UW Department of Radiology - Winter 2023 Newsletter

Radiology News VOL. 27 - WINTER 2023

Thomas Grist Imparts a Legacy of Leadership through Community p. 4 Scott Reeder to Become Chair of UW Radiology Department p. 6 UW and GE Broaden Shared Commitment to Health Care Innovation p. 10

Photo Credit: Sandip Biswal, MD

Contents Leadership Updates p. 4 Education Updates p. 23 Clinical Highlights p. 10

Faculty News p. 24

Research Report p. 12

Honors & Awards p. 28

Society Meetings p. 18

Points of Pride p. 30

Community Engagement p. 20

Alumni Spotlights p. 32

Letter from the Chair: Looking Back & Forward!

As the close of 2023 marks the end of my tenure as department chair, I am reminded that the ending of one era marks the beginning of another. I am so excited about the next era for UW Radiology!

For the department, 2024 marks the beginning of Scott Reeder, MD, PhD’s time as chair. On both a professional and personal level, I whole-heartedly endorse Scott’s appointment as our next chairperson.

With his diverse experience, knowledge of the department, and commitment to our mission, Scott is uniquely positioned to lead the department in its continued growth as a leading department in our field of Radiology. As this newsletter’s content demonstrates, the department is not slowing down. We finalized a new 10-year research agreement between the University of Wisconsin and GE HealthCare that will build upon a long history of innovation in medical imaging to improve human health. Our Education team introduced a mentorship program to connect faculty with residents.

Several of our faculty received prestigious awards for their work, and others reached out to encourage high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to consider radiology careers through the HOPE program.

For me, the new year is also a time to pursue a few new opportunities. I will continue working with our partners across the state of Wisconsin to launch the recently federally designated Wisconsin Biohealth Techn Hub. I will also be working with international Radiology colleagues and industry partnerships to reduce the energy consumption of medical imaging with the goal of reducing our contribution to climate change.

We are so fortunate to have amazing colleagues in the UW Department of Radiology, and I feel very grateful for the opportunity to serve as your chair for the past 19 years. We could not have accomplished all we did together without everyone’s support. It truly has been a wonderful journey together. And as Mark Frost noted, “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming .... WOW what a ride.”

Thank you for making this a great ride, and ON WISCONSIN! Thomas Grist, MD

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LEADERSHIP UPDATES

Thomas Grist Imparts a Legacy of Leadership Through Community After nearly 19 years as the chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Radiology, Thomas Grist, MD will step down at the end of 2023. Through challenges like resource constraints, expanded coverage, and the pandemic, Dr. Grist led with a personable, community-focused approach that enabled the department’s continued growth as a national leader in research, education and patient care.

Dr. Grist joined the department in 1991 and became the vice chair of research in 1996. He quickly identified the opportunity for more collaboration in the domain. “That’s when I started the initiative to bring our research groups together,” explains Dr. Grist. “I recognized the power of having radiologists and medical physicists physically near each other – and near state-of the-art medical imaging equipment.”

He focused on expanding the department’s research partnership with GE HealthCare and other industry partners to build the Imaging Sciences Center within the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) building. Completed in 2012, the 469,000-square-foot building includes laboratory spaces, imaging and radiation sciences research space, and a vivarium. This enabled the Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics to collaborate more closely and bring innovations from bench to bedside.

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“[WIMR] has really exceeded my expectations in bringing people together,” says Dr. Grist. “It’s allowed us to recruit some incredible faculty and to create an environment where developments can be translated into clinical practice.”

In 2005, Dr. Grist succeeded Patrick Turski, MD to become chair.

Since then, the number of faculty in the department has tripled. A significant contributor to this increase was the expanded clinical operations at University Hospital and beyond.

Imaging procedures and protocols that were previously only available at the academic medical center are now provided in smaller patient-centered hospitals and outpatient clinics by our Community section. In addition, the number of diagnostic Dr. Grist with the Mark Frost quote he studies and image-guided attached to his monitor. therapies grows each year as the technology makes it more accessible and essential for patient care.

