many Japanese households, my moth-er carried most of the load for the care of the children. After theAtomic Bomb was dropped, my parents moved back to Hiroshima tohelp their families. My father took a job at the Hiroshima Bank, whichentailed moving frequently and working long hours taking care of hiscustomers. He eventually died of disseminated bladder cancer, as hehad been a very heavy smoker. My mother realized that all her edu-cation did not help her support her relatives. She wanted her threedaughters to become capable women able to support their familiesshould anything happen to their spouses.

I experienced hunger, difficulties and sadness growing up inHiroshima after the war. However, I was loved as Marie Curie was.Marie’s curiosity, investigative nature and persistence influenced mylife. I became determined to become a scientist and clinician after wit-nessing one of my close friend’s death due to leukemia caused byexposure to radiation. This determination led me to where I now am.It is ironic that the discovery of radioactive material eventually killedMarie Curie, but through understanding the use of medical radiation,I have been able to become a scientist, clinician and educator.

I wish my mother had been with me when I received the MarieCurie Award. She would have been so proud of me. Marie Curieunderstood that life is not easy for anybody, but that we must all per-severe to achieve our goals. Receiving the Marie Curie award is oneof the highlights of my life.

I thank the people who supported me including my parents, myhusband (James D. Cox, M.D.), Zhongxing Liao, M.D., and theAAWR members.

Ritsuko Komaki, M.D., FACRProfessor of Radiation oncologyGloria Lupton Tennison Distinguished Professorship in Lung Cancer Research

The 2005 Alice Ettinger AwardJanet Strife, MD, FACRRecipient of the 2005 AAWR Alice EttingerDistinguished Achievement Award

Dr. Janet Strife received hermedical degree from the NewJersey School of Medicine andcompleted her radiology trainingat the University of Cincinnatiand at the Johns HopkinsUniversity Hospital including apediatric radiology fellowship atJohns Hopkins.

In 1992, she was appointed Chair of theDepartment of Radiology at Cincinnati Children’sHospital and served in this position for a decade.Under her leadership the faculty and their expertiseflourished in an environment of diversity and profes-sionalism. She has mentored and trained over 40pediatric radiology fellows. She is past president ofthe Society for Pediatric Radiology and led the orga-nization through its international meeting in Paris.She developed a tool for the assessment of profes-sionalism of radiology faculty and presented herfindings to the Association of Program Directors inRadiology, an organization of which she is PastPresident. She has been a leader in the field of car-diovascular imaging of congenital heart disease. Sheis an accomplished academician with 94 publicationsin peer-reviewed journals, 9 book chapters, 3 booksand over 100 presentations at national and interna-tional medical meetings and scientific assemblies.

She has been a devoted leader and a role model forwomen radiologists. She was an early member ofAAWR and has always supported the AAWR mem-bers and its leaders in numerous initiatives and pro-jects.

Dr. Strife was nominated for the Alice EttingerAward by AAWR inaugural president Carol Rumack,MD, FACR.

From left to right: 2005 President KatarzynaMacura, Ettinger Awardee Janet Strife, and AAWRinaugural president Carol Rumack. Photo by Dr.Robert Macura.

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Dr. Fritzsche served as the DistinguishedSpeaker during the American Associationfor Women Radiologists President’sLuncheon held during the 2005 annualmeeting of the Radiological Society ofNorth America. The following is an excerptof her presentation entitled Pathways toLeadership. She shared observations shelearned on her road to leadership, providedinsight into acquiring an understanding ofthe rules of leadership and providedAAWR members with pathways to realizetheir leadership goals.

Dr. Fritzsche described the three R’sof leadership as Responsibility,Resourcefulness and Respect, andstated that there are critical assets onthe road to leadership.

Responsibility.

Dr. Fritzsche stressed the impor-tance of believing in the purpose ofour organizations, committing our-selves to their success, and expectingto take on additional responsibilities.She advised us to gain up-to-dateknowledge and awareness of newtrends as they relate to our organiza-tions in order to be prepared to handlenew opportunities as they arise. Sheadvised the members to:

• Say yes often

• Volunteer to carry out newassignments

• Do more than what is expected

• Arrive early for appointments

• Show enthusiasm

• Be prepared to discuss relevantissues during meetings

• Learn to communicate and per-suade others to embrace newideas

Resourcefulness.

Dr. Fritzsche advised us to be readyto remove all obstacles in our pathwayto leadership, adopt a can-do attitude,and create alliances with our col-leagues by being inclusive rather thanexclusive. In short, being a good teamplayer will often get us noticed andresult in new leadership opportunities.She advocates a proactive attitudetowards our role in our organizations.“If a new procedure or a revision of anexisting program is recognized thatwould be beneficial to your organiza-tion, volunteer to investigate the situa-tion and document potential solutionswith your recommendations for a pref-erence and your reasons.”

“Obstacles are those frightful thingsyou see when you take your eyes offyour goal.”

– Henry Ford

“Great leaders are almost alwaysgreat simplifiers, who can cutthrough argument, debate, anddoubt to offer a solution everybodycan understand.”

– General Colin Powell

Respect.

Dr. Fritzsche recommends com-manding respect and respecting others.She advised the group to act profes-sionally at all times.

“If you want to be taken seriously,then you have to look like a doctor,dress like a doctor and act like adoctor.”

– Dr. Stormy JohnsonRadiologist, Past President of the

AMA, RSNA Gold-Medalist

She recommends always showingkindness and compassion, practicingempathy, and sharing honor and com-pliments with our associates.

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

“Live gently and be mindful ofopportunity.”

– Peggy Fritzsche

In summary, the natural pathway toleadership will often involve practic-ing responsibility, being resourcefuland showing respect for others.

Pathways to Leadership

Peggy Fritzsche, MD, FACRMedical Director of the Riverside MRI Center in California, Past-President of AAWR and Past-President of RSNA

Nancy Ellerbroek, AAWR President pre-sents Dr. Fritzsche (right) with theAAWR Marie Curie T-shirt. Photo by Dr.Robert Macura.


