ACR Seeks to Raise $5 Million for Leadership Institute

The ACR knows that keeping radiology central to the delivery of high quality health care will not happen without strong leadership, and it wants to put some serious money behind its effort to grow the next generation of radiology leaders. To support the functions of the College’s new Radiology Leadership Institute, it has launched a national fundraising campaign to called Leading Radiology Into the Future. Phase 1 of the campaign seeks to raise $5 million from all types of donors, including manufacturers. Donations are tax exempt, payable over a five-year period, and come with the added bonus of recognition in select ACR publications, on the ACR Foundation and RLI websites, and at the annual meetings of the ACR and the Radiology Leadership Institute. (By comparison, a half-page black and white ad in the ACR Bulletin was $3,325 last year.) The foundation has already raised nearly half its goal, or $2,924,850. This amount includes $1.5 million of the ACR’s own funds, which it invested as a show of support and to encourage others to give. In addition, the ACR has pledged $1.2 million more in future donations to the campaign. Leadership Institute needs include funds to develop courses, set up technology infrastructure, and create scholarships for radiologists with leadership potential that otherwise might be unable to afford the training. “This new initiative ... will make a big impact on the radiology profession as a whole,” predicted Cynthia A. Sherry, MD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology Commission on Leadership and Practice Development and the medical director of the Radiology Leadership Institute, in the press release.