2024 Secret Sessions

How to Get the Most Out of ISMRM

Organizers: Ariel Hannum, Marco Barbieri, Joana Pinto

Time: Monday, 06 May, 09:15-10:15

Panelists: T.B.A.

Overview: Is this your first time attending ISMRM? Are you a trainee deciding which sessions not to miss? Do you attend ISMRM, but have yet to engage in ISMRM activities outside the annual meeting?

Come join us for a warm welcome from ISMRM. You will learn how to be involved with ISMRM throughout the year! Chapters, study groups, and many other activities and committees shape the ISMRM community; you can be part of those!  We will have a panel of researchers and clinicians involved in those activities. The organizers will provide tips for planning the ISMRM week.

Balancing Clinical, Research, Teaching & Service Responsibilities: The MRI Physicist/Scientist Conundrum

Organizers: Michael Hoff, Ken-Pin Hwang

Time: Monday, 06 May, 13:00-13:45

Panelists: Matt Bernstein, X. Joe Zhou, Trevor Andrews, Martin Graves

Overview: This secret session seeks to educate MRI professionals in achieving a balance in the research, clinical, teaching, AND service aspects of their academic careers. It will be subdivided into two sub-sessions that cover medical doctors working as clinician scientists and physicists/scientists working as medical/MRI physicists in turn. Key facets of both roles and approaches to finding respective academic career harmony will be elucidated.

We will learn from medical physicists how to successfully coordinate the multivariate responsibilities of the position, along with the associated and seemingly disparate career aspirations. The focus will be to educate physicists and scientists on how to balance their clinical practice while making contributions to research, teaching, and scholastic activity.

Medical doctors in academic settings are often overloaded with clinical duties. It is a challenge to carve out protected time, find support for clinical research and build a niche in the field. Clinician scientists who aspire to a career in imaging research will be prepared for the reality of the academic world that lies ahead of them.

This secret session aims to give hope for those brave enough to envision a future as academically active MRI physicists or clinician scientists, with emphasis on the close cooperation and enthusiastic contributions required by all involved.

It’s the Hard Knock Life… of a Clinician Scientist

Organizer: Katja Pinker-Domenig

Time: Monday, 06 May, 13:45-14:30

Overview: This secret session seeks to educate MRI professionals in achieving a balance in the research, clinical, teaching, AND service aspects of their academic careers. It will be subdivided into two sub-sessions that cover medical doctors working as clinician scientists and physicists/scientists working as medical/MRI physicists in turn. Key facets of both roles and approaches to finding respective academic career harmony will be elucidated.
We will learn from medical physicists how to successfully coordinate the multivariate responsibilities of the position, along with the associated and seemingly disparate career aspirations. The focus will be to educate physicists and scientists on how to balance their clinical practice while making contributions to research, teaching, and scholastic activity.

Medical doctors in academic settings are often overloaded with clinical duties. It is a challenge to carve out protected time, find support for clinical research and build a niche in the field. Clinician scientists who aspire to a career in imaging research will be prepared for the reality of the academic world that lies ahead of them.

This secret session aims to give hope for those brave enough to envision a future as academically active MRI physicists or clinician scientists, with emphasis on the close cooperation and enthusiastic contributions required by all involved.

Breaking Barriers: Culturally Aware Mentorship in Radiology

Organizer: Jade Anderson

Time: Tuesday, 07 May, 08:30-09:30

Panelists: Jade A. Anderson, MD, Efren Flores, MD, Anand Narayan, MD

Moderators: Joseph Tang, MD and Jade A. Anderson, MD

Overview: Join us for an enlightening session on ‘Culturally Aware Mentoring in Radiology, where we explore the pivotal role of cultural background and intersectionality in mentorship, often overlooked in the radiology and rad-science community during workforce development and recruitment. Our program defines Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM) and emphasizes the necessity of fostering successful mentor-mentee relationships across diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Through CAM, we aim to bridge gaps, enhance diversity, and promote career advancement and recruitment for radiology faculty, trainees, and scientists from diverse sociocultural backgrounds, and navigate barriers to its incorporation. Together, let’s empower the radiology workforce through culturally informed mentorship practices!

Demystifying Common MR Artifacts

Organizers: Mingming Wu, Olusola Adeleke

Time: Tuesday, 07 May, 09:30-10:15

Panelists: Carolin Pirkl, Barbara Wichtmann

Overview: Did you know that MRI can create ghosts? But have no fear! – It’s only an artifact, ‘A spurious result, effect, or finding in a scientific experiment or investigation, esp. one created by the experimental technique or procedure itself.’ (Oxford English Dictionary).

In this interactive session we will have engaging quizzes followed by technical background information to demystify the most commonly seen artifacts in the daily clinical routine. We will cover phenomena ranging from chemical shift, over motion until T2 shine through and ringing artifacts. The target audience are people with only little or no technical background. Spread the word and flock to this session!

Community Engagement & Educational Outreach

Organizer: Lauren Watkins

Time: Tuesday, 07 May, 13:00:-14:00

Panelists: Stuart Clare, PhD, Krishna Nayak, PhD, Phil Adamson

Overview: Have you ever wondered how to be more involved in public engagement and outreach? This secret session will include a panel discussion of current efforts in educational and outreach programs and provide members with a space to share their experiences, exchange ideas, pool resources, and brainstorm solutions to some of the common challenges faced during these activities. The overall goal is to increase participation in community engagement and educational outreach programs by members the ISMRM community.