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Balancing Radiology Career and Family

The challenge of balancing career and family posesinherent conflicts for our time, physical presence and men-tal energy. It is all about choices. The “superwoman” mythis just that. A myth. And the choices made today may notbe the choices you choose to make a few years or a decadefrom now. Choice is dynamic. There is the challenge ofbalancing our own needs, the needs of our significant oth-ers and those of our children and family. With regards to ourcareers, there is the choice and challenge of achieving bal-ance between clinical, research, administrative and serviceresponsibilities. We are only human, and we must also learnto deal with failure and disappointment. The choices wemake are our own, and each one of us must figure out whatchoices are acceptable to us as individuals and for our fam-ilies, rather than feel the pressure of external forces to makethe choices for us. As women we also face issues posed bydifferent gender cultures.

“While men generally do more “work” at home than ever,women have been culturally raised to expect that certaindomains of life (household, kids, etc) are theirs to beresponsible for, and failure in those areas weighs heavy,even if the spouse says “it’s ok, we can order in pizza everynight for dinner” and “I don’t care if my shirts are wrin-kled”. In addition, female physicians often marry physi-cians, further complicating the ability to balance family andcareer.”

Dr. Kazerooni brings her unique perspective to thisimportant topic. She was born in 1965 and married her hus-band, an interventional cardiologist in 1988 at the end ofher medical school education. They have three children(born in 1995, 1999 and 2003). Dr. Kazerooni has had animpressive academic path with promotion to assistant pro-fessor in 1993, associate professor with tenure in 1998 andprofessor in 2003. She is a daughter, spouse and mother,and an academic cardiothoracic radiologist that leads a divi-sion of 16 faculty members and 5 fellows. She lives inNorthville, Michigan and works at the University ofMichigan Hospital where her youngest child goes to day-care. Her older children go to school in Birmingham, andher husband works in the St. John Health System. She and

her husband enjoy great support from her mother and herparents-in-law who live 20-25 miles away.

Her life is certainly busy. Her pre-office day begins at5:30 a.m., as she and her husband get themselves preparedfor the day and ensure that the children get to school anddaycare. Her day continues at the office as she manages theadministrative responsibilities of a division head, mentorsand supports her junior faculty and fellows, interprets car-diothoracic imaging studies, provides consultation to theclinicians and works on her many funded and unfundedresearch projects. She spends a considerable amount oftime mentoring her junior faculty, making sure they havewhat they need to be academically successful, and recog-nizing and supporting the diversity of choices they eachmake in their own careers and work/family balance. This isfollowed by her post-office day as she picks up her childfrom day care, meets the older children’s school bus, super-vises snacks, homework and after school activities, preparesdinner and puts the children to bed. Such a busy scheduledoes not include many of the daily household tasks such aslaundry and errands, which she outsources to a trustedhome services company. In addition, she must delegate andassign these responsibilities when she needs to travel forwork. Weekends are often full of activities including chil-dren’s sports, birthday parties and attending professionalsport games with her family; the latter is an activity thewhole family enjoys, especially the Detroit Pistons!

Dr. Kazerooni states that achieving balance betweencareer and family responsibilities often involves choosingbetween a series of trade offs. However, she points out thatthere are several sources of support that women canexplore.

Optimize Childcare

In Dr. Kazerooni’s case she greatly relies on parents andin-laws that live nearby. However, other options do exist.The most important element is trust. Women must feel cer-tain that the caregiver will provide dependable and highquality childcare. In-home, out-of-home and live in options

Balancing Career and Personal Life

Ella A. Kazerooni, MD, MSProfessor and Director, Division of Cardiothoracic RadiologyUniversity of Michigan Medical School

Dr. Kazerooni served as the Distinguished Speaker during the American Association for WomenRadiologists Resident’s Luncheon held during the 2005 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of

North America. The following is an excerpt of her presentation.

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are available as well as after school care options, and aredifferent for each one of us. The most important require-ment is that one must trust the caregiver and one must becomfortable with the arrangement. This way, worries aboutchildcare are not constantly on our minds when we are busyat the office. This doesn’t mean you don’t worry, but atleast you worry less.

Summer camps can be great resources during the sum-mer months. There are many options with sleep away andday time only camps that allow children to learn new skillsand make new friends. This summer her older son will bein camps that support his interests, many offered throughthe University of Michigan. These include hockey camp,soccer camp and a multimedia camp. Her daughter isyounger and attends a general summer camp also throughthe University, as well as a few weeks of horse camp.

Optimize Household Chores

Some women pay for services in order to have more timefor the family. Identifying what you can delegate is impor-tant, and may not be easy at first. When she first starteddoing this, Ella had to force herself to leave lists of tasks sothat once a week the home management service would havesomething to do, rather than try and get them done rightaway and off her mental to do list. If a few days pass beforea package is mailed or alterations are picked up, it can wait.Some women have developed a network of trusted servicesin which workers can enter the house in their absence.These include cleaning, cooking, yard maintenance andhome management services.

Put Technology to Work

Use new technologic developments to your benefit.Maintain a good calendar with everything on it accessibleto you from everywhere and anytime. Your mobile tele-phone should be loaded with all the important numbers youmay need. Better yet, Dr. Kazerooni uses a Blackberryhandheld device that gives her immediate access to sched-ule, phone numbers/addresses and email, so when she isnot at the office, the office is with her and she can keep tabson what’s going on at work. Notebook computers are avail-able that can be used anywhere and anytime. Your comput-er at home can allow you to be “at the office” when youcannot physically be there and can provide access to youremail and your department’s server space.

Value your Colleagues

Colleagues at the office and across the country are oftenalso friends and sources of support. They have to deal with

many of the same difficult issues you deal with. Be thank-ful for their support, trust, understanding, respect and com-mitment. Be appreciative of the help they lend when youare in a pinch and help them in turn when they need suchsupport. Create a work environment that values the contri-butions of a diverse group of professionals with varied tal-ents and interests that makes the whole better than the sin-gle individuals in the group.

Build and Maintain Traditions

Realize that some family and professional traditions mayconflict with each other. In Dr. Kazerooni’s case, the ARRSmeeting and her wedding anniversary usually occur ataround the same time. In addition, her children are out ofschool on the second week in June before the summercamps start; thus the family trip often overlaps the day ofthe radiology department graduation dinner. She puts thefamily first and accepts the fact that she cannot be every-where at all times. She has discovered that some radiologymeetings are more family friendly than others and occurduring dates that allow her to bring the children along.

