Letter from the Chair

Dear All,

This spring has been time for continued activity and accomplishments in the department.  In this month’s newsletter we feature a summary of our second “Radiology Research Night” which showcased a series of five minute talks showcasing our faculty’s research interests. The goal of the evening was to inform residents and fellows of the wide range of research activities within the department to help stimulate their participation.  Our residency and fellowship faculty and administrators have been active, attending the Association of University Radiologists annual meeting in San Diego, while Drs. Debenedecti, Giannaris and Gagliardi all gave talks or posters at the 2016 AAMC Annual Retreat of the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs in Providence, RI.

We also congratulate faculty who have been recognized with local and national awards, including Anne Gilroy’s Educational Achievement (Star) award, and Dr. Alexei Bogdanov’s recognition as a fellow of the World Molecular Imaging Society.

Under the leadership of Dr. Sue Alonso and Cindy Teft, our ultrasound division has received re-accreditation by the ACR. We are also happy to announce two new major RO1 grant awards to Drs. King and Vedantham, as well as a wonderful letter from a grateful parent recognizing the impact that Dr. Makris made on the care of her child.

Our “spotlight” features Kelly Emrich, whom I have worked with for many years, and am happy to have recruited to join us at UMass as our new physician workflow manager, as well as profiles of our new chief residents.  As we have been doing in prior issues, please check out the latest updates on Epic, Idea boards, and patient satisfaction surveys.  I’m please to announce that we have signed the contact for our new PACS system with Agfa, and will be adding an “Agfa Update” section to future newsletters to keep everyone informed on our progress, as we transition from Phillips to Agfa PACS.

I’d like to take a moment for a special thank you to everyone who made this year’s Anatomic Gift Program Memorial Service so meaningful.  This service would not have happened without the incredible effort and personal commitment of Cindy Wilson, Mandi Bechtel, and Ruth Lopriore.

In the June newsletter we will feature an update on our new Resident Education Space along with pictures from the dedication of the Sandy Costa Resident Conference room along with an update from our Resident and Fellow graduation and Smith Lecture, planned for June 16.

Thanks everyone for making this such a dynamic month.

Best,
Max