As the chair, Dr. Grist recruited world-class faculty members who are committed to collaborative relationships as well as the department’s mission of innovation in clinical care, imaging research, and education. With a foundation of great faculty and staff, the future is even brighter.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to impact the entire diagnostic spectrum. Image-guided therapies are offering minimally-invasive and targeted treatments for cancer

and other diseases. In addition, predictive imaging offers huge opportunities to improve population health by identifying potential problems before they become diseases.

“There’s tremendous opportunity in theranostics and image-guided interventions, especially as we move into the East Park Medical Center,” says Dr. Grist. The center, which will be completed in 2024, will offer specialized suites with the necessary equipment to offer cutting-edge, world-class treatments for patients at UW. By encouraging a culture of mentorship, cooperation, and building the necessary infrastructure, Dr. Grist has ensured that UW is poised to excel in these emerging fields. An emphasis on teamwork doesn’t just promote innovation in research and clinical care: It encourages excellence in education, too.

“There’s an emphasis on quality, doing the right thing for our patients, and collaborating with others,” notes Dr. Grist. “Those same principles apply to how we educate our trainees.”

service, in alignment with the Wisconsin Idea, UW-Madison’s longest and proudest tradition. He has no doubt that his successor, Scott Reeder, MD, PhD will continue to make strides to innovate – and ultimately, to improve patient care.

Dr. Grist will continue his clinical and research work in the Cardiovascular Imaging section of the department. He plans to pursue some new areas of interest, like reducing the carbon footprint of medical imaging.

In honor of his legacy, the department hosted a celebration at the Orpheum Theater in October 2023. Colleagues, friends and family gathered to express their gratitude and respect for Dr. Grist. In line with Dr. Grist’s personality, the event was an informal, 70’s discothemed party where everyone could dance and enjoy being part of the community that Dr. Grist has led for almost two decades.

The commitment to education earned the department “Best Radiologist Training Program” from AuntMinnie in 2017 and a finalist spot in 2022. Even an award-winning education program faced challenges during the pandemic. Dr. Grist guided the department in adapting to a changed world and establishing new opportunities for collegiality and mentorship.

Dr. Grist introduced a new mentorship program this year that paired each first-year resident with a faculty member. Throughout their time at UW-Madison, the residents will benefit from the guidance and support of their mentors.

All of Dr. Grist’s contributions are guided by a commitment to

Fred Lee, MD; Marjorie Dimaggio-Lee; Jeanne Grist, Thomas Grist, MD; Lori Meyer; and Cristopher Meyer.

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Scott Reeder to Become Chair of UW Radiology Department Internationally renowned physician-scientist and transformative leader, Scott Reeder, MD, PhD, will become the next chair of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Over his nearly two decades with the department, Dr. Reeder has held numerous leadership positions, including section chief of the Cardiovascular Imaging section (2005-2013), chief of magnetic resonance imaging (2005-present), vice chair of research (2014-2021), and senior vice chair of research (2021-present). In 2009, he founded the UW Liver Imaging Research Program, an active NIH-funded group (>$22 million in NIH funding) that he continues to lead today.

In addition to his experience, Dr. Reeder possesses a clear vision for how the department can continue its success while adapting to changes in the field.

“He possesses a clear understanding of the importance of our workforce in achieving our clinical, educational, and research missions, as well as the emergence of technologies that are poised to redefine radiology and medicine,” said Dr. Grist.

“I am an intrinsically optimistic person, and I see great opportunity to further UW’s mission and global leadership by openly and actively

“Scott is a transformative leader who has demonstrated dedication to our department over the past 19 years since we began working together,” said Thomas Grist, MD. “In addition to serving in numerous departmental leadership roles, he is a globally recognized visionary in Radiology who has contributed to our success and our strong international reputation in the field.”

Dr. Reeder served as president of the Society for Advanced Body Imaging (SABI) from 2019-2020 and president of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) from 20222023, a global community with over 8,000 members including physicians, scientists, and engineers. He is also a founder of Calimetrix, a Madison-based startup that designs, manufactures, and markets advanced MRI test objects called “phantoms” that aid in research.

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Scott Reeder and Tom Grist at the Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, DC.

the expertise, ideas, and energy of team members.

