The Radiological Society of North America on Monday named the 2023 winner of its Alexander R. Margulis Award for Scientific Excellence.
RSNA plans to present the prize to authors of the Radiology article, “Pancreatic cancer detection on CT scans with deep learning: a nationwide population-based study.” Publish in September 2022, the analysis explores how scientists from the National Taiwan University in Taipei developed an AI algorithm to help pinpoint pancreatic cancer on medical images.
“This year’s Margulis Award recognizes impactful results likely to affect millions of patients throughout the world,” Radiology Editor Linda Moy, MD, said in a Nov. 13 announcement from RSNA. “The study demonstrates how a deep learning-based tool can result in accurate detection of pancreatic cancer on CT scans, especially for tumors smaller than 2 centimeters. Early detection of pancreatic cancer allows for prompt intervention that greatly increases the chances of survival.”
Computed tomography can miss about 40% of such tumors that are smaller than 2 centimeters. Po-Ting Chen, MD, and co-lead author Tinghui Wu created an AI assistant able to achieve 90% sensitivity and 93% specificity on a test set of 1,473 real world CT exams.
RSNA will present the award during its 109th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, taking place in Chicago from Nov. 26 to 30. The honor is named after Alexander R. Margulis, MD, an investigator and “inspiring visionary” in the science of radiology, and recognizes the best original article published in the society’s flagship journal.
ACR Gold Medalists
The American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors recently named three members of the specialty as Gold Medalists, recognizing their “extraordinary contributions to the field” and “outstanding service” to the organization.
ACR plans to give Gold Medals to the following individuals at its 2024 Annual Meeting, slated for April 13 to 17:
- Paul Ellenbogen, MD served on ACR’s Council Steering Committee and Board of Chancellors for 17 straight years, also helping to create its Commission for Women and Diversity in 2014.
- Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, was the first woman to be elected chair of the ACR Board in 2018 and also served as past chair of the Commission on Economics.
- Elizabeth Patterson, MD, is a past chair of the Special Population Committee of the ACR Imaging Network and also led the FDA’s Mammography Quality Standards Act Advisory Committee.
ACR also plans to bestow an honorary fellowship on Hiroshi Onishi, MD, PhD, of Japan. He serves as director of the departments of diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology at the University of Yamanashi Hospital. And finally, the college will present the ACR Distinguished Achievement Award posthumously to Amanda Itliong, an advocate who served with the Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care. She died May 6 following a battle with ovarian cancer.
Strategic Radiology Research Grant
The Radiological Society of North America Research & Education Foundation is awarding its 2023 Strategic Radiology/RSNA Research Grant to Wenhui Zhou, MD, PhD, the organization announced Nov. 7.
Zhou, with Stanford University, stands to receive $50,000 to devote 50% of his time over the course of a year to a research project under a scientific advisor’s guidance. He plans to identify multimodal biomarkers that can accurately predict which patients with ductal carcinoma in situ will harbor occult invasive breast cancer.
The grant was made possible by Strategic Radiology’s support of the foundation.
“We wish Dr. Zhou a fruitful inquiry as he attempts to improve medical imaging's predictive value in assessing DCIS,” CEO and Chair Scott Bundy, MD, said in an announcement. “The grant is the fourth of 20 seed grants that will be awarded as a result of an $800,000 endowment by members of Strategic Radiology,” he added.
USRS among fastest growing companies
The Triangle Business Journal, which covers the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, recently recognized US Radiology Specialists as one of the region’s fastest growing companies in 2023.
This marks the fourth straight appearance on the list for Raleigh-based USRS. Each year, the magazine highlights privately held companies that have posted the largest year-over-year growth rates.
The Triangle Business Journal placed USRS at No. 23 on its “Fast 50” list. In the article, CEO John Perkins said the company has grown more than 10 times since 2018, fueled by new partnerships with radiology groups, imaging center acquisitions and hospital joint ventures.
“Earning a place on Triangle Business Journal’s Fast 50 list for a fourth consecutive year is a testament to the tremendous effort put forth by our nearly 5,000 employees and over 400 radiologists and APPs nationwide over the past few years,” Perkins said in a Nov. 9 statement from the company.
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.