SIR will soon be more member-driven than ever, thanks to the governance structure evolution currently underway. The improved structure, which will make communication between all members easier and more transparent, will also increase volunteer opportunities, highlight the path to leadership, and allow SIR and SIR Foundation to function at the highest capacity.
The governance evolution was spurred by SIR’s rapid expansion in recent years. “We’ve added new areas to our governance that didn’t exist when we were founded,” said President-elect Parag J. Patel, MD, MS, FSIR. “Since our founding, we’ve prioritized research and educational offerings. We’ve added a number of communities and interest groups since then.” According to Dr. Patel, these communities and areas were simply added onto the existing structure, making for an organizational chart that was, at times, difficult to explain and didn’t function as smoothly as needed to encompass all of SIR’s moving parts. “This governance evolution is a compliment to the growth of SIR and SIR Foundation,” Dr. Patel said. “We need to restructure to match our tremendous growth.”
The governance evolution has been planned for almost 2 years, with Dr. Patel spearheading the effort alongside Secretary Alda L. Tam, MD, FSIR, Immediate Past-president Michael D. Dake, MD, FSIR and SIR Foundation chair Katharine L. Krol, MD, FSIR . The goal was to streamline the structure while considering the priorities, needs and voices of members. “Baked into the restructure is the importance of communication and transparency,” said Dr. Dake. “This is the first substantial improvement to our governing structures, and it has been crowdsourced from member opinions and ideas.”
The main changes
Michael D. Dake, MD, FSIR; Katharine L. Krol, MD, FSIR, Parag J. Patel, MD, MS, FSIR; Alda L. Tam, MD, FSIR.
“The new structure prioritizes member interaction and initiative,” said Dr. Tam. “Because the whole structure now has better communication, an idea can start at the bottom and work its way to the top very easily.”
Clinical specialty councils
One way this is accomplished is through the new clinical specialty councils, which bring together SIR’s disease state experts. In the former structure, these experts were known as the service lines, each of which was run by a chair or co-chairs and had a general member roster. Now, the former service lines each have their own specific steering committee, comprised of up to fifteen members, and each disease state will be represented at the larger, bimonthly Steering Council meeting. All existing service lines will be included, with the new addition of pediatric IR. “Pediatric IR has unique needs and issues,” said Dr. Patel. “We felt we could do a better job of serving that group than we previously have, especially because many general interventionalists have to treat pediatric patients as well and will benefit from the knowledge of our specialized colleagues.”
There are some vocabulary changes that come with this restructure. As the service lines are now referred to as the clinical specialty councils, the chair of each council is now called the councilor. “There are some new words to learn,” says Dr. Dake. “But there is already such positive energy existing around these new ideas and titles.”
Under this new structure, the clinical specialty councils will have a more active role in SIR and SIR Foundation initiatives. “It used to be that board members would meet, and then service lines would be notified if something was needed,” said Dr. Patel. “Now our clinical specialty councilors will have the ability to notify leadership about matters in their disease state that are coming up or need attention.”
SIR and SIR Foundation Steering Council
In order to communicate the needs and initiatives of the various disease state experts, clinical specialty councilors will join the newly formed SIR and SIR Foundation Steering Council. The steering council will include SIR division councilors and SIR Foundation division chairs. This structure enables clinical specialty councilors to learn about the efforts being undertaken by other divisions and can put forth initiatives and programs for discussion.
“The decision-making occurs at the Steering Council meetings now,” said Dr. Patel. “Councilors can make decisions, bring questions, propose actions and ratify decisions. If resources are needed, then it will move up the ladder. If resources already exist, the Steering Council has the authority to just move forward.”