Treasure Family Time

Dr. Kazerooni always respects her family traditions. Shetakes her family along to meetings whenever possible.Many of us have seen her hold positions of responsibility atvarious meetings and will later spot her enjoying downtimewith her children. This can only serve as an inspiration forall of us.

Dr. Kazerooni, two of herchildren and her hus-band at their annual fam-ily weekend Formula 1US Grand Prix inIndianapolis.

Dr. Kazerooni and daugh-ter Isabel at the mem-bers’ dinner for the 2001annual meeting of theSociety of ThoracicRadiology in San Diego

Finally, realize that sometimes you cannot do it all.Forgive yourself when you are unable to participate in anactivity you were supposed to attend. Your network offriends and colleagues become invaluable assets duringthese times.

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Mammography has long been the stepchild of radiologydepartments nationwide. Despite the no call and no week-ends appeal, it is not sought after by radiologists as a career.Why? Imagine perusing this ad in the search for a radiolo-gy job:

Join our practice! Become involved in a subspecialty thatpays low wages compared to those of your radiology col-leagues, has extremely high liability, and is both difficultand not well respected in the radiology community.

Mammography facilities over the past decade have beenclosing nationwide, and waiting time for women wantingmammography services is increasing. In 2004, the Instituteof Medicine released a report with disturbing results show-ing that women’s access to breast cancer screening is threat-ened due to the shortage of physicians performing breastimaging interpretation. Between 2000 and 2003, there wasan 8.5% decrease in the number of mammography facilitiesoperating in the United States, dropping from 9,400 to8,600. As a result, women in some areas experienced delaysof up to five months for screening mammography services.For a recommended annual screening exam, these delaysmake it almost impossible for women to adhere to such rec-ommendations. The reasons for the closures are severalfold: lack of profitability/funding and high medical liabil-ity for such services being the two biggest factors.

Most centers that offer mammography services do so ata loss, and those that run a profitable center are few and farbetween. Why? Reimbursement has been historically lowfor such services. Medicare reimbursement increased onlymodestly between 1997 and 2000 by 1.5%. At that time, theMedicare reimbursement rate for a screening mammogramwas $69.23, well below what it cost most centers to performthe service. Reimbursement for the technical component ofa screening mammogram was just over $46, thus limitingthe professional fee to less than $13 a screen. Recognizingan impending crisis, legislative efforts ensued, driven large-ly by the American College of Radiology GovernmentRelations as well as by their Economics Department. Costsurveys conducted clearly demonstrated the need forincreased reimbursement to keep facilities open and to keepscreening available to women nationwide. In 2002, duelargely to these legislative efforts and resultant politicalpressure, Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Peter King took theinitiative to introduce legislation that ultimately resulted in

the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)increasing the reimbursement from $69.23 to $81.81.While this may seem small, it translates into $54 millionannually for those centers and for the radiologists who per-form and interpret screening mammograms.

In late 2003, Congress passed the Medicare PrescriptionDrug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, whichcontains a provision relating to Medicare reimbursementfor mammography services. Specifically, both diagnosticand screening mammography services are paid under theMedicare Physician Schedule, regardless of site of service,beginning in January of 2006. This results in a 13 percentincrease in the technical component for unilateral mammo-grams ($35.89 to $40.10) and a 39 percent increase for thetechnical component for bilateral mammograms ($35.89 to$50.02). The Congressional Budget Office stated that thisprovision would add $200 million over ten years to themammography system.

This allows for hospital-based facilities to be reimbursedthe same as those centers that function in an outpatient set-ting. What does this mean for the patient? Because many ofthe Medicare patients receive care in hospital-based facili-ties, this elderly population has more access to screening.Because screening detects more cancers than a breast examalone, this means saving more lives.

Currently, the 2005 Medicare Reimbursement forRadiology Services pays $85.65 for film screening mam-mography, $135.29 for digital mammography, and an addi-tional $19.71 for Computer Aided Detection. Yes, reim-bursement has increased in the last five years. However,profitability for these centers is still marginal at best.Despite the groundwork being laid by these two significantincreases in reimbursement, more needs to be done withinthe specialty. One of the crucial issues revolves aroundmedical liability.

Breast imaging, although an effective screening tool forbreast cancer detection, is far from perfect. The Report ofthe International Workshop on Screening for Breast Cancer(2), which reviewed current clinical trial data, both pub-lished and unpublished, and then summarized screeningtest performance for mammography, showed that sensitivi-

Necessity of Legislative Process in the Realm of Women’s Imaging

Amy Kirby, MDChair, AAWR Legislative Committee

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ty using mammography alone averaged about 75%, whileestimates for mammography combined with Clinical BreastExamination (CBE) ranged from 75% in the HealthInsurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) to 88% in theEdinburgh trial and the Canadian National Breast CancerScreening Study in women aged 50-59 (NBSS 2).Specificity estimates ranged from 98.5% in the HIP trial to83% in the Canadian NBSS 2. Notice that these are not100% for either specificity or sensitivity. However, the mis-conception exists that this is a perfect test and should detectall cancer. As a result, mammographers are practicing moredefensive medicine, and performing more biopsies and pro-cedures than in the past.

According to the Physicians Insurers Association ofAmerica (PIAA), breast cancer leads to more malpracticeclaims than any other medical condition, usually cited fordelay in diagnosis. This is second only to newborn neuro-logic impairment in terms of paid claims. The PIAA havealso shown that based on their claims, breast cancer contin-ues to be the condition for which a patient most frequentlyfiles a medical malpractice claim. In 1995, radiologists rep-resented 24% of defendants in breast cancer malpracticecases; in 2002, it rose to 33%. (3).

