Congratulations! A Pivotal Moment for IR

By Marshall E. Hicks, M.D., FSIR

SIR President 

Congratulations—to the many dedicated individuals both within and outside SIR and the American Board ofRadiology (ABR) whose herculean efforts over countless hours and almost 10 years laid the groundwork that lead to a pivotal moment in advancing the value of our specialty!

On Sept. 11, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)—the organization that has oversight of the 24 recognized medical specialty boards—approved ABR’s application for a new Dual Primary Certificate in Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology. The ABMS announcement came after significant behind-the-scenes activities by dedicated individuals to promote IR training and professional education as distinct to the specialty and of paramount importance to the delivery of expert patient care. This change in IR training will ensure that interventional radiologists will deliver care to patients with the requisite combination of clinical, procedural and interpretive skills. 

IR has a primary specialty certificate—one that has been elevated and now exists alongside diagnostic radiology (rather than as a DR subspecialty) and on the same level as surgery, pediatrics and internal medicine in the ABMS hierarchy. The IR/DR dual certificate—an essential feature of the growth and evolution of modern scientific medicine—will be the fourth primary certificate for ABR (joining Diagnostic Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics) and the 37th overall in the United States. With its decision, ABMS and its member boards confirmed the benefit to patients of the unique interventional radiology skill set comprised of competency in diagnostic imaging, image-guided procedures and periprocedural patient care.

Moving to a primary certificate as opposed to a subspecialty certificate designates IR as a unique and distinct area of medicine, rather than an area of focus within an existing specialty. With increased attention to the length and kind of training interventional radiologists will receive under this new dual certificate, those who will benefit most will be our patients. This action—our turning point—affixes a publicly visible imprimatur on the specialty ensuring that it will receive the recognition from peers, legislators and the public that it so richly deserves. This news was hailed not only in the United States; our colleagues attending CIRSE greeted the news as a global IR success.

I predict that the demand for and complexity of image-guided interventions will continue to increase every year—and that we will need a lot more highly trained IRs. This new certificate will provide patients with an ample supply of well-trained IR specialists by ensuring that board-certified IRs are trained and qualified to deliver the highest level of care available today and demanding that this same quality be made available to all future patients. 

ABMS has stipulated that there will be a transition from Vascular and Interventional Radiology (VIR) fellowships to IR residencies as the new residencies are approved. The details and timeline for that process will be developed with significant input from ABR, SIR, APDIR, APDR, SCARD and other key stakeholders. The proposal will proceed carefully through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with great attention to the needs and concerns of the IR and DR community. More information, as it becomes available, will be provided.

Thank you! The ABMS decision would not have been possible without the continued strong support from the dedicated volunteers on the SIR/ABR Dual Certificate Task Force (particularly John A. Kaufman, MD, MS, FSIR, chair) and from ABR (including Gary J. Becker, MD, FSIR; Matthew A. Mauro, MD, FSIR; Jeanne M. LaBerge, MD, FSIR; and Anne C. Roberts, MD, FSIR), the combined leadership of both societies, colleagues from supporting organizations and many more SIR members and staff too numerous to mention here. (See related story, p. 1.)

For now, this is our time to celebrate; this is our turning point—our future.

 Question

What do you think of the ABMS decision to approve the IR/DR primary certificate? Please post your comments, questions or concerns to me about this seminal event for IR.

Good News: The IR World Is Flat

By Susan E. Sedory Holzer, MA, CAE
SIR Executive Director

News—especially good news—travels fast. The recent ABMS decision to approve the American Board of Radiology’s application for a new Dual Primary Certificate in Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology—was the talk of the CIRSE meeting in Lisbon. Attendees congratulated me and SIR members in attendance about this significant turning point for IR. I traveled to Portugal, the nation that launched the global age of discovery, and found our news to be as relevant and exciting there as it was at home. The dual certificate approval generated deep curiosity and recognition across the global IR community.

The historical parallels got me thinking. Just as Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world ushered in a century of global exploration and discovery, what future will be made by the increasingly global specialty of IR? In his popular book The World Is Flat, Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman details how the processes of discovery, research, design, development and marketing are globally networked. No single nation or group possesses all of the creative knowledge to succeed independently. 

Medical discovery and advances originate all over the world. And our global IR community is just the kind of mutually reinforcing network that supports Friedman’s “world is flat” vision. The opportunity to easily cross oceans, devices, protocols, treatments, disease states, practice environments and cultures and debate new ideas and medical advances enables all to stay on the cutting edge of medical developments and improve care to patients. 

Congratulations to CIRSE President Michael J. Lee and other leaders for providing an exceptional educational program. With representatives from more than 80 countries, CIRSE’s successful meeting benefits the global IR specialty. 

Having returned home, I found your leaders, staff and volunteers busily preparing for SIR 2013. The theme of our AnnualScientific Meeting this year is “IR Reaching Out,” providing another dynamic opportunity to collectively learn from the broadest possible range of international and domestic attendees. And we are so excited to be returning to New Orleans, Louisiana, a city that has proudly recovered from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by holding onto its cultural economy and universal charm. Laissez les bons temp rouler in Crescent City—and sample its unique culture in a selection of videos.

In other developments, SIR’s new International Task Force is working to positively “flatten the world of IR” by reaching out to colleagues outside the United States through new programs and a new quarterly International Leadership Update e-newsletter. We are excited to offer for its second year our International Scholarship Program, which will foster (and fund) professional networking at SIR 2013, together with focused programming and possible visiting observerships, as a way to build key relationships with future international IR leaders and strengthen the developing international IR movement. SIR will also collaborate and participate in upcoming international IR meetings of the Chinese Society of Interventional Radiology (CSIR) and the Indian Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (ISVIR). Looking far ahead, SIR has already begun working with the Canadian Interventional Radiology Association (CIRA) leaders for SIR 2016, which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Just as the news of the U.S. IR/DR primary certificate advances the specialty globally, I am reminded that our name, “Society of Interventional Radiology,” was never intended to be bound by geographical divisions—and neither are the advances that we can dream and accomplish together. Let’s keep flattening the world of IR learning. Registration is open for SIR 2013; we look forward to meeting you in a few months!

Question

Tell SIR: What do you look forward to doing at SIR2013, the Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting?

Recovering From Hurricane Sandy

By Marshall E. Hicks, MD, FSIR

SIR President

Dear Colleagues,

We hope this email finds you safe and well. Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented devastation across multiple states throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast portions of the United States. Thank you for your patience and support as we re-opened the society’s Washington, D.C., area office and got back up and running.

Millions have been impacted by the storm, including many of our colleagues. SIR is here to serve you. If there is information that you would like to share, please let us know at membership@SIRweb.org. You may also connect with the society on the SIR website, on our IR Uncut blog, and on Facebook and Twitter (SIRspecialists, SIRmembers).

Please know that our hearts and thoughts are with you and your loved ones, especially those dealing with the added challenges of evacuating from homes and property damage. We wish you a safe and swift recovery.