“Dr. Reeder has an outstanding track record as an educator and leader committed to expanding the school and health system’s clinical, research, and educational enterprise,” said the Medical School Dean Robert Golden. “He is also dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion and wellness in the field of radiology.”

“I care deeply about our community and its people, and am extraordinarily optimistic about the future of radiology and UW as a leader on the global stage,” said Dr. Reeder. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this community that has given me so much.”

Scott Reeder with colleagues at the ISMRM 2023 Meeting in Toronto, Canada.

addressing both the challenges and the numerous opportunities before us,” said Dr. Reeder. “UW has all the necessary ingredients to fuel an accelerating upward trajectory of success, including a remarkably collaborative culture focused on excellence in clinical care, innovation, and education.”

Dr. Grist and Dr. Reeder will collaborate on transition plans, with an expected full transition date in January 2024.

Dr. Reeder’s vision also includes building upon the department’s industrial and academic partnerships. “UW Radiology is uniquely positioned at the heart of the southern Wisconsin medtech and biotech ecosystems,” explained Dr. Reeder. “The remarkable depth of talent across the university and State of Wisconsin is central to the future of our department.”

As a leader, Dr. Reeder recognizes the importance of a collaborative approach that engages key stakeholders, as well as in empowering

Scott Reeder and Dean Robert Golden at his Investiture Ceremony.

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Tyler Prout: Vice Chair of Quality and Safety In July 2023, Tyler Prout, MD was appointed as the Vice Chair of Quality and Safety in the Department of Radiology. While Dr. Prout has a history of prioritizing quality and safety in the department – he’s served as the associate vice chair since 2017 – his interest in the subject goes back to before he became a radiologist.

Dr. Prout was in the Navy from 1997 to 2002, where he was a naval flight surgeon.

Part of his training for that role was in aviation mishap investigation. “Our primary focus was understanding the human factors that contribute to a mishap,” says Dr. Prout. “That stayed with me when I came through radiology residency here.”

As associate vice chair, he took steps to improve quality and safety in the Community section. One example was the implementation of software in ultrasound reporting called Modlink. Traditionally, the measurements in an ultrasound report needed to be dictated into the report by the radiologist. However, this clerical task is both timeconsuming and prone to voice recognition errors. Adoption of the Modlink solution to automatically populate templated reports both increased radiologist efficiency and report accuracy. The solution was eventually adopted by the Abdominal Imaging and Intervention section.

“We created templates so those numbers would be imported directly from the ultrasound machine to our report,” says Dr. Prout.

This made the process more efficient and less prone to mistakes.

The system was eventually adopted by the Abdominal Imaging and

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Intervention section, too.

In his new role as vice chair, Dr. Prout is focused on bringing best practices on how to handle actionable incidental findings (AIFs) to not only the Community section but across the entire department.

The Community section has had a robust closed loop tracking system in place for incidental findings such as pulmonary nodules or indeterminate renal masses which could be early cancers now for several years. Since inception there have been over 9,000 entries and several incidental cancers detected that may have otherwise been lost to follow up. Piloting the program was possible due to Robert Bour, MD and Newrhee Kim, MD securing a grant to fund a reading room assistant to assist with tracking. Due to its success, Dr. Prout it interested in broadening the program across the entire department.

“Making sure these AIFs don’t slip through the cracks is good for the healthcare system, it’s good for the hospital, and it’s good for the patient,” says Dr. Prout. I would change order – “it’s not only good for the patient, but good for the hospital and healthcare system as a whole”.

He’s also hoping to improve – and standardize – the peer-learning practices in the Department of Radiology. In the Community Section, they have a monthly conference where they discuss difficult cases, near misses, and great catches. “When we all learn together, all boats rise,” says Dr. Prout. In the future, he aims to establish a point person for quality and safety in each section.

“I’m try to take what’s out there – the best practices – and bring them here,” he says. “To err is human, but how can we make the system safer?”

Faculty in New Leadership Roles at UW-Madison and Beyond Jade Anderson, MD was appointed to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research and Education Foundation’s Fund Development Committee.

Her two-year term will bega in December 2023.

Diego Hernando, PhD was appointed as the department’s new representative on the UWMadison Faculty Senate. Chris Brace, PhD previously served in the role.