Recognizing that a solid patient relationship, communi-cation, and modalities such as CAD can significantlydecrease liability risk, the real issue is reform. Until med-ical liability reform becomes a reality for the nation, thesestatistics are unlikely to improve. In October 2003, high-risk procedures were no longer offered by nearly 14% ofphysicians previously performing them, according to astudy by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce(GBPW of Atlanta) as a result of unreasonable malpracticeinsurance premiums. This followed a 17.8% reduction in2002. Of those services no longer performed, mammogra-phy was a frontrunner, and 19% of the physicians optingout were radiologists. This study also addressed the issueof not only paying unreasonable malpractice premiums, butin some cases, finding an insurer at all for such high-riskspecialties.

These are frightening statistics for neophyte radiologists,trying to decide on a career path. What does legislationhave to do with this? And why does it matter? Breast can-cer is prevalent, with 200,000 women diagnosed every year.In addition, it is a killer. Mammography, in conjunctionwith Clinical Breast Examination, significantly decreasesbreast cancer mortality by earlier detection. Without mam-mography or mammographic interpretation, more peopledie from breast cancer. Legislative efforts on both the eco-nomical front and the liability front are not only necessaryto make mammography an attractive specialty to futureradiologists, but are critical to its survival as well. For moreinformation on medical liability reform, visit www.ama-assn.org. For more information on legislative efforts by theACR, visit www.acr.org.

References

Institute of Medicine. Saving women’s lives: strategies forimproving breast cancer detection and diagnosis. June 10, 2004.Available at: http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=20721.Accessed February 16, 2006.

Fletcher SW, Black W, Harris R, et al. Report of theInternational Workshop on Screening for Breast Cancer. J NatlCancer Inst 1993;85:1644-1656.

Physician Insurers of America. Breast Cancer Study. 3rd ed.Spring 2002.

Georgia Board for Physician Workforce. The effect of risingmedical liability premiums on physician supply and access tomedical care in Georgia follow-up. Available at:http://gbpw.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/15895593Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Medical%20Liability%20Follow-Up%202003.pdf. Accessed February 16, 2006.

Legislative Process continued from page 9

Visit the AAWR Bookstore andSupport the AAWR!

Take a moment to visit the AAWR Bookstore at ourwebsite www.aawr.org! The book selection is based onthe Radiology Bibliography from the AAWR SurvivalGuide for Women Radiologists "The AAWR PocketMentor" and also includes authors who are AAWRmembers. Review the listing. If you find a title that isof interest to you, make the selection and you will bedirected to the Amazon.com website to complete thepurchase. For every book sold though a direct referralfrom the AAWR web site, our society can earn up to15% in referral fees with no extra cost to you.

Thank you for helping AAWR to increase its rev-enues in order to better serve our members.

I

11

Where I was born and where and how I have livedis unimportant. It is what I have done with whereI have been that should be of interest.

Georgia O’Keefe

I thought about Georgia O’Keefe on several occasionswhile I attended the AAMC Early-Career Women FacultyProfessional Development Seminar this past December inSanta Fe, New Mexico. The 3-day conference included pre-sentations and workshops on conflict management, negotia-tion, personality differences, running effective meetings, lead-ership, finance, grant writing, and promotional pathways.Over 100 female physicians and scientists from many differ-ent specialties and institutions participated, including fiveradiologists. Besides the lively and interactive sessions at theconference, there was ample time to network and enjoy thecity of Santa Fe, which is home to the famed Loretto Chapeland the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.

One theme that transcended many components of the con-ference was the importance of self-reflection. Self–reflectionis a process by which you step back and objectively look atyour career and outside competing interests. As busy physi-cians, teachers, researchers and sometimes mothers, we oftenfind little time to reflect on what we have done, where we are,what we hope to accomplish, and how we might accomplishthose goals. We often postpone what is most valuable to usbecause we don’t have a good grasp of what is most importantin our lives.

There were several sessions that focused on elements thatimpact our ability to reflect and set priorities. One of thesesessions was entitled, “Time Management and OrganizationalSkills”. By the end of the session, we had all survived the“brain dump” and come away more focused to accomplishour goals. For those of you unfamiliar with a “brain dump”, itis a quick exercise through which you can ascertain your pri-orities. Simply ask yourself the following questions:

1. What are your lifetime goals? 2. What are your goals in 5-years?3. What are your goals if you have six months to live?

By reflecting on these three time frames, it becomes fairlyeasy to see how much you value your career, family and/orother outside interests. Other pertinent conclusions from thissession included:

1. Protect your academic time ferociously!

2. Plan ahead. Make lists.3. If it doesn’t contribute to a major goal, don’t do it.

Just say NO!

Although you may take the time to reflect on your careerand life, you can only achieve those goals if you recognizeexternal factors, which may try, and sometimes succeed insteering you off your chosen path. One of the greatest chal-lenges each of us faces is dealing with difficult colleagues atwork. The session entitled, “Working Through Differences:Personality Types at Work”, was fun, lively, and incrediblyinformative. After taking the Myers-Briggs test, we workedthrough the different personality types and identified fourprincipal groups: the SJ (sensors/judgers); SP (sensors/per-ceivers); NF (intuition/feelers) and NT (intuition/thinkers).Each group worked together on a task that culminated in nam-ing the group’s mascot: SJ’s chose the Clydesdale horse, SP’schoose the German Shepherd, NF’s chose the dolphin, andNT’s chose the tiger. We then discussed strategies on how tobest manage each of these personality types. Having anawareness of different personality types provides insight intowhy conflict may arise at work and/or at home and provides away by which you can try to manage conflict to your advan-tage. The bottom line is to stay focused on your goals, care-fully examine the players in every situation, and apply effec-tive management strategies so you continue to make progresstowards your goals.

Finally, the session on leadership provided a fresh perspec-tive on how to lead successfully in the 21st century. Instead ofthe traditional hierarchical model, today’s leaders “lead fromthe middle”. They motivate those around them to work col-laboratively toward the common goal. They have spent thetime to reflect on what they want to accomplish, have studiedthe personality types of those around them, and manage thepersonalities to their advantage.

Georgia O’Keefe was truly a revolutionary figure in art anda woman with a pioneering spirit. She often chose to pursuepaths viewed as unconventional by many. However, in her 98years, she changed the world and how we view art and ourlives. I met some pioneers in medicine at this conference andhad the opportunity to meet and network with many talenteddynamic future leaders in medicine. It was truly an honor tohave been selected by the AAWR to attend this seminar.Having the opportunity to reflect on the paths I have taken andto learn from the paths of others helped solidify my careergoals and become more focused on medical education.

