As the interventional radiology community reconnects at the SIR 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, attendees look forward to again re-experiencing the memorable Dotter Lecture, the energy of the Expo and the tremendous scientific content that fills each day’s programming.
For many years, another hallmark of the SIR annual meeting has been the SIR International Scholarship participants gathering from around the globe to exchange ideas with other IRs in this collegial setting so they can carry back to their homeland the lessons they’ve learned.
According to Jay Shah, MD, who leads this year’s program along with Janice Newsome, MD, FSIR, “This program, in which representatives from other countries can attend our meeting, is incredibly important not just for them and SIR, but for the specialty itself. It gives SIR members a unique opportunity to gain new perspectives and insights about the field and its practice from overseas, just as the scholars will learn from other attendees and from meeting content. These interactions will hopefully spur new bilateral collaboration and innovation, furthering the field in new ways.”
With the challenges of international travel in the COVID area, however, the program may have been more difficult to accomplish than in the past—indeed, some selected scholars were unable to travel to SIR 2022 because of regional restrictions. However, Dr. Shah notes, the society’s enthusiasm for the program has remained undiminished: “SIR’s mission is to improve lives through image-guided therapy. That mission cannot be constrained by borders and must be furthered by people. The International Scholars program meets that need through increased IR access and sponsorship and education of talented physicians from around the world invited to the meeting.”
The scholars will be kept busy this week: in addition to attending sessions throughout the meeting, the group will gather for daily luncheons with special activities and competitions. For example, one day’s luncheon will feature a brief case competition in which each scholar presents the management of a case, using “available” tools instead of “expected” tools. This competition is designed to showcase their innovation and problem-solving prowess.
“The SIR 2022 International Scholar class is especially unique,” Dr. Shah concludes. “This cohort is not only the first in-person class since the start of the pandemic, but it also marks the 10-year anniversary of the program.”
Watch for essays written by the scholars about their experience to appear in a future issue of IR Quarterly magazine.
SIR congratulates this year’s International Scholars traveling to SIR 2022. Please be sure to introduce yourself and extend a warm welcome if you see them in Boston!
- Ziad Abdul, MD (Tanzania)
- Dorothea Amin, MD (Ghana)
- Ahmed Elsahhar, MD (Egypt)
- Umutoni Gahizi, MBBS (Rwanda)
- Chinmay Kulkarni, MD (India)
- Mohammad Abu Rumman, MD (Jordan)
- Catalina Rodriguez Salas, MD (Chile)
- Ofonime Ukweh, MBBCH (Nigeria)