Private practice representation
The new structure is also more inclusive of private practice IRs; Each clinical specialty council has specifically allocated a seat for a private practice representative. “That’s eight opportunities specifically for private practice members to get involved,” said Dr. Patel. It’s important to note, Dr. Patel added, that private practice IRs aren’t constrained to only one seat per clinical specialty council—if an entire council were to be comprised of private practitioners, that wouldn’t be an issue. “SIR is not an organization that is strictly for one group or community. We are trying to serve all IRs.” This can be difficult at times, due to the various practice patterns and disease states that make up the specialty. But Dr. Patel says including as many of these differing perspectives as possible will only benefit members—and patients.
SIR Foundation
Though most of the changes are focused on SIR divisions, the new structure will also maximize communication channels between SIR and SIR Foundation." While the SIR Foundation is a distinct and separate entity from the SIR, the Foundation serves the needs of the SIR membership and our patients,” said Dr. Krol. “The new governance structure is intended to enhance the communication between the Society and the Foundation, making the Foundation able to more nimbly respond to the needs of members and patients.”
Under the evolved structure, SIR Foundation division chairs will be voting members of the Steering Council. “Many of the issues that may come up through our clinical specialty councils and divisions will need SIR Foundation support,” says Dr. Dake. “Some will be societal matters, but any proposals that include research efforts will lean on the foundation. By having SIR Foundation chairs present, they will be not only involved in prioritizing these initiatives but crucial to guiding them forward.”
"The governance changes will also open opportunities for more member involvement in the Foundation as well as in the Society, meeting a need for our member-driven organizations," Dr. Krol said.
SIR Board of Directors
The highest levels of the governance structure will change as well, as the SIR Executive Council will become the SIR Board of Directors. The board will be a more effective and skills-based governing body than its predecessor, shrinking from 26 members to six to nine. This group will be involved in assessing the overall strategic direction for SIR and allocating resources to initiatives advanced by the Steering Council. “We are excited about the proposed Board of Directors,” Dr. Tam said. “It’s a key component of being able to drive the long-term goals for the society.”
Enhancing the volunteer experience
According to Dr. Dake, the new structure was designed to place priority on member involvement. The changes will now provide more volunteer opportunities and more options to train for leadership.
SIR Board of Directors
The highest levels of the governance structure will change as well, as the SIR Executive Council will become the SIR Board of Directors. The board will be a more
“The pathway to leadership has been a bit opaque at times,” Dr. Dake said. “Members may not have known how to get involved or put themselves forward for leadership opportunities. The new structure makes that trajectory very transparent and sets up a gradual pathway to leadership.”
According to Drs. Patel and Dake, this transparency will improve the member volunteer experience in general. Volunteers operating in one division should now be able to understand the flow of information—both in how it goes upward and goes across the organization. If a member moves on to a different division to focus on other volunteer areas, they will already understand how the flow of information works. Communication channels have now been streamlined across all divisions.
“I hope that members get as excited by this evolution as we have,” Dr. Patel said. “It’s a structure that is made to prioritize our ability to work together and maximize volunteer knowledge. Hopefully, it enables us to move forward and collaborate seamlessly—and also help welcome in a whole new group of volunteers.”
Putting it into action
Some of the new structure is already in place. The clinical specialty councils have been formed, and leaders have begun filling out their rosters. The SIR and SIR Foundation Steering Council has also held several meetings and begun putting forward initiatives. However, the full vision of the re-structure won’t be realized until June 2022, when the Members’ Business Meeting will include a formal vote by membership to change the bylaws. At that point, with approval, the structure can officially change, and the Executive Council will transition into the Board of Directors.
“There are going to be uncertainties, both for membership and staff,” said Dr. Dake. “We will all have to work through the changes together. But I am confident that SIR Foundation and SIR will be in a better place because of this evolution.” Dr. Dake encourages members to become familiar with the new organization chart, not only so they can bring any questions to the Members’ Business Meeting next summer, but so they can identify areas where they would like to get involved.
“We want this to be digestible,” Dr. Patel said. “Hopefully by next year our members will understand the new structure and feel empowered to bring initiatives and questions up through it. If we’ve done our job, then this will just be a background structure that puts us on the path to success and enables members to focus on the work—not on the process.”
