2008-2009 ASNR Election Results…
Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Again this year, ballots for the 2008-2009 elections were filed electronically, with the following results:

Vice-President: Carolyn Cidis Meltzer, M.D., Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
Secretary: Howard A. Rowley, M.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Member of the Nominating Committee: Allan J. Fox, M.D., Sunnybrook Health Science Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Thank you to the Nominating Committee, chaired by Dr. Jeffrey R. Jarvik, for their hard work.

Proposed Constitutional Amendments...
Monday, April 23, 2008

2008 ASNR Proposed Constitutional Amendments are available to ASNR members via "Member Resources". Members' personal access information is required.

President's Message
Monday, March 17, 2008

We have attempted over the past year to serve the rank-and-file members of the ASNR by creating the opportunity to use the ASNR web site as your one stop shop site for maintenance of certification. To that end we have several SAM selections available for viewing and a dozen more launching this spring (Note, you can only do a maximum of four per year!), dozens of CME credits available (you need 250 in a 10 year period), examples of our MOC mock board exams from the annual meeting, and are hard at work in creating the practice quality improvement site. We also encourage you to take advantage of the multi-society CME Gateway to automate the tracking and reporting of your ASNR CME and SAM credits to the ABR. We have emphasized our MOC initiatives at our annual retreats, at the annual meeting and on our web site to better serve the clinical members of our society. Hopefully you will appreciate and utilize these endeavors.

My predecessor, Bob Grossman, also sought to enhance the science presented and supported by the ASNR. I have tried to support this initiative by encouraging the Neuroradiology Education and Research Foundation to devise methods to support more grants, increase its endowment, and continue last year's very successful joint meeting with the NIH on Stroke that was directed by Max Wintermark. We hope to hold one this year on multiple sclerosis as a means of having the NIH associate neuroimaging research most closely with the ASNR.

Having great science in our Society requires having great scientists in our midst. Next month we will offer to the membership a constitutional amendment that is designed to encourage greater participation by non-MD neuroscience researchers in the ASNR's activity. Our goal is to increase the research scientist membership from the current 15 to a more committed number in the 30-40 range. Obviously, when our membership currently totals over 3,400, having such a group have impact requires encouraging them to participate in our Annual Meeting Program Committee, on the Research Committee, and on the Executive Committee so that they feel a vital part of the society. Hopefully these individuals will spawn new members through their post docs and colleagues. In any case, look for the constitutional changes to draw these valuable scientists into our midst in next month's emails. The ISMRM should not have a monopoly on the neuroscientists in neuroimaging. Let's welcome them.

The third front, besides clinical and research, is teaching. I am happy to report that the annual meeting program Bob Zimmerman has developed with the support of our subspecialty societies, will be a teaching bonanza. It will explore emergency neuroimaging in depth through the symposium and then general and subspecialty neuroradiology in the annual meeting offerings. I am very excited about this landmark meeting in New Orleans May 30-June 6.

More to come.....

Dave

David M. Yousem, MD
ASNR President

NER Foundation Awards More $60,000 Grants for 2008…
Monday, March 17, 2008

The ASNR Research Committee is proud to announce four NER Foundation grant recipients for 2008. They reviewed nineteen applications, which were well distributed for each of the grants. The level of submissions was quite high, and all winners are to be congratulated!

Bayer/NER Foundation Fellowships in Basic Science Research…

Bradley Foerster, M.D., Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, "MR Molecular Imaging of Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) Modulation in an Experimental Model of Stroke"

Noriko Salamon, M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, "Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Identification of the Extra-Hippocampal Abnormality in the Patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis"

NER Foundation/Boston Scientific Fellowship in Cerebrovascular Disease Research…

Humberto Morales, M.D., University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, "Safety of Iodinated Contrast Material in a Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion/Reperfusion Model"

NER Foundation Scholar Award in Neuroradiology Research…

Tammie L. S. Benzinger, M.D.,Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, "Childhood leukodystrophy with neuromuscular disability: Translational use of MRI directional diffusivity as a tool for prognosis and response to therapy"

