Leaders on the Horizon Resident’s Program | Inspiring Future Medical Imaging Leaders
Mark C DeLano, MD, FACR, chair of the Department of Radiology at Michigan State University, has long understood the value of mentoring young radiologists as they explore their career options. Dr. DeLano believes that encouraging residents to discover their passion helps them create a dynamic career path, leading to positive impacts on the imaging community and patients.
“There's a huge benefit to residents following their interests, because when you cultivate enthusiasm and energy in your residents, it’s contagious,” he said.
Which helps explain why Dr. DeLano is involved with the Leaders on the Horizon Resident’s Program, an Applied Radiology research paper publication competition sponsored by Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. This targeted program for US-based radiology residents helps identify, cultivate, and spotlight future thought leaders in medical imaging. This year’s clinical research paper topics are focused on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A review committee consisting of key opinion leaders in medical imaging, including Dr DeLano, will judge and select five papers for publication in a special supplement to Applied Radiology. Dr DeLano encourages all US-based radiology residents to apply.
“The Leaders on the Horizon Program is a wonderful opportunity for residents to begin thinking about their career path. And in doing so, they will take a chance at finding a passion. And when people follow their passion, dig deep, and do the research that's required to author the paper, they become an expert. I anticipate great papers that are practical and oriented towards the future of radiology, and I look forward to reading them,” he said.
A Program with Long-lasting Impact
Dr. DeLano believes the research conducted by the residents can help illustrate radiology’s impact on the patient experience. “It's remarkable the number of innovations and contributions that have come from radiology and continue to influence every patient who enters the hospital,” he said.
He noted that nearly every patient admitted to a medical center will undergo some type of medical imaging examination, which gives Radiologists an opportunity to impact patient care. “I tell our residents that sometimes they're the smartest physicians that will be in contact with that patient, and it's their duty and honor to help guide the care of those patients in ways that you wouldn't otherwise have,” he said.
Through the Leaders on the Horizon Resident’s Program, emerging radiologists get the chance to contribute to the professional growth of those who come after them.“ Your ability to contribute is dependent on your investment in yourself. And any time that you invest in learning all there is to know about any given topic and publish on it means you'll have that with you the rest of your life. It allows you to pass on that pearl,” he said.
Submissions Will Highlight Future Solutions
Dr DeLano hopes this year’s submissions will highlight how the newest MRI technologies can improve the patient experience. He also expects these research papers to give him and his fellow reviewers a peek into the future of MR imaging.
“The future holds new opportunities to rethink how we approach disease and management of patients, so outcomes-oriented research is always of great interest to me,” he said. “There's no shortage of creative, new advancements in MRI. I'd like to emphasize the applied aspect of these. We have limited time to impact our patients when they come to the hospital, and we should make sure that we utilize our resources to the greatest good.”
Research paper topics can include (but are not limited to) novel applications of MRI in the emergency room setting, and its use as part of hybrid technologies such as positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI. He also suggested topics related to improving early cancer screening, including investigating the functional lines and the genetic makeup of malignancy to anticipate disease progression before it becomes macroscopic and renders structural imaging less clinically relevant.
“There are new developments (in MRI) that will help us utilize things like molecular probes and magnetic particle imaging that will converge with clinical scanning in the future. I think it's going to have a significant impact on the lives of our patients,” Dr. DeLano said.
Program Details
The top five papers will be selected for publication in a supplement to Applied Radiology in early 2023. Authors of the top two research papers will be offered the opportunity to attend the 2022 Radiological Society of North America annual meeting and be honored at a special reception. Additionally, to support their education in medical imaging, the first- and second-place winners will receive scholarships of $7,500 and $5,000, respectively. The remaining three authors will each receive $1,000 scholarships.
The deadline for submissions is Oct. 3, 2022. Residents may submit up to two research papers, and all papers must adhere to the Leaders on the Horizon Resident’s Author Guidelines.
“We share Dr. DeLano’s enthusiasm, as the future is bright for these young residents,” Kieran Anderson, VP and Group Publisher of Applied Radiology. “We are delighted to support their educational efforts, and we look forward to collaborating with them in the future.”