SMRT Signals • November 2017 • Vol.6 Issue 3

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Titti Owman, (R) (CT) (MR), FSMRT
SMRT President 2017-2018

This time of the year we are almost done planning our next Annual Meeting that takes place 15 – 18 June 2018, in Paris, France. In Honolulu, April 2017, we introduced the 4-day meeting program and since it was a big success we are repeating this in Paris. The program looks very appealing and will be complete very soon. It can now be revealed that we have once more managed to engage an elite roster of international MRI speakers to give inspirational and educational talks. Dora Zeidler and her program committee and Marty Sherriff, Joint Forum organizer have done a fantastic job and also found some really hot topics for us to look forward to. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed if you attend the meeting in person; but if you are not able to travel to Paris we are, for the third year in a row, offering the Virtual Meeting which consists of the Saturday-Sunday sessions. Besides listening to the lectures you can ask questions to the speakers in real time through a special SMRT member and moderator that you can chat with.

At the end of the year our members of the abstract committee are also prepared to do their best to decide which posters and talks to accept and later also decide who the award winners will be. The quality of incoming abstracts has substantially improved over the years. If you have an abstract and/or plans to attend our Annual Meeting in Paris you must not forget that you can apply for the SMRT Travel Scholarship if you are in need of financial support and can verify that you meet the criteria. For more detailed information visit the SMRT homepage at www.smrt.org.

During the period since our last annual SMRT meeting in Hawaii we have experienced an increasing number of ongoing SMRT activities in many different directions and areas. We are really lucky to have several new and dedicated members on our committees and workgroups. These members have shown contagious enthusiasm and the amount of ideas and work being done is amazing.

We always try very hard to engage and involve both new and old members in our important work; for example to improve MR education and safety. Don’t forget to try to reach out to your local MR colleagues and remember that it is just as essential to engage them as to find new SMRT members internationally. It would be great if we could get many more MR professionals to understand what a tremendous advantage it is to become a member of SMRT. Let’s make a joint effort to spread the word about our generous membership benefits such as SMRT meeting registration discounts, networking, career support, credit tracking, updated technology news, membership options and more. Last but not least we must also make all MR professionals aware of our fantastic and unique eLearning Center with educational offerings for all types of MR personnel and on all levels.

Extraordinary efforts are being made to give our organization a wider international alignment and collaboration efforts are in the pipeline with a number of professional organizations around the world. We promise to keep you updated about these ongoing and exciting efforts, convinced that SMRT really can offer “A World of Knowledge for Magnetic Resonance Professionals” to an increasing crowd!

We would also like to expand into new parts of the world and to be able to do so we need help not only from our own committees, leadership and organized workgroups but also from individual members. We’re looking for engaged radiographers and technologists that have an interest in developing SMRT activities in countries where we still don’t have an established organization. Don’t hesitate to contact us and ask for support, we are open to new ideas and willing to help you out to get started and to find solutions to support your efforts. Together we can expand the work of the SMRT!

Don’t forget to vote in our upcoming election! We sincerely hope that you are willing to give your input and participate in the election of our future leadership (President elect and Policy Board members). In addition vote for the candidate you think should receive the prestigious Crues-Kressel award of 2018. Nominated are highly qualified persons for the award and for all positions.

This is going to be the very last issue of Signals before our dear newsletter is going to be transitioned into an annual report and it is definitely not possible to write this President’s Message without being a bit sentimental. I must admit that I still remember the days when our newsletter was printed and the joy I felt every time that a special letter showed up on my desk at work. Knowing that I was going to find out more about what was going on in our SMRT-family and also find a few (sometimes funny looking) pictures of friends from around the globe. Attempts have been made to adjust and find new and improved ways to reach out to our members and today’s demands of instant news are not easy to satisfy but we must never forget that old ways won’t open new doors. All Signals fans can look forward to a poster produced by Julie Strandt-Peay where she is going to give us the history of Signals. This poster is going to be a very special attraction at the Paris SMRT poster exhibition!

Without efforts and volunteering from a lot of people and all professional support we get from our home office staff, our very important mission as educators worldwide would not be possible.

Several of you already know that it is not only Signals that we are going to miss in the near future, but we are also going to miss the Editor of Signals, Julie Strandt-Peay who has decided to retire next year after many years and countless hours of volunteer work for SMRT. She has served in many important positions of our organization and received several very well deserved awards over the years. Most importantly since 2001 she has also successfully edited our newsletter, Signals. As the smart and educated lady she is, she has also been a role model for many SMRT members and I am definitely one of them. It is not possible to mention all her contributions to the Policy Board and to our organization and we certainly hope for her indirect support for a long time to come. Even if she retires and steps down as editor she will always be a very important person in our organization! Finally a mild warning to Julie: There is one trouble with retirement; you will never get a day off!

And to ALL of you, members and friends, a few words that I would like to share and to remember when you are out there examining, educating and keeping our MR environment safe:

The most important thing is not the knowledge you absorb, it is the knowledge you apply.

Let’s be careful out there!
Titti ;-)