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Message from our President:
Clearly there is no moss growing on the rolling stone of NYSRS this year! I am pleased to offer a brief (however incomplete) summary of some highlights.
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Our All-member’s meeting April 1 in NYC was our first in-person meeting since 2018. With a full room and several dozens more joining remotely we began with a particularly engaging program led by Ruth Carlos MD and Kevin Beckford “From DEI to Health Equity: The Business Case and the Human Case.” We honored four Gold Medal Award recipients for their extraordinary service to NYSRS. The meeting gave us time to reconnect and left us with much to ponder. | |
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The March 30 Board Meeting featured a robust discussion of diversity among our leadership. The board discussed our processes for identifying new leaders and strongly affirmed that our Nominating Committee was performing their challenging task with care and excellence. At the same time, the society could significantly improve how we communicate the many and diverse leaders of our society, particularly on our newly re-invigorated web site. In the spirit of Continuous Quality Improvement, we came up with 17 items to consider, many of which are already completed or are in-process. For example, Ben Hentel immediately added a new “pop-up” to our web site, inviting visitors to designate their areas of interest so that the president can follow-up with a personal contact. We also added two more members to the Nominating Committee.
NYSRS was recently awarded one of four Chapter Grants for 2023 to develop and create a new video highlighting the value proposition for joining NYSRS and ACR. Links to the NYSRS videos can be found later in this newsletter.
The Annual ACR Meeting was an energizing event for the more than 50 NYSRS members and their families who attended as councilors, alternate councilors, new fellows and of course candidates and elected officers of ACR. Our members from NYS helped to celebrate the ACR reaching 100 years.
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Special thanks to Rich Cavoli, who deftly organized our New Fellows Reception, which in its modified format allowed us to casually enjoy one another’s company and honor our new fellows with a variety of food and beverage. Rich also helped us to strengthen our relationships with the Florida and Michigan Chapters by arranging invitations for a couple of their members to join us for our New Fellows dinner, and for us to join theirs. And did you know that New York had the 17 fellows inducted this year! Special thanks to Ellen Wolf, chair of the Fellowship Committee, who works tirelessly all year long to encourage our talented members to enter the process and be recognized in this memorable way. We also thank everyone that has made donations to the New York State Radiological Foundation in honor of our new fellows. These donations help to lead the way for the next generation of leaders in our society.
After a rousing gathering of more than 800 to celebrate the Centennial of the ACR on Saturday evening, the business sessions featured lively discussions of several timely resolutions, general agreement on the great majority of the 40 resolutions.
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We were mesmerized by the captivating keynote presentation by comedian and ophthalmologist Will Flanery, MD, known on social media as Dr. Glaucomflecken. His personal stories, liberally laced with humor and satire, connected with the audience in complex ways as they touched on his personal experiences as a patient, practicing medicine in today’s challenging environment, and more. If you don’t know about him (I did not!), I highly recommend checking him out on YouTube, Twitter or Tick Tock – or on his website glaucomflecken.com . | |
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In April, the board welcomed new members Lukman Dodd as Chair of the Radiation Oncology Section and shortly thereafter congratulated Donna D’Alessio who was appointed to the MSSNY House of Delegates.
The Succession Planning Team and Board recently signed contracts with Peter Millock to serve as Executive Director and Justin Pfeiffer (Nixon Peabody) to serve as Legal Counsel following Peter’s retirement form NP. Peter has been our primary legal counsel since 2011 and agreed to also serve as Executive Director in 2016. We are deeply grateful for his years of service to NYSRS, and that he will continue to work with us as our Executive Director. Those of us who interviewed Justin Pfeiffer were thoroughly impressed with easy keen listening ability, experience in the military and then as counsel for the New York State Department of Health before joining Nixon Peabody, and affable interpersonal style. Having Peter and Justin serve in these capacitates will allow us to continue to serve our members with a seamless transition, and to continue to meet at the Midtown Manhattan offices of Nixon Peabody – all for no increase in cost.
NYSRS continues to be enhanced by members who step forward to serve. In the past few months, I have had engaging conversations with several members: from medical students and residents to early career and seasoned radiologists seeking to re-engage professionally now that their children are settled. If you are interested in become more active with NYSRS and not sure how to make it happen, please be in touch and I will be delighted to explore options with you. Bobpizz55@gmail.com
Finally, please know that I am savoring this distinct honor to serve our membership, and am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me. Thank you.
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What's on Your Mind (Membership Survey)
We appreciate your participation in our recent survey. Your feedback has provided us with important insights as we work towards meeting your needs and addressing your concerns. The survey results have shed light on a variety of significant issues and topics that interest our membership.
