SMRT 18th Annual Meeting 
18-19 April 2009
Honolulu, Hawaii

SMRT 18th Annual Meeting “Evolution of MR Innovation”
 
The Program and Education Committees would like to invite technologists from around the world to attend the 18th Annual Meeting of the Section for Magnetic Resonance Technologist. Our meeting will be held 18th -19th of April 2009 in conjunction with the 17th Scientific Meeting and Exhibition of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine at the Hawai’i Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawai’i , USA. The goal of the SMRT is to provide quality educational opportunities for the MR technologist/radiographer and to establish and maintain a high level of professionalism in the field.
 
Two of the most regarded and effective components of the meeting continue to be the proffered papers and poster presentation. We widely encourage technologists from around the world to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentation. The poster exhibition and walking tour will be a key event on Friday evening prior to the weekend program. This is a great opportunity to meet other registrants and see the outstanding standard your colleagues are producing both in scientific and clinical environments. The meeting program allows for seven oral presentations. These presentations will be made by the authors of the top scoring abstracts. The top overall score receives the President’s Award; first, second, and third place in either clinical or research will be awarded as well. Abstracts that are not selected for an award and oral presentation may then submit a poster electronically for poster award consideration. Poster awards include first, second, and third in each category, clinical or research. Abstracts with either a clinical or research focus will be accepted until 7 January 2009. Online abstract instructions and submissions will be available on the SMRT website: www.ismrm.org/smrt.
 
This program offers a diverse range of forums including MR technology updates, safety, 3T, abdominal, paediatric, neuro, and emerging technologies such as molecular, ultrashort TE (UTE), and lung imaging. The SMRT Business Meeting will be held before lunch on Saturday. The Business Meeting is an open session for members to attend and learn what the SMRT is doing to further its mission and goals. Members can observe the activities of the SMRT over the previous year and the goals for the upcoming year. All members of the Policy Board and Executive committees are introduced. This is an important part of the meeting where you as a member get to voice your questions/ opinions to the Policy Board and Executive members. Your attendance and interaction at this meeting is invaluable to the SMRT in continuously improving our networking with our membership and allowing the SMRT to increase its ability to evolve further as a global resource of MR education. Sunday afternoon awards will be presented to our members who have helped fulfil the SMRT’s commitment to excellence in MR education. Awards will also be presented to the authors of the most outstanding papers and posters in the clinical and research focus area.
 
Please be sure to attend the SMRT and ISMRM Joint Forum presentation which will be held at 14:00, Monday, 20 April 2009. Your registration for the SMRT Annual Meeting allows you to attend this forum. This year the forum topic is titled “How to do a Multi-site Neuroimaging Study,” moderated by Caron Murray, MRT(R)AC(CT(MR) and Daniel Sodickson, M.D., Ph.D. The joint forum, by design, is a grand collaboration of energy and talent between the ISMRM and the SMRT which continuously promotes the highest quality of education in the MR world.
 
The SMRT was established to provide superior educational opportunities for technologist/radiographers as well as a forum for members to collaborate with and learn from each other. The 2009 Annual Meeting is dedicated to providing these numerous important tools. On behalf of the 2009 Program and Education Committees, we are pleased to invite you to join us in Honolulu for a celebration of evolution of MR innovation.
 
2009 Program Chairs: 2009 Education Chair:
   
Ben Kennedy, BAppSc(MIT) MMRT Sonja Kay Robb-Belville, B.S., R.T.,(R)(MR)