Spring 2006, Volume 26, Number 1

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American Association of Medical Colleges Early-CareerWomen Faculty Professional Development Seminar

Priscilla J. Slanetz MD, MPHDirector of Undergraduate Medical Education, Department of Radiology, Boston Medical Centerand Associate Professor of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine

T


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AAWR at the 2006European Congressof Radiology (ECR)

Judith Amorosa, MD, FACR andEwa Kuligowska, MD, FACR

Dr. Judy Amorosa (AAWRPresident-Elect) and Dr. EwaKuligowska (AAWR Past President)represented the AAWR at the 2006European Congress of Radiology inVienna, Austria and brought great visi-bility to our organization in the interna-tional radiology community. TheAAWR booth was prominently posi-tioned at the meeting and was staffed byDrs. Amorosa and Kuligowska from10:00am until 4:00pm throughout theconference. An eye-catching collage ofAAWR members and activities attract-ed many visitors. Forty new interna-tional members joined AAWR andmany Marie Sklodowska Curie T-shirtswere sold. Compared to the response tothe AAWR booth in previous years,2006 was a landmark year withincreased interest in our organizationand its activities. The AAWR is becom-ing recognized internationally.

In Memoriam:Howard S. Stern (1931-2005)

The AAWR mourns the passing of a greatfriend and supporter, Howard S. Stern, Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of E-Z-EMwho passed away in December at the age of 74.

I first met Howard in Beijing, the People’sRepublic of China, during the 1995International Congress of Radiology. He was adistinguished gentleman who became a goodfriend and a great supporter. He was a true pioneer in the field of gastroin-testinal radiology and developed barium sulfate as a means of examiningthe gastrointestinal tract. Although we all take barium delivery systems forgranted today, it was Howard who first developed the disposable bariumenema bags and the method by which the barium and water are mixedinside the bag to produce a quality gastrointestinal imaging study. He alsodeveloped the flavored oral barium used for imaging the upper gastroin-testinal tract. His achievements were instrumental to the success of E-Z-EM, and Howard served as the Company’s Chairman of the Board from itsFounding until December 2004 when he was named Chairman Emeritus.

Shortly after our first meeting in 1995, our paths began crossing duringthe annual meetings of the Radiological Society of North America.Howard was a frequent guest of honor at the American Association forWomen Radiologists (AAWR) luncheons and award ceremonies. He wasinstrumental in ensuring that E-Z-EM had a continuous record as aCorporate Partner of AAWR and a contributor and supporter of AAWRactivities. He worked with many past-presidents to fund different AAWRprojects and initiatives. In fact, E-Z-EM funded the publication of theAAWR’s Childcare Manual published in 1997.

Howard was always generous with his time and his ideas. He was my dis-tinguished guest at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology when I servedas Chairman and Registrar of the Department of Radiology and agreed tofund the E-Z-EM Visiting Professor for Gastrointestinal Radiology. Thisallowed thousands of radiology residents from the U.S. and around the worldto benefit from the knowledge and expertise of outstanding gastrointestinalimaging educators such as Pablo R. Ros, MD, and James L. Buck, MD.

Howard received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1953and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1954, from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a Lieutenant in theUnited States Navy from 1955 to 1958. He is survived by his wife Linda,his children Rachel and Seth, his son-in-law Peter, his daughter-in-lawTrisha, and his grandchildren William, Madeleine, and Alexander. He willcertainly be missed by numerous AAWR members and leaders. His contri-bution to our programs and his support of the AAWR will not be forgotten.

Respectfully,Melissa L. Rosado de Christenson, MD, FACREditor-in-Chief, Focus

Dr. Kuligowska greets visitor to AAWRbooth at ECR. Photo by Judith Amorosa,MD, FACR.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FORWOMEN RADIOLOGISTS

Statement of Financial PositionTwelve Months Ending September 30, 2004 and 2005Submitted by Julie Timins, MD, FACR, Treasurer, AAWR

9/30/04 9/30/05

Assets:

Cash – Checking $ 11,178 1,334

Investments – Merrill Lynch 414,610 422,241

Accounts Receivable 22,005 1,090

Prepaid Expenses - 629

Equipment 2,244 2,244

Less Accumulated Depreciation (2,244) (2,244)

Total Fixed Assets - -

Total Assets $ 447,793 425,294

Liabilities:

Due to/from AAWRR&E Foundation $ (3,595) (293)

Accounts Payable - 4,455

Total Accounts Payable (3,595) 4,162

Deferred Dues Income - 1,500

Deferred Subscription Income 11,047 -

Total Liabilities: 7,452 5,662

Net Assets:

Unrestricted Net Assets 440,341 419,632

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 447,793 425,294


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A Historical Plaquein a Chicago Hotel

Ann M. Lewicki, MD, MPH

When I last visited Chicago to attend the RSNA meeting, Idiscovered this plaque in the Congressional Plaza Hotel, aplaque which should have much meaning to all of us. It marksthe site where the League of Voters was founded in 1920.

On exploring this further, I learned that the League ofWomen Voters was indeed founded in Chicago by CarrieChapman Catt and leaders of the National Women SuffrageAssociation. Women were granted the right to vote in theU.S. only in 1920 when the 19th Amendment to the UnitedStates Constitution became law. The League of Voters wasorganized so women could be educated to use this newlywon suffrage intelligently.

Today, one of the major missions of the League is toinfluence public policy through education and advocacy. Toachieve its mission, the League believes that grassrootseffort is important within the League and the communitiesaround. More recently, the League has lent its support tocampaign finance reform, gun control and electoral reform.

The headquarters of the League of Voters is inWashington, DC with many chapters throughout the coun-try and abroad. It has never been able to claim more thansome 100,000 members, yet it started sponsoring presiden-tial debates in 1976. In 1984 a commission created by themajor political parties took over this responsibility. Some50 years after its founding, in 1974, men were finally admit-ted to full membership to the League.

