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November 2015 • Vol. 4, Issue 4 |
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
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Hello SMRT members! My name is Barry Southers, 2015-2016 SMRT President. I wanted to take some time provide an update on all the happenings in and around the SMRT. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed your summer (or winter, for our members in the southern hemisphere). The SMRT has been working hard to prepare for the 2016 SMRT Annual Meeting in Singapore, and we think you will be as excited as we are when you see our list of dynamic speakers and topics. Speaking of Singapore, this upcoming Annual Meeting is a special one for the SMRT as it will be our 25th Annual Meeting. Hard to believe it has been 25 years since we first began educating MR Technologists and Radiographers around the world! Share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Facebook about your favorite SMRT meeting using the hashtag #FavoriteSMRTMeeting and you could win a free registration to the 2016 SMRT Annual Meeting in Singapore! Deadline to enter the Free SMRT Meeting Giveaway is February 1, 2016, so get on social media and enter to win today. Aside from the Annual Meeting, over the next month or so, we have exciting regional meetings planned in Maryland and New Zealand. If you are interested in learning more about these meetings, please visit www.smrt.org. In late October, the ISMRM held a Global Outreach MRI seminar in Buenos Aires, Argentina which I presented at. It was a very successful meeting and I enjoyed meeting many local MR technologists. I want to encourage all MR Technologists and Radiographers, as well as all MR students, to submit an abstract for the 2016 Singapore meeting. As we do every year, there are categories for clinical-focus and research-focus abstracts, as well as the John A. KoveIeski Award for Professional Development (this is for students and MR professionals working in the field 3 years or less).I want to challenge all of you to write and submit an abstract as well as encourage/assist a colleague or student to do so as well. Many MR Technologists/Radiographers and students have an abstract inside them just waiting to get out. Getting started is typically the hardest step, but once you get started things just seem to begin to flow. So, please consider this message a little nudge from me, encouraging all of you to take that leap and write an abstract. If I can do it, I know you can! Every year, we receive an incredible amount of high quality submissions and we expect no less this year. We know you all work hard in caring for patients and improving our field, and now we want to assist in letting the world know what you have been working on. Let’s break a record and make 2016 the year we have more abstract submissions than ever before. Please note that the deadline for abstract submissions is Wednesday 18th November, 2015…..so start writing today and submit your abstract at www.smrt.org!! The online application process includes a link to the required templates (clinical or research) for all abstract submissions. As mentioned in my previous message, the SMRT leadership has been working with a wonderful company, Minding Your Business, to create and implement a strategic plan. We want to make sure we have a plan going forward to ensure we are not only meeting the expectations of our members, but also exceeding them. Part of this is to truly be THE international resource for MR education and leadership. We are always looking to evolve and grow internationally, and especially in underserved areas around the world. In other words, we are looking for you! If you are in an area of the world and feel a need for increased MR education and leadership, I encourage you to reach out and make your presence felt. Please contact the SMRT today if you want to get an educational seminar organized or to be a part of the SMRT leadership. The SMRT Policy Board is always looking for members to join in and work with committees, and our goal is to have committee representation from all continents across the globe. It is vital to our success that we hear voices from all parts of the world, so the SMRT can truly make a difference, not only to all of those we currently serve, but to those who need our assistance as well and don’t know we are here to help. By collaborating and increasing our presence on an international level, the SMRT can reach new heights in the next year and beyond. Don’t wait for someone else to take the lead – be the leader we know you can be and do it today! Lastly, please like us on Facebook (keyword “SMRT - Section for Magnetic Resonance Technologists”), follow the SMRT on Twitter (@SMRT_ISMRM), and forward Signals to all your MR friends and colleagues. Thank you for reading and if you see me in Singapore, please come up and say hello. Hope to see you there! |
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Signals is a publication produced four times per calendar year by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine for the benefit of the SMRT membership and those individuals and organizations that support the educational programs and professional advancement of the SMRT and its members. The newsletter is the compilation of editor, Julie Strandt-Peay, BSM, RT (R)(MR) FSMRT, the leadership of the SMRT and the staff in the ISMRM Central Office with contributions from members and invited participants. |