One prevailing theme that emerged from the survey is the concern surrounding shortages in the field of radiology. Many of you expressed worry about the lack of radiologists, technologists, contrast agents, and other essential resources. This shortage has raised questions about how it affects the delivery of care and the overall efficiency of our practices.
Additionally, the survey highlighted several other noteworthy concerns that are on the minds of our members. These include reimbursement policies, scope of practice considerations, the need for medical malpractice reform, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on radiology, the role of teleradiology as the "new normal," and the issue of burnout within our profession. We will be using this data to inform us on our future priorities.
Furthermore, we would like to express our gratitude for the positive feedback we received regarding our efforts to meet your needs. We are pleased to learn that many of you feel that we have been responsive and effective in addressing your concerns thus far. However, we are always striving for improvement and are open to suggestions on how we can better serve you.
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NYSRS Representatives Contribute to the Future of Our Professions
At the 2023 ACR Meeting, 100% of the councilors and alternate councilors who attended the meeting contributed to RadPAC. RADPAC is the nonpartisan political action committee of the American College of Radiology Association (ACRA). Its goal is to support the campaigns of pro-radiology Members of Congress and federal candidates through voluntary contributions from members of the ACRA.
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RADPAC’s mission is to serve as the political voice of radiology on Capitol Hill. RADPAC’s growth in size and presence is very important as Congress addresses many issues affecting radiology such as mammography screening coverage, Medicare reform, patient safety, and workforce issues. More than 90% of Congress has no healthcare background so RADPAC uses its resources to educate Members of Congress on these very important issues that impact the profession and the patients who rely on life-saving imaging care.
More information on RadPAC and how donations have protected our practices can be found at the RadPAC Website
https://www.radiologyadvocacy.org/sitepages/homepage.aspx
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Three-Peat !!!!
For the third consecutive year (and for the 5th out of the past 6 years), the NYSRS has been recognized as winner for overall excellence among all states in our division.
This award recognized the outstanding contributions of our society to advocacy, education, the ACR, and development of the next generation of leaders in our fields.
We thanks all of our members whose participation and hard work have directly resulted in in our on-going success and recognition.
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Social Media and Communications Committee Update
The Social Media and Communications Committee continues to build out our recently launched website: nysrs.org.
We have been successful in recruiting multiple new committee/section members using a Popup. Please do not hesitate to Get Involved!
Please explore the website and let us know what you think (web.nysrs@gmail.com). Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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NYS Lobby Day 2023
On May 2, 2023, led by our lobbyists, members of the NYSRS went to Albany to meet with strategic members of our state legislature. With so many meetings scheduled that we had to split into teams, our meetings with our lawmakers and their offices focused on active legislation that would significantly impact our practices. Specific topics included scope of practice, malpractice changes, pre-authorization, expanding access to breast imaging, expanding access to screening for ovarian cancer in high risk patients, and many others. Thanks to all who dedicated their time and expertise to make a difference for us all.
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Support Advocacy in our State
Although we could not all be in Albany, everyone of us can help advocate on issues that affect our patients, practices, and profession in NYS.
The NYS Political Action Committee is a non-partisan fund that allows our society to advocate effectively for the issues that impact us and our patients.
The good news is that for state politics a small amount goes a long way. Every donation is both needed and appreciated no matter what size.
Donations can be made to the NYS PAC by clicking below:
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Transitions for the NYSRS
Shauneen McNally, the Society’s chief lobbyist, retired from her firm, Reid, McNally and Savage, in October 2922. She was succeeded by her partner, Bob Reid and his associate Kayla Bogdanowicz.
Peter Millock, the Society’s Counsel and Executive Director, retired from his law firm, Nixon Peabody, in May 2023. He was succeeded as Counsel by his colleague, Justin Pfeiffer. Peter Millock will continue to serve as the Society’s Executive Director.
Michael Ryan and Mary Ellen Belbusti, of Slocum DeAngelus, will continue to serve as the Society’s accountants.
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The NYSRS Video Library Continues to Grow
Be sure to visit our YouTube page to see the our full library of videos designed to demonstrate the value that our profession bring to healthcare.
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NYSRS Foundation
The NYSRS Foundation continues to grow and expand its activities sponsoring our members to attend educational production and in funding the innovative actives of our society. Founded in 2018, the Foundation's mission is to fund education and training programs and initiatives in support of resident and early career radiologist development and leadership training, and in support of diversity and inclusion activities to achieve health equity.
The Foundation and its activities are funded through the generosity of the society and through charitable contributions of our members, We also thank our thank the following corporate sponsors for their support:
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Donating to the Foundation can be made in honor of individual(s) and is is a great way to recognize the successes of colleagues or to provide thanks to someone in our field. | | |
New York State Radiological Society, INC.
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