Wednesday, Nov. 29, at RSNA 2017 in Chicago, Vijay M. Rao, MD, was officially named RSNA’s newest president. She had served as president-elect for the last year.

Rao is the David C. Levin Professor and Chair of Radiology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She is also the senior vice president and chair of enterprise radiology and imaging at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. In 2002, she became the first female chair of a clinical department in Thomas Jefferson University’s history when she was appointed chair of the school’s department of radiology.

Rao has been a longtime member of the RSNA Board of Directors. In the past, she has also served as president of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology, the Association of Program Directors in Radiology and the American Association for Women Radiologists.

“It is gratifying to see RSNA volunteers passionately devote their time to support major initiatives that are greatly promoting education and research with the goal of transforming patient care and population health,” Rao said in a prepared statement. “As a former board liaison for Information Technology and Annual Meeting, I strongly believe RSNA is instrumental in moving the field forward. I am excited to represent such a vibrant and innovative organization, and nurture collaborations worldwide.”

RSNA’s previous president, Richard L. Ehmann, MD, spoke with Radiology Business Journal in October to preview RSNA 2017. That Q&A interview can be found here.