American College of Radiology names 2027 Gold Medal winners
The American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors on Tuesday named the next two winners of the organization’s highest honor.
ACR has picked William T. Herrington, MD, and Nina A. Mayr, MD, as its newest Gold Medal winners, slated to be honored at the college’s annual meeting next year. The award recognizes “extraordinary” contributions to the field of radiology and “expansive service” to ACR and the specialty.
“William T. Herrington, MD, epitomizes the term servant leader, contributing selflessly to advance ACR, its members and, as a result, the patients radiologists serve,” the college said in a news update published Oct. 13. “Nina A. Mayr, MD, is a trailblazing, accomplished physician scientist,” ACR added later.
A past president of the college, Herrington worked as a diagnostic specialist with Athens Radiology Associates in Georgia for 38 years, retiring in 2024, according to LinkedIn. He initially got involved with ACR through its state chapter, the Georgia Radiological Society, later becoming president. Herrington subsequently served on the ACR Council and Board of Chancellors and was elected president in 2023.
“Dr. Herrington consistently applies his abilities to digest complex issues and to respect a spectrum of opinions with a vision that the college and radiology profession be held in the highest regard,” ACR said in its announcement.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mayr, a radiation oncologist, most recently served as RO department chair at the University of Washington, Seattle. She began her pioneering work in tumor heterogeneity, utilizing functional and molecular imaging as predictors of response to radiation therapy in the early 1990s. Mayr also spearheaded the RO specialty’s transition to departmental status at two academic medical centers—the University of Oklahoma and Ohio State.
Her research has led to two National Institutes of Health R01 grants. In addition, Mayr has built interdisciplinary programs to help unite radiology and radiation oncology for shared clinical, research and educational advancements, ACR noted.
“Dr. Mayr is a visionary leader and scientist who early on recognized the unique way radiologic imaging would transform radiation oncology and enable the prediction and assessment of treatment response to provide a unique window of opportunity to further improve cancer care,” the college said in its announcement.
ACR also named three physicians as 2027 honorary fellows. They are Adrian Brady, MB, BCh (representing Ireland), Matthias Guckenberger, MD (Switzerland), and Akshay Kumar Saxena, MD, MBBS (India). All five physicians will be recognized during ACR 2027 in Washington, D.C., slated for May 1 to 5.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.