SMRT Signals • November 2017 • Vol.6 Issue 3

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

The Evolution of SMRT News

The Society of MR Radiographers and Technologists (SMRT) began in 1991 when the radiographers and technologists from the Society in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging merged to form a joint venture between the two organizations. A committee was formed and the first SMRT newsletter was published. In 1992 the newsletter was given the title "Signals" and a logo was selected. Nanette Keck became the first editor of the Signals newsletter.

Signals became a quarterly newsletter in 1993, reporting on activities of the SMRT, offering scanning tips and articles featuring members and their work. Robin Greene-Avison accepted the editor position in 1995 and Karol Handrahan succeeded in 1997. Lorrie Kelley was appointed editor in 1998 and strived to emphasize articles written by MR students to provide them with a publishing experience.

Following her term as President and Past-President Julie Strandt-Peay accepted the position of editor in 2001. At that time quarterly issues of the Signals Newsletter were mailed to members as a hard copy, with black and white pictures. The page count, depending on quarter, varied from 8-16 pages for most of the year and up to 32 pages for the issue immediately following the annual meeting. All correspondence and communication among the newsletter committee volunteers and the staff in the SMRT central office was managed via fax, fed ex, and telephone calls. Photographs were labeled with physical arrows and other graphics. Edits were sent back and forth via fax and the issue had to be formatted within the "blue line" for the printing process.

The evolution of publications and the process lead to electronic transfer of text, photographs and communication. By 2007 electronic mail, PDFs, jpegs and other digital formats were readily available and used in the production of Signals. As a move toward ecological practices and a cost saving measure a trial period of transitioning Signals into a PDF format that would be available on the website was charged to the committee. The new format and accessibility was so popular with readers the proposed two year transition happened in two quarters! An added bonus was for some of the SMRT members in countries with inconsistent mail delivery, were now able to view Signals reliably on the website at their convenience.

As technology and mass communication continued to evolve into web-based news sites, Signals endeavored to keep current with those trends. With the support and creativity of the central office, an all-electronic format E-Signals was produced in the third quarter of 2012. The PDF format was mailed electronically to all members so that readers had the expediency of the information in their in-box and did not have to visit the website to view Signals. A data analysis indicated that readers did not want to scroll through the publication and click on a topic, to view the information.

At about that time it was noted that SMRT members, as well as the general population, wanted instantaneous information. Producing Signals on a quarterly cycle meant that material was either redundant from information available on the website and or social media; or out dated and no longer relevant. Once again Signals needed to evolve. A hybrid of quarterly features combined with links to up-to-date information led to the development of the web-based format in 2015.

The restructure of the Policy Board / Leadership in 2016 gave a new look to the SMRT with a change in the name, logo, graphics and color scheme. Signals evolved accordingly and constructed the web-based format to match the newly designated leadership areas of: Education, Membership, Relations, and Administration. Data analytics prior to the 2017 Annual Meeting indicated that readership has continued to decline steadily over the past few years. Serious discussion at the annual meeting and policy board meetings since, have led to the realization that it is time for Signals to evolve into an entirely new entity.

It is important for the SMRT to disseminate information to the membership in a meaningful, convenient and expeditious manner. The Signals Newsletter is no longer the instrument for that service. With the capability of e-mail blasts, the many social media connections and the web-site, members will have information accessible without having to scroll through a document.

The effort of the volunteer committee members and the staff in the central office will be used to produce the "Annual Report of the SMRT". It is intended that this publication will have all of the pertinent statistics about the SMRT, biographical background of the leadership, announcements of award recipients and those photographs of the annual meeting that brings us together whether or not we were able to attend in person.

If you have read this far, thank you, your attention is very much appreciated.

I have been asked to add a personal reflection about my years with the SMRT. My first oral presentation was in 1989 at a session for technologists, before the SMRT was officially formed. The media was 35mm slides. Ask your grandmother to explain. The Department of Radiology and the Department of Biophysics at the Medical College of Wisconsin provided me with the opportunity and support to present papers and posters prior to the SMRT offering awards for worthy submissions. It was my most humble honor to be the first technologist to receive the Crues-Kressel award in 1993. In subsequent years I have served on several committees and was the annual meeting program chair in 1997 and 1998, and President in 1999.

The SMRT Annual Meeting in Glasgow, 2001, was when I accepted the appointment as editor of Signals. With this final issue I will have overseen 64 issues and a great change in publishing technology.

Working in various clinical and research positions over these many years I was able to host several regional meetings and accept invitations to speak at local, regional and international meetings. I was honored through the years to receive awards for my paper and poster presentations, including my last poster submission in 2006. The SMRT has also presented to me the following awards: Fellow of the Society 2002, Distinguished Service 2006, and Honorary Member 2012.

It has been my pleasure to serve and be actively involved as an ex-officio Policy Board member since 1996, attending each annual and mid-year meeting. Many of the SMRT folks who have been participating along side of me have become good friends. We enjoy having our in person reunions each year at different locations around the world. May of 2018 will mark the 50^th anniversary of completing my national registry to become a Radiologic Technologist, the last 32 years in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

The Signals Newsletter is now evolving into a well-deserved retirement, having served the SMRT for more than 26 years. So it is with mixed feelings that I sign off as "Editor" and look forward to my own retirement in 2018.