When we as women go to the voting booth, we take thisright for granted. After all, women have now had this rightfor several generations in the US. Yet it is good to remem-ber that this right was not always ours, and that our societytolerated for many years excluding half of the populationfrom full participation in our democracy.

Photo by Dr. Ann M. Lewicki.


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The PregnancyGuidelines

Ewa Kuligowska, M.D. FACR2004 AAWR President

DDear Members of the AAWR:

I am proud to announce the completion of our two-yearproject developing National Policy Guidelines for preg-nant radiology residents. The AAWR established a taskforce in 2004 to revisit guidelines for the protection ofpregnant residents from radiation exposure during train-ing. In collaboration with the Association of ProgramDirectors in Radiology (APDR), we conducted two sur-veys to assess the need and interest in standardized guide-lines that would address radiation exposure and workresponsibilities for pregnant radiology residents. Basedon those responses, we designed standardized programguidelines, which would allow residents and ProgramDirectors to prepare for resident pregnancy with objectiv-ity and consistency.

Blake ME, Oates ME Applegate K, KuligowskaE. Proposed program guidelines for pregnant radi-ology residents: A project supported by theAmerican Association for Women Radiologists andthe Association of Program Directors in Radiology.Acad Radiol 2006; 13: 391-401.

The guidelines were accompanied by an editorial writ-ten by Kay H. Vydareny, Chair of the Residency ReviewCommittee for Diagnostic Radiology, of the AccreditationCouncil on Graduate Medical Education and past-presi-dent of AAWR. These guidelines were first featured in theRSNA 2004 Daily Bulletin and expanded into a Hot Topicarticle in the RSNA News in 2005. They are once againfeatured in the March 2006 issue of the RSNA News.The American College of Radiology has also expressedgreat interest in this work.

This project is having a major impact on residencytraining programs across the nation. It is important thatAAWR members become familiar with the guidelines andadvocate their adoption in all training programs. This istruly a major accomplishment for the AAWR.

Manya

“Manya – A Living History of Marie Curie” will bepresented during the 2006 RSNA annual meeting andsponsored by the AAWR. All RSNA attendees will beable to attend this production. Manya is an interactiveone-woman show where the artist plays Marie Curieand answers questions in character following the for-mal performance. A reception will immediately follow.The program will be one of several activities designedto celebrate the 25th anniversary of AAWR. Moreinformation on Manya will follow in future issues ofFocus.

AAWR Celebrates its 25th AnniversaryThe AAWR will host a Gala Event to celebrate its

25th Anniversary. The event will take place during the2006 annual meeting of the Radiological Society ofNorth America. Join us for an evening of dinner anddancing at The Palmer House, 17 East Monroe Street,Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, 26 November 2006.Twenty-five tables, each hosted by a past president ofAAWR will be featured. More information on this andthe other events planned to celebrate this milestone inthe history of our organization will be available infuture issues of Focus and the AAWR website atwww.aawr.org.

Volunteers at RSNA BoothThe AAWR thanks those members that volunteer their

time and efforts to staff its booth at the 2005 annualmeeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

2005 RSNA Booth Volunteers Gretchen Conroy, MDNancy Ellerbroek, MD, FACRLynn Fordham, MDEwa Kuligowska, MD, FACRAnn Lewicki, MDKatarzyna Macura, MD, PhDCarol Rumack, MD, FACREllen Wolf, MD, FACR


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Sarah S. Donaldson, MD, FACRwas elected to the RSNA Board ofDirectors and will be the liaison-designate for science. Dr.Donaldson obtained her medicaldegree from Harvard MedicalSchool, completed a residency inradiation therapy at Stanford

University Hospital and a post-doctorate fellowshipin pediatric oncology at the Institut Gustave Roussy,Villejuif, France. She serves as associate chair of theDepartment of Radiation Oncology, deputy clinicchief, and residency program director for radiationoncology at Stanford University Medical Center. Sheis also the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor ofRadiation Oncology at Stanford University School ofMedicine. She played a leading role in the conceptu-alization and planning of Stanford’s new Center forCancer Treatment and Prevention, and has been list-ed as one of the “Best Doctors in America” for morethan a decade. Her interests include pediatrics, softtissue and bone sarcomas, Hodgkin’s disease, cen-tral nervous system tumors, breast cancer, radio-therapy for benign disease, and the late effects ofcancer and its treatment. Dr. Donaldson is a formerpresident of the American Society for TherapeuticRadiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the AmericanBoard of Radiology. She is the recipient of an ASTROgold medal, an American Radium Society goldmedal, the W.W. Sutow Medal and the del Regatogold medal. She is a past recipient of the AAWRsMarie Curie Award.

Frieda Feldman, MD, FACR willreceive the Gold Medal of theAmerican Roentgen Ray Societyduring the society’s 2006 annualmeeting in Vancouver. Dr. Feldmanreceived her MD from New YorkUniversity Bellevue Medical Schooland completed her residency in

diagnostic radiology at Beth Israel Hospital in NewYork and a residency in radiation therapy andnuclear medicine at New York University BellevueMedical Center. Dr. Feldman is a leader in muscu-loskeletal radiology and has authored or co-authored over 150 articles and was editor of the text-book Radiology, Pathology and Immunology ofBones and Joints: Review of Current Concepts. She

has been editor and reviewer for many radiologicand orthopedic journals. She is the recipient of theFounder’s Gold Medal of the International SkeletalSociety. She is professor of Radiology and inOrthopedic Surgery at Columbia University Collegeof Physicians and Surgeons and is Director of mus-culoskeletal radiology and attending radiologist atColumbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

Theresa C. McLoud, MD, FACRwas appointed to the position ofChairman of the Board of Directorsof the Radiological Society ofNorth America (RSNA). Dr. McLoudis associate radiologist in chief anddirector of education for theDepartment of Radiology at the

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and aprofessor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.Dr. McLoud obtained her medical degree from theMcGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal,Canada and completed a thoracic imaging fellow-ship at the Yale University School of Medicine inNew Haven, CT. She serves on the advisory commit-tee for the Lung Cancer Screening Trial, conductedby the National Cancer Institute and on theAccreditation Council for Graduate MedicalEducation Standing Panel for Accreditation Appealsin the Specialty of Diagnostic Radiology. She is apast recipient of the gold medal of the AmericanRoentgen Ray Society (ARRS) and the Marie CurieAward of the American Association for WomenRadiologists. She is a past-president of theFleischner Society, the Society of Thoracic Radiologyand the ARRS.

