In June 2019, UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiology was well represented at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) Annual Meeting in Aurora, CO. At this meeting, Radiologists, Data Scientists, Fellows, Residents, and Imaging Informatics Professionals come together to keep up with current topics in imaging informatics, present scientific papers, learn and interact with colleagues. The meeting provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with thought leaders in industry and academics in a setting where all attendees are striving for the same goal — to improve the practice of radiology through implementation of innovative technologies and strategies.
This year’s attendees included Daniel Nissman, MD, Division Chief of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Ben Mervak, MD, Abdominal Radiologist and the Departmental Chief Medical Informatics Officer, R3/PGY4 Raymond Wong, MD, Tonya Edge, RT (R), Certified Imaging Informatics Professional (CIIP), and Jay Crawford, DHA, CIIP, Radiology Informatics Manager.
Dr. Wong presented a historical overview of artificial intelligence (AI) in an educational session entitled, “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Imaging Informatics: History, Reality and Hype.” Mrs. Edge led a lively and interactive session to a packed house on the steps required for achieving the CIIP certification. Her session also provided a multitude of resources and study tips to help guide attendees through the certification process.
AI dominated the technical and scientific sessions this year, as this burgeoning technology will fundamentally impact radiology workflow and the day-to-day lives of Radiologists. Other interesting topics included enterprise imaging architecture, radiologist workflow enhancements, measures of quality and performance metrics, and clinical decision support implementation strategies.
The diversity in the roles of the UNC attendees, combined with the relevant discussions of timely imaging informatics issues, provided a great underpinning of knowledge and demonstrates a firm commitment to continuous investment in the department’s future technical imaging solutions and innovations.
UNC Radiology SIIM Attendees: Associate Professor Dr. Dan Nissman, Assistant Professor Dr. Ben Mervak, Outreach/Informatics Business Systems Analyst Tonya Edge, Radiology Informatics Manager Jay Crawford, R3 Dr. Raymond Wong