Vivek Prabhakaran, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, "Characterizing the Neural Substrates of Stroke Recovery utilizing fMRI and Perfusion Imaging"

Volunteers Needed to Help with the New Orleans Rebuilding Effort
Monday, March 17, 2008

The ASNR leadership has arranged two volunteer opportunities with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) to help with the rebuilding effort of New Orleans. NOAHH works in partnership with staff, qualified homeowners and sponsors to eliminate substandard housing in New Orleans. This partnership builds simple, affordable homes that are sold to the homeowner with a long-term interest-free mortgage. Due to the devastation incurred by Hurricane Katrina, Habitat for Humanity has greatly increased its effort in this area... we need your help to continue this worthwhile effort!

Please join us on either Friday, May 30 or Friday, June 6 and support the rebuilding effort of New Orleans! ASNR will provide complimentary transportation and food service for the activity participants. If you are interested in participating, please complete the volunteer form and return it by Thursday, May 15.

Highlights for the NER Foundation Symposium 2008: Emergency Neuroradiology
Monday, March 17, 2008

Session topics include:

• Developing an emergency neuroradiology service
• Dose reduction in pediatric patients undergoing emergent CT scans
• Post-processing of imaging studies including spine and cervical cerebral vessels from "whole body" CT, CTA/CTP and MRA/MR
• Imaging of head and neck emergencies in children and adult
• Imaging of unstable spine injuries
• Imaging and future therapeutic advances of spinal cord injury
• Use of multi-modal CT and MR in the diagnosis of acute infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Imaging of head trauma with emphasis on emerging treatment options
• Proposed self-assessment module (SAM) session on brain vascular diseases

Highlights for the ASNR 46th Annual Meeting…
Monday, March 17, 2008

• Daily maintenance of certification (MOC) review sessions
• Six proposed self assessment modules (SAM) sessions
  *Note: Programming is currently under review for qualification as a Self Assessment Module (SAM) through the American Board of Radiology (ABR).
• How-To Sessions
• New this year... "How I Do It" practical presentations on:
  • Post-operative back
  • Perfusion imaging
  • Post-operative neck
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Thyroid lesions
  • Venous thrombosis
• Sessions on the latest advances in interventional neuroradiology, head and neck radiology, spine radiology, pediatric neuroradiology and functional neuroradiology
• Electronic Learning Center (ELC) workshop and lecture programming and Business Center programming
• Scientific Exhibits and Scientific Posters
• Technical Exhibition
• American Board of Radiology (ABR) MOC Exam - Thursday, June 5, 2008

Register for the Meeting and Book Your Hotel
Monday, March 17, 2008

Registration for the ASNR 46th Annual Meeting and the NER Foundation Symposium 2008 is now available. The advanced registration deadline is Friday, April 18, 2008. To register click here, or visit www.asnr.org/2008 to print out a registration form for mail/fax.

Book Your Housing Now … Space is Limited
The Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel will be the headquarters hotel for the 46th Annual Meeting. Rooms are limited, so book early! Book by fax or online at www.asnr.org/2008.

ASNR Needs Your Help to Maintain Its Seat in AMA House of Delegates
Monday, Novermber 19, 2007

ASNR Senior members who are not members of the AMA are urged to join the AMA before Dec. 31, 2007. Those Senior members who are AMA members are urged to renew their AMA membership for 2008. Renewal invoices were sent by AMA in October.

By joining the AMA, or maintaining your membership, you will help the ASNR maintain its seat in the AMA House of Delegates. In order for ASNR to maintain its seat, at least 35 percent of Senior members must be members of the AMA. ASNR’s current percentage is just under 30 percent. It is critical for ASNR to maintain this seat to promote and defend the political and financial aspects of neuroradiology.

To join or renew with the AMA, please visit:
https://membership.ama-assn.org/JoinRenew