2011 RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting

November 19, 2011
by Joanna Padovano, Reporter
This article originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of DOTmed Business News

As has been the case for the last quarter century, the Radiological Society of North America’s 2011 meeting will be held at the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, Ill. The 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting will take place from Sunday, Nov. 27 to Friday, Dec. 2.

According to Maureen Morley, RSNA’s assistant director of public information and media relations, as of late October, professional and guest registration for the meeting was up 7 percent from 2010. At that time, the society was expecting to have 671 exhibitors at the Technical Exhibition, another increase from last year’s meeting. Morley says the society anticipates that this year’s attendance will be equal to or greater than last year’s, which totaled 58,004.

What to expect
The prediction is that the 2011 meeting will unite professionals from over 100 different nations. There will be an estimated 3,000 scientific presentations and posters featuring the latest in radiological research, 20 scientific and exhibitor press conferences, and over 2,100 education and informatics exhibits.

RSNA received 12,474 abstract submissions this year, as compared to the 11,740 that were sent in 2010. Hot topic sessions will address developing trends in the areas of CT, PET, MR, radiography and interventional radiology. There will be more than 300 Refresher and Multisession Courses, which will encompass both traditional and innovative radiological topics.

This year’s scientific and education programs—which have an increasingly international focus—will feature topics such as breast imaging, gastrointestinal radiology, informatics, genitourinary radiology/uroradiology, molecular imaging, musculoskeletal radiology, neuroradiology/head and neck, nuclear medicine, obstetric/gynecologic radiology, physics, radiation oncology and radiobiology and vascular/interventional radiology, among others.

Plenary session lectures
The 2011 Annual Oration in Diagnostic Radiology is titled “Neuroimaging and the Search for a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease” and will be delivered by Dr. Jeffrey R. Petrella. The Annual Oration in Radiation Oncology is titled “Proton Beam Therapy: Applications and Future” and will be delivered by Dr. Stephen M. Hahn.

Other plenary lectures will include Dr. Zahi A. Fayad’s “Bleeding Edge Imaging and Therapy in Vascular Disease,” Dr. Geoffrey D. Rubin’s “CT Angiography: 20 Years Old and All Grown Up,” Dr. A. Gregory Sorensen’s “Mechanistic Imaging—MR-PET, 7 Tesla MRI, and Beyond,” Dr. Peter W. Carmel’s “Year Two of Health System Reform: Where Are We Now?,” Dr. Gary W. Small’s “Memory and the Aging Brain,” Dr. William R. Hendee’s “Risk in Medical Imaging: Separating Fact from Fantasy,” Marvin S. Fertel’s “Lessons Learned from Fukushima: Implications for U.S. Nuclear Energy Programs and Radiologic Health,” and Dr. Norbert J. Pelc’s “CT 2020.”

Additional plenary sessions will feature the President’s Address, Oncodiagnosis Panel, Report of the RSNA Research & Education Foundation, Image Interpretation Session and the Friday Imagine Symposium.

Additions for this year
The 2011 conference has added a few new items to its program, one of which is a Scientific Paper Session called “India Presents,” which is being coordinated by Dr. Hemant Patel and will discuss the most recent advancements in India’s radiological research.

This year’s meeting will also offer QR codes, which will allow attendees to use their smartphones to scan codes at scientific sessions and refresher courses in order to download abstract information.

The Quality Completion Certificate will provide attendees with a quality-improvement training session and a certificate of completion if they score 80 percent or higher on self-assessment module (SAM) test questions. Speakers from both private and academic radiology will be featured at the Leadership Refresher Course Track, designed to prepare professionals for leadership positions within radiology.

Other new aspects of the annual meeting will include the Residents/Fellow Program, which will advise radiology residents on how to get a job in the field; Diagnosis LIVE!: The Audience Participation Game, which will allow attendees to suggest diagnoses for various interactive case studies; and the Hospital Administrator Symposium, which will provide helpful suggestions on how to buy radiological equipment and succeed in the constantly-evolving industry.

The meeting will also feature additional case-based courses, including half-day programs in ultrasound and breast imaging, and full-day courses in pediatric radiology, neuroradiology, MR and nuclear medicine PET/CT.

For those who are unable to physically experience the event, the society will also be offering the RSNA 2011 Virtual Meeting, which will allow visitors to create a customized avatar and virtually attend select refresher courses, scientific presentations, education exhibits and plenary sessions, among other things.