Giuseppe Toia, MD was nominated and selected to join the Academy’s Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI²) Class of 2023-24.

In addition, he’ll be part the Council’s network of nearly 200 investigators.

Michael Tuite, MD was named the president-elect for the International Skeletal Society (ISS).

Diego Hernando, PhD joined the editorial board of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine as a deputy editor.

JP Yu, MD was named an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Amy Fowler, MD was appointed to 3-year term on the Radiological Society of North America’s Quantitative Imaging Committee (QUIC).

Pallavi Tiwari, PhD was appointed as an alternate on the UW-Madison Faculty Senate. Jamey Weichert, PhD previously served in the role.

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CLINICAL HIGHLIGHTS

UW and GE HealthCare Broaden Shared Commitment to Health Care Innovation The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and GE HealthCare announced today a 10-year strategic collaboration that builds on an iconic relationship spanning more than 40 years. The new research collaboration expands the existing scope beyond medical imaging to new frontiers in digital technologies and disease-focused solutions.

Combining UW–Madison’s world-class team of physicians, scientists, and researchers with GE HealthCare’s expertise in modernizing medical technology, the new collaboration augments foundations in imaging and medical physics with future plans that could drive improved diagnosis and disease management through developments in magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, interventional radiology (IR), theranostics and molecular imaging (MI) modalities, as well as patient care solutions.

the Department of Radiology at UW–Madison. “Technology will continue to play an important role in providing the best care possible for patients. With our shared goals of improving experiences for patients and cultivating more personalized care, the work of our combined teams has the potential to impact many patients around the world for years to come.”

The UW–Madison Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine and Public Health played an integral role in both the agreement and history of innovation. This included becoming the first U.S. research scanning site for GE HealthCare’s novel siliconbased photon counting CT prototype.

The collaboration is aimed at shaping the future of medical imaging, to improve the standard of care and patient outcomes. Furthermore, it has the potential to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and digital solutions across the care continuum to enhance clinical workflows and the delivery of more precise, personalized care with greater value.

“Our enduring relationship with GE HealthCare has led to advanced clinical technologies as a result of research that we have also seamlessly translated from bench top to bedside and deployed in real-world clinical settings,” said Thomas Grist, MD, chair of

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Colleagues from UW–Madison and GE HealthCare give the W sign in celebration of the next ten years of strategic collaboration.

Genicular Nerve Ablation: An Alternative to Knee Replacement Surgery More than 32.5 million adults in the United States suffer from osteoarthritis (OA), a joint disorder which causes pain, limited joint mobility, and psychological distress. In many cases, knee replacement surgery (also called “total knee arthroplasty” or TKA) is a highly effective treatment to reduce pain. But for some patients suffering from OA, knee replacement surgery isn’t an option.

candidates.

Genicular nerve ablation (GNA) offers hope – and pain relief – to patients who aren’t surgical

“Some patients need to lose weight to be surgical candidates, which is hard to do when disabled by knee pain,” states John Symanski, MD, the director of the Advanced Osteoarthritis Ablation clinical program. “Our most common type of patient is someone who needs to lose weight for knee arthroplasty and does not have pain relief with steroid injections.”

Unlike knee replacement surgery, GNA is minimally invasive. In this procedure, a probe delivers radiofrequency energy into the nerves surrounding the knee joint. These nerves are responsible for transmitting the pain signal. By disrupting this process, GNA alleviates the patient’s pain.

“There are currently three types of radiofrequency ablation instruments,” explains Dr. Symanski. “Here at UW, we use cooled radiofrequency ablation, a newer-generation technology, which can ablate a larger amount of tissue. This should theoretically lead to better outcomes, like more pain relief and longer-lasting pain relief.”

The Department of Radiology started offering GNA in February of 2023. Since then, Dr. Symanski has performed the procedure on 12 patients – for some of them, on both knees. While he’s performed all of the GNA procedures so far, it has taken a team of people to get the program up and running: Kenneth Lee, MD, MBA, the section chief of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Humberto Rosas, MD, the director of Musculoskeletal Procedures, Erica Timm, RN, the clinical program coordinator, and the X-Ray technologists.

“Most patients have substantial pain relief for at least 6 months, with many patients still benefiting from pain relief