ASRT elects new board members, stresses importance of licensure

The American Society of Radiation Technologists (ASRT) has elected three new board members to serve on the 2017-2018 ASRT Board of Directors. The newly elected appointees will begin their one-year terms following the 2017 ASRT Governance and House of Delegates Meeting, held June 23-25 in Orlando.

Melissa Jackowski, from Cary, North Carolina, was elected to serve as ASRT’s 2017-2018 president-elect. Jackowski is the competency management development specialist for Siemens Healthineers in Cary, part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle region.

“It is hard for me to express how honored and excited I am to have been elected as president-elect of the ASRT Board of Directors,” Jackowski said in a statement. “Honored because I understand the great responsibility and excited because I am looking forward to working with our membership to protect our profession, provide new opportunities for development and growth, and improve the quality of care that medical imaging and radiation therapy patients receive.”

Stephanie Johnston, from Holliday, Texas, will serve as vice president. Johnston is the director of the Breast Center of Texoma in Wichita Falls, Texas. Currently the secretary-treasurer at the Breast Center, she has previously held the positions of president and chairman.

“I think that the board will have to face some real challenges with licensure issues this next year,” said Johnston in a statement. “There is also a great deal of legislation associated with encroachment by other professions and allowing advanced radiologic technologists to practice.”

Finally, Steven Cohen from Brownsburg, Indiana, was elected secretary treasurer for the 2017-2018 term. Cohen is currently the senior radiologic technologist at Ortho Indy in Indianapolis.

“The top issue facing our profession, is licensing. It is still a big issue after all of these years,” Cohen said in a statement. “We still have states that do not have licensing for the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession.  And now there are some states that are in jeopardy of having their licensing taken away.”

The current president-elect—Amanda Garlock—will become the ASRT president after the meeting in Orlando, and current president Michel Latimer will ascend to the chairman of the Board.

Society members also elected 29 fellow members to represent them in the ASRT House of Delegates. These appointees also begin their terms at the conclusion of the 2017 ASRT Governance and House of Delegates meeting.

The ASRT represents more than 150,000 radiological technologists.