Constantino Peña, MD, FSIR
The past annual meeting chair for SIR 2020 and SIR 2021 and international liaison to the Annual Meeting Committee (AMC) works to ensure that the annual meeting meets the needs and fosters the growth of the global interventional radiology community.
You’ve been on the front lines of the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting since beginning your term as scientific program chair in 2017. How has the annual meeting evolved over those years?
Constantino S. Peña, MD, FSIR: For one thing, the meeting—like the specialty—has become far more complex. There are many more different areas of expertise and practice types, all under the umbrella of IR. With that degree of diversity, it becomes increasingly difficult to meet the true needs of the IR community—and obviously the pandemic has made meeting planning that much more of a challenge.
That said, the Annual Meeting Committee (AMC) has been highly adaptable in addressing all of these new angles, as well as the changes required in this “new normal.” We are proud and excited that the SIR 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting will have something for everybody in the IR community.
Has the AMC itself evolved over the years as well?
CP: Absolutely—the amount of work and complexity of the specialty has required much more teamwork. In the past, the labor was divided with everyone focused almost exclusively on their own roles. We would then plug them in to create the central themes and messages, the annual meeting chair serving as the glue to put it all together.
Now, all the different elements are so interrelated that we all rely far more on each other. We have far more meetings and discussions. We have become a tight family. The AMC has always been a team, but I would say it’s morphed into a much more cohesive group where everyone in the committee is participating in decisions
How have you played a role in planning SIR 2022 programming?
CP: The committee has given me the opportunity to stay involved by adding into the mix the insights I’ve gained over the years. After a canceled live meeting and two virtual meetings, it is like starting from scratch. Organizing a meeting the size of the in-person SIR annual meeting without the memory of previous years is challenging. With all of the different aspects of IR and needs of the community to meet, it’s increasingly valuable to have more opinions on the programming as well. I feel fortunate to have remained part of the AMC and to have been involved in many of the decisions. I’ve both appreciated and enjoyed the experience.
Tell us about your role as international liaison to the AMC.
CP: Increasingly, the IR community has looked at the society for leadership, but SIR needs to be a global leader in interventional radiology. So it's become ever more important to make sure that the annual meeting both addresses the needs of and reflects the challenges of the global IR community. It’s only with that mindset that we’ll be able to help foster the growth of the specialty around the world, in whatever form it takes. From an educational standpoint we enrich our membership by highlighting and learning from our international IRs that may see certain situations and disease states far more commonly.
Of course, the pandemic will understandably still limit and restrict some international travel, but I think there will still be a strong international presence. Because of that presence, the AMC has considered the programming through the lens of seeing IR from global perspective. That's really what the meeting is about—being able to exchange incredibly diverse ideas and dialogue in a collegial setting.
What SIR 2022 programming is specific to international IR?
CP: We may not have as many international sessions as we’ve had in some years (again, because of the pandemic), but there are a number of options for attendees—from a Saturday session on global IR initiatives for medical students, to a session on Wednesday on global outreach for women’s health.
I expect next year to bring more programming from IR societies in other countries.
What would you tell someone who is still deciding whether to attend the SIR 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting?
CP: Anyone who’s been to an SIR annual meeting knows what Boston will bring—strong educational programming, exciting new technologies and applications, memorable interaction with leaders in the field, and the opportunity to network and catch up with your friends and colleagues. Hopefully it will include some clam chowder! It’s going to be an outstanding return to live meetings and I look forward to seeing everyone there!