Mentor Speed Meeting (Room 308-309)

Organizer: Jessica Martinez

Time: Tuesday, 07 May, 15:45-16:45

Overview: Back by popular demand for the third consecutive year, the Mentor Speed Meeting is back! This is a dynamic event where scholars from diverse career stages, with common research interests, meet to create meaningful connections. The secret sessions offer a networking opportunity to increase your professional journey, whether you’re on the lookout for your next career move, eager to connect with potential employers, or simply yearning for mentorship beyond your current circles. Participants engage in a series of seven-minute conversations with five mentors meticulously selected to match their interests.

MRI Accessibility & Skills Development Bridging Disparities & Enhancing Capacity in Underserved Regions

Organizers: Cristian Montalba, Jingting Yao, Surendra Maharjan, Israa Hissein, Ronald Amodoi, Aduluwa Harrison, Johnes Obungoloch, Udunna Anazodo, Alexandra Nwigwe, André J.W. van der Kouwe, and Jerome L. Ackerman

Time: Wednesday, 08 May, 09:00-9:45

Panelists: Tchoyoson Lim, Sonal Krishan, Shawna Farquharson

Overview: This session explores the global disparities in MRI technology accessibility, focusing on Asia and Africa. By 70% of the world’s population having limited MRI access, this imbalance is stark in low to middle-income regions. Our panel will discuss training challenges, brain drain, and potential interventions to improve access and education in MRI technologies. We aim to create actionable solutions for equitable healthcare advancements by leveraging global insights and collaborative efforts. Join us in addressing these critical gaps and fostering innovation across diverse healthcare landscapes.

Topic 1 Title: Landscape of MRI Training and Education in South Asia
Speaker: Tchoyoson Lim
Institution: Neuroradiology, National Neuroscience Institute/Duke-NUS, Singapore
Synopsis: An overview of the MRI training environment in South Asia from a well-established MRI educator with experience in MRI training across South Asia

 Topic 2 Title: MRI Education Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia
Speaker: Sonal Krishan
Institution: Associate Director Body and GI Imaging, Gurgaon, India
Synopsis: Introduce barriers and opportunities with retention of MRI experts in South Asia and how this shapes research and clinical care in South Asia

 Topic 3 Title: Lesson Learned from Africa: Building Imaging Physics Capacity in Nigeria
Speaker: Michael Dada
Institution: Medical Physicist, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria & Site Director, SPARK Minna
Synopsis: Overview the SPARK initiative, impact from the 2023 pilot program and future opportunities to advance MRI skills development LMICs.

 Topic 4 Title: Imaging Without Borders (IMAGINE)
Speaker: Maureen Nayabere
Institution: Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), MRI Uganda and Co-Chair, IMAGINE Summer School.
Synopsis: Overview of the IMAGINE initiative, potential impact of training in low-field engineering and future opportunities.

Unique Opportunities & Challenges of MRI Research Around the Globe

Organizers: Judith Zimmermann, Rupsa Bhattacharjee

Time: Wednesday, 08 May, 09:45-10:30

Panelists: Analia Zwick, PhD, Johnes Obungoloch, PhD, Amit Mehndiratta, PhD
… and listening from our AMPC: Kathryn Keenan, PhD, NIST, Boulder, USA

Overview: This secret session serves as a platform for researchers from typically underrepresented countries at the ISMRM Annual Meeting. From PIs who lead basic MRI research efforts in such parts around the globe, we will learn about their unique research landscape at their home institutions, as well as opportunities they see and challenges, they face. We will discuss how the broader ISMRM community can support these efforts and consider actions toward demographic-specific solutions to some of the challenges discussed.

The Road Not Taken: Navigating Diverse Career Paths

Organizer: Ye Tian

Time: Wednesday, 08 May, 13:00:-14:00

Panelists: H. Harry Hu, PhD, Matthew Rosen, PhD, James H Holmes, PhD

Overview: Join us to discover the Untaken Road and gain valuable insights to shape your future! We will feature three panelists with extensive experiences in academia, industry, and clinics, who will share their personal stories and insights, followed by an open discussion. We will delve into topics such as work-life balance, mindset, and professional skills from different perspectives, and bridge the gaps. This session is tailored for early-stage professionals who are planning their career paths and anyone who wants to explore different trajectories. Join us as we navigate the intersections of academia, industry and clinics, offering guidance and inspiration for the roads ahead!

MRI Skills Development Ensuring a Coding Framework for Success: MRM Code Review Initiative

Organizers: Cristian Montalba

Time: Thursday, 09 May, 09:15-10:15

Panelists: Krishna Nayak, Peter Jezzard, Francesco Santini, Maria Eugenia Caligiuri, Charles McGrath, Anaïs Artiges

Moderator: Sophie Schauman

Overview: Reproducibility is a crucial aspect of science. In an attempt to help authors ensure their code is usable by others, the MRM journal, in consultation with the Reproducible Research Study Group, has created the code review initiative to improve reproducibility in science in the MRI community. Authors submitting papers with related code can apply to be evaluated based on documentation quality, ease of use, completeness, and best practices like version control. The session aims to talk about this initiative, gather perspectives, and foster a culture of excellence and collaboration for continuous improvement and innovation in the MRI community.

Why BART? User Meetings & Hands-On Sessions

Organizers: Jon Tamir, Miki Lustig, Martin Uecker

Time: Thursday, 09 May, 13:00:-14:00

Panelists: Yamin Arefeen, Evan Frenklak, Kwanjin Jung, Namgyun Lee, Daniel Mackner, Shreya Ramachandran, Stephen Sawiak

Overview: BART! BART! What is it good for? Join us to find out as we discuss the BART open-source toolbox for Computational MRI. The BART team will give updates on the latest features and documentation roadmap for the toolbox. We will then have power-pitch presentations from community members that use BART in their research. Finally, we will have parallel interactive stations ranging from basic usage, to common data processing pipelines, to emphasis on applications of BART, top open-ended support. Finally, we will have an open discussion on future development, webinars, and workshops.