The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) continued a busy four-day stretch by introducing several new officers during its 2019 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.
Vasken Dilsizian, MD, is SNMMI’s newest president. Dilsizian is a professor of radiology and medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He sits on the board of directors for both SNMMI and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.
“This is an exciting time for the field of nuclear medicine,” Dilsizian said in a prepared statement. “Within a short period of time, we have witnessed the approval of several new diagnostic and therapeutic agents by the FDA, which was a tall order. More innovations are in development and clinical trials, with potentially huge impact for patients. SNMMI is ready to meet the challenge of guiding them to approval and appropriate reimbursement.”
Dilsizian also expressed that SNMMI’s large, unique membership is one of its most important qualities. He aims to focus on the group’s members, and how they can make an impact on patient care, during his time as president.
“SNMMI will work to engage and involve more in the community, in the United States and internationally, from students and residents to professionals in related specialties,” he said in the same statement. “The society needs to cast a wide net and cultivate opportunities for collaboration with the other professional organizations, underscoring the value of molecular imaging for patient management, promoting additional subspecialty nuclear medicine training, and fostering scientific investigations.”
Also, Mark H. Crosthwaite, Med, CNMT, PET, NMTCB(S), is the new president of the SNMMI Technologist Section (SNMMI-TS). Crosthwaite is an associate professor and program director of the baccalaureate nuclear medicine technology program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
“As SNMMI-TS president elect, my goal is to strengthen support of nuclear medicine technologists, ensuring they have the resources to advance their careers and to provide the highest quality of care to patients,” he said in a separate statement. “There is always room to enhance communications, educational offerings, advocacy and research support. In the rapidly evolving field of nuclear medicine, I also firmly believe in sharing knowledge and working together with related societies and the international community to bring patients state-of-the-art imaging and precision therapies.”
In other SNMMI officer news, Alan B. Packard, PhD, has been elected SNMMI’s president-elect. Richard L. Wahl, MD, is the society’s newest vice-president elect.
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