Etta Pisano, MD, FA C R, wasappointed Vice Dean for AcademicAffairs at the University of NorthCarolina (UNC) School of Medicineeffective June 1, 2006. Dr. Pisano isKenan Professor of radiology andbiomedical engineering at the UNCSchool of Medicine, Director of theUNC Biomedical Research Imaging

Center, former chief of breast imaging at UNCHospitals and co-leader of the UNC Lineberger

KUDOSand

Kudos & Plaudits continued on page 16

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Comprehensive Cancer Center’s breast program.Dr. Pisano is internationally known for her breastcancer research and was the principal investigatorin a multi-center study that involved 49,500 womenin the United States and Canada comparing thevalue of traditional film mammography to digitalmammography in the detection of breast cancer.She is the 2005 recipient of the American MedicalWomen’s Association annual Women in ScienceAward for her contributions toward saving lives bydetecting breast cancer earlier. She earned hermedical degree from the Duke University School ofMedicine and completed her residency training atHarvard’s Beth Israel Hospital.

Marilyn J. Siegel, MD, FACR, isserving as the Armed ForcesInstitute of Pathology (AFIP)2005–2006 Distinguished Scientistin the Department of RadiologicPathology from January 1, 2006,to June 30, 2006. Dr. Siegel is aprofessor of radiology and pedi-

atrics at the Washington University School ofMedicine in St Louis, MO. Her principal areas ofinterest and expertise are pediatric radiology, cross-sectional imaging of pediatric solid neoplasms,adolescent diabetes and obesity and cardiovascularimaging in both children and adults. Dr. Siegelearned her medical degree from the StateUniversity of New York Downstate Medical CenterSchool of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY, completed apediatric internship at the Montefiore MedicalCenter in the Bronx, NY, and a residency in pedi-atrics at the Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital ofSt. Louis University School of Medicine. She com-pleted her fellowship in pediatric oncology at theUniversity of Washington in Seattle and a diagnos-tic radiology residency and fellowship in pediatricradiology at the Edward Mallinckrodt Institute ofRadiology of Washington University School ofMedicine in St. Louis, MO. She is professor of radi-ology at the Barnes–Jewish Hospital and Children’sHospital of St. Louis. She is past president of theSociety of Computed Body Tomography andMagnetic Resonance. She is the editor of theRadiology Casebook Section of the Journal ofPerinatology, and has served on the editorialboards of Radiology and the ACR Professional Self-evaluation Program. She also has been listed asone of the “Best Doctors in America” and hasreceived several awards for excellence in teaching.

Kudos & Plaudits continued from page 15

The AAWR thanks those members who con-

tributed to its research and educational

Programs through contributions to the AAWR

Research and Education Foundation.

Judith Amorosa, MD, FACRYoshimi Anzai, MDKimberly Applegate, MD, FACR, MSKathleen Barry, MDM. Ines Boechat, Md, FACRAgnes Boxhill, MDPatricia Bruer, MDIris Choo, MDJane Clayton, MDDenise Collins, MDLinda Daniel, MD, FACRSusanne Daye, MDDiane DiGirolamo, MDSharon Dodd, MDNancy Ellerbroek, MD, FACRSandra Fernbach, MD, FACRJane Frank, MDGail Hansen, MD, FACRLaura Hemann, MDNora Janjan, MD, FACRDiana Jucas, MD, FACRRita Kikkawa, MDRitsuko Komaki, MD, FACREwa Kuligowska, MD, FACRFaye Laing, MDAnn Lewicki, MDZhongxing Liao, MDDeborah Lucas, MDKatarzyna Macura, MD, PhDKathleen McCarten, MD, FACREllann McCrory, MD, FACRDiana Nelson, MDLeslie Nishimi, MDPatricia Perry, MDMarcelle Piccolello, MDPatricia Randall, MDMelissa Rosado de Christenson, MD, FACRCarol Rumack, MD, FACRSuzanne Slonim, MDRenate Soulen, MD, FACRMelinda Staiger, MDJulie Timins, MD, FACRKathleen Ward, MD, FACRFaith Weidner, MDJean Weigert, MDEllen Wolf, MD, FACRBeverly Wood, MD, MS Ed, PhD

2005 Contributors to the R&E Fund


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AAWR Momentsat the 2005 RSNA Annual Meeting

At the RSNA booth

Jenny Smith from InternationalMeeting Managers (left), Dr. Macura(second from left) and Dr. Ellerbroek(fourth from left) with AAWR member.Photo by Dr. Robert Macura.

The AAMC Award

Drs. Macura (left) and Ellerbroek (right) pre-sent the AAMC’s Women in MedicineLeadership Award earned by the AAWR in2005. Photo by Dr. Robert Macura.

The AAWR Sponsored RefresherCourse at RSNA

Refresher course speakers from leftto right Dr. Strzelczyk, Dr. Damilakis,and Dr. Marx with Dr. Macura (thirdfrom left). Photo by Dr. RobertMacura.

The 2005 President’s Award

Dr. Thomas Harle receives the 2005 AAWRPresident’s Award from 2005 president Dr.Katarzyna Macura for his support of theAAWR and its activities. Photo by Dr.Robert Macura.


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The AAWRPresident’s LiteraturePicksNancy Ellerbroek, MD, 2006 AAWR President

Donnelly LF, Strife JL. Establishing a program to promote professionalism and effective communication in radiology.Radiology 2006; 238:773-779.

It is my pleasure to alert you to this article co-authored byJanet Strife, MD, FACR, one of our members on the topics ofprofessionalism and communication in radiology. It discussesmany aspects of professionalism and ways of measuring themquantitatively, as well as qualitatively.

“In our experience, the majority of the problems that occurin radiology departments are not related to deficient technicalskills: rather, they are most commonly related to poor commu-nication. Such failure in communication is often viewed asunprofessional and can occur between multiple parties…Theseproblems often occur despite high levels of clinical compe-tence and motivation among parties involved.”

