American College of Radiology’s longtime head of advocacy to retire
Cynthia R. Moran, the American College of Radiology’s longtime head of advocacy, has announced plans to retire.
She first joined the organization in 2003 after spending a decade as director of government relations with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. During her 20-plus years with ACR, Moran has helped secure multiple wins for the specialty on Capitol Hill, including Medicare coverage for CT-based colorectal cancer screening in 2024 following years of advocacy.
Her last day is Jan. 2, with current ACR vice president Joshua Cooper taking over as executive VP of government relations, economics and health policy after 30 years with the organization.
“During her tenure, the ACR has developed one the most highly regarded government relations programs … across the entire medical community,” Dana H. Smetherman, MD, MBA, MPH, who joined the organization as CEO in 2024, said in a statement Dec. 17. “Cindy’s commitment to the college and its members has had a lasting impact on the profession and ACR.”
Moran’s distinguished career also included eight years as senior director of Pharmacia (now part of Pfizer), along with time as acting assistant secretary for legislation at Health and Human Services. She also was a legislative assistant for Republican Texas U.S. Sen. John Tower in the 1970s after earning her bachelor’s in history and government from the University of Arizona.
ACR highlighted other accomplishment’s during Moran’s career, including the Protecting Access to Medicare Act’s inclusion of appropriate-use criteria when ordering advanced imaging (which was later tabled by HHS). She also helped secure passage of the Medicare Improvement for Providers and Patients Act of 2008, requiring accreditation of nonhospital advanced imaging facilities. ACR also cited her work in securing an 80% reduction to the miscalculated Medicare multiple procedure payment cut to the professional component payment for rendering physicians.
The college recognized Moran for her work earlier this year, granting her the 2025 William T. Thorwarth Jr. Award. Named in honor of its now-former CEO, the designation recognizes individuals who “demonstrate outstanding contributions to the field of health policy and economics or radiology.” Moran also led federal and state regulatory and legislative efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping member practices steer the economic impact of imaging shutdowns in 2020, the ACR noted.
“I am proud to have worked with talented, visionary leaders and of all that we have accomplished together on behalf of our members and those they serve,” Moran said in a statement Wednesday.
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.