In August, we find ourselves well into the dog days of summer. In my part of the world, that means a return of the classic corncob foreign body (pictured).
The Program Committee continues its preparation of our first virtual Annual Scientific Meeting. The schedule is being finalized and will be available in the next few weeks. Among others, please watch out for CT/MRI Society keynote speaker Dr. Nancy Fischbein, neuroradiologist from Stanford University and ACVR keynote speaker on radiation protection Dr. Kimberly Applegate, Chair of the ICRP Committee 3. There will also be a Virtual Exhibit Hall for the chance to meet with all of your favorite vendors.
Watch Discourse, your email and the ACVR Events page as meeting registration will open shortly. ACVR has decided to support its membership by reducing the cost of registration for this year. Between a brand new meeting format and a challenging time for many we have decided to lower registration to $450 for Diplomates and $250 for Trainees. We really hope you join us!
Although this year’s meeting is virtual, meeting attendance still counts toward the mandatory 3-year ACVR attendance requirement and for MOC credits. If this is the third year since your last Annual Meeting attendance, you will be expected to register and attend.
Despite the complexities that have arisen from the global COVID pandemic, most first year residents have started their programs, be it in person or at a distance. A warm welcome to the ACVR! Congratulations! You have chosen a specialty that will never cease to amaze and challenge you.
Feedback received from residency programs over the past few months revealed that a plethora of residency training resources have been developed by several teleradiology and CE entities. These resources are greatly appreciated by residents and Residency Directors as an enhancement to programs. A summary of what is on offer is available here. It is also worth a reminder that ACVR RIVDI (Rounds in Veterinary Diagnostic imaging) have been up and running bi-monthly since the spring, to great success! Details are available on the ACVR website.
A couple of reminders for Residency Directors:
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You have until August 17 to register your new residents with the ACVR! After August 17, ACVR will reach out to all first year residents with instructions on completing their user profile and resident dues payments, which will ensure access to Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound and to the Discourse Residents’ and Trainees information threads.
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Please make sure that you are listed on both the Trainees email list and the Residency Directors Discourse thread, in order to receive important updates. You may contact Libby Dietrich at PAMED to confirm that you are on the list.
The ACVR has recently partnered with the Hands Free X-Ray initiative, which was created to promote radiation safety awareness and training. They offer educational material, online courses and positioning devices and have developed a really nice educational poster that we should probably all have in our imaging suites.
Executive Council will be holding our fall meetings in September and October and we look forward to catching up on the great work that our committees have been up to. If you have any topics that you feel should be addressed by Council, please let us know.
On that note, there are 2 positions on Executive Council that need to be filled and we are seeking interested candidates for the fall Council member elections. Council members attend bi-annual ACVR Council Meetings, weigh in on ACVR council discussions and decisions throughout the year and serve as liaisons to various ACVR committees. Please contact Dr. Nathan Nelson if you are interested or if you know of someone who might be.
The ACVR is also seeking a new Treasurer to begin in December 2020. This is a 3-year mandate with a paid stipend. The treasurer sits on ACVR Executive Council and duties include: working with the ACVR controller to oversee ACVR finances, creating bi-annual financial reports, summarizing financial activity at annual business meetings, overseeing dues and creating an annual budget. Please contact Dr. Nathan Nelson if you are interested or if you know of someone who might be.
On a final note, the VRU impact factor continues to increase, up to 1.226 in 2019 from 1.129 the previous year. Thank you to everyone who is contributing to the high-quality research that keeps advancing our specialty!
Dr. Kate Alexander