The article explains the common causes of these problems,and describes in detail the program that the author’s institutionimplemented with success. It includes a description of theinstitution’s mission statement, their Professionalism inRadiology booklet, guidelines for radiology conferences,patient and family satisfaction surveys, and a departmentscorecard. There is also a section on evaluating faculty com-munication skills and the quality of radiology reports. I foundthe article to be very practical as well as informative, and rec-ommend it highly.

Janet Strife is Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics at theCincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and we are for-tunate to have her as an AAWR member.

Horst K, Gunderman RB. There is more to life thanlifestyle. Radiology 2006; 238: 767-771.

The authors discuss the reasons why radiologists are lessinvolved in service and philanthropy than other specialists.They cite a reference by Frank and Vydareny who wrote aboutthe characteristics of women radiologists and noted that womenradiologists were more likely to think they were overworked,reported longer work hours and that they had less control overtheir work and less career satisfaction than did women in othermedical fields. Horst and Gunderman not only analyze the sit-uation but also present positive suggestions on restoring satis-faction not only in the workplace but also in life as a whole.

A New AAWR T-Shirt!

Thanks to the efforts of Meghan Blake, MD,AAWR’s Member-In-Training-At Large and gener-ous financial support from Ann M. Lewicki, MD,MPH, AAWR’s Historian, the AAWR signature T-shirt featuring the portrait of our role model MarieSklodowska Curie is available for sale (10$) and ison display on our Web site. Please consider sup-porting the AAWR by adding this special T-shirt toyour collection. Please contact Meghan [email protected] or [email protected]

Back row: Charles Washington, Mitch Latinkic,Michael Gillin, PhD, James D. Cox, M.D. Dr. Macuraand Dr. Strife

Front row: Zhongxing Liao, M.D. Lina Tang, Dr.Komaki, Dr. Ellerbroek, and Guanying Zhu, M.D. Dr.Jing Jin Photo by Dr. Robert Macura.

RSNAMOMENTS


AAWR focus

News from the AAWR International Committee

Maka Kekelidze, MD, PhD, a member of the AAWR InternationalCommittee was awarded the Member-in-Training Award forOutstanding Presentation at RSNA. She was born in 1969 in Tbilisi,Georgia, where she graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University in1994. In 1997, she started a postgraduate residency program in radiol-ogy at the Institute of Radiology and Interventional Diagnostics. In1999, Dr. Kekelidze received a PhD in Medical Sciences, with a spe-

cialty in radiology. She has published 20 scientific works in the field of abdominal radi-ology and participated in several national and international congresses and symposiaincluding RSNA, ECR, and ESUR. She has participated in training programs in Greece(Aretheion Hospital, Athens) and Austria (Graz University Hospital). In 2002, shereceived the EAR research and educational grant; and in 2003, she received an RSNADerek-Harwood Nash Fellowship, accomplished at Brigham and Women’s Hospital inBoston. Dr. Kekelidze was awarded a prize for outstanding scientific presentation at theESUR meeting (Uppsala, Sweden) in 2003. Dr. Kekelidze currently resides in theNetherlands and continues to train at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. She is a member ofRSNA, AAWR, ARRS, ECR and ESUR.

In the News

ArgentinaSilvia Zunino, MD

AustraliaNina Kottler, MDRichard Num, MBLisa Ramakrishnan, MBBS

BrazilCeli Andrade, MDMaria Helena Mendonca, MDIrene Nakano, MD

ChileSolange Chia Fan, MD

DenmarkMaria Hasselquist, MD

EgyptHanan Gewefel, MD

GermanyBrigit Ertl-Wagner, MDAlexandra Rado, MD

IcelandBirna Jonsdottir, MD

IndiaManjeet Rai, MDRochita Ramanan, MD, DNB, DMRDManju Singh, MD, DMRE

IsraelTal Arazi-Kleinman, MDOlga Brook, MD

JapanKeiko Shibuya, MDMiyuki Sone, MD

MexicoVeronique Boullard, MD

NetherlandsMaka Kekelidze, MD, PhD

NigeriaAdenike Akhigbe, MD, MBBSDarlene Bassey, MD, FMCR, FWACSAtalabi Omolola, MDKofoworola Soyebi, MD

PolandM. Szczerbo-Trojanowska, PhDAgnieszka Trojanowska, PhD

Republic of MacedoniaBiljana Bozinovska, MD

Saudi ArabiaWafaa Shanabo, MD

SerbiaSalvica Senicar, MDSanja Stojanovic, MD, PhDTatjaha Stosic-Opincal

SpainSusana Bordegaray, MDSilvia Rodriguez Villalba, MD

West AfricaFatima Salami, MD

AAWR International Members (members who reside outside of the US and Canada)

Surveys Reveal Why MoreWomen Are Not ChoosingRadiology as a Speciality

Leaders in the field of diag-nostic radiology are workingto make sure medical studentschoosing a specialty get acomplete and accurate pictureof the field. One of their toppriorities is to attract morewomen to the profession. Forthe full text of this story, go tohttp://www.rsna.org/enews/decd.htm.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN RADIOLOGISTS

4550 POST OAK PLACE, SUITE 342HOUSTON, TX 77027

You can reach us at

AAWR4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 342

Houston, TX 77027Phone (713) 965-0566Fax (713) 960-0488

E-mail: [email protected]:www.aawr.org

Articles for consideration for publication in the Focus can be submitted to the address above.

Focus is published four times a year by the American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR) for the benefit of its membership

Editor

Melissa L. Rosado de Christenson, MD, FACR

Associate Editors

Aletta Ann Frazier, MDLisa H. Lowe, MD, FAAP

We invite the membership to share its ideas and expertise with all of us bysubmitting articles for future publication in the Focus

Editorial Deadlines

June 1, 2006September 1, 2006February 1, 2007

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT - aawr.org 2006.pdf · chaired by Drs. Ines Boechat, Etta Pisano and Jocelyn...

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Transcript of FROM YOUR PRESIDENT - aawr.org 2006.pdf · chaired by Drs. Ines Boechat, Etta Pisano and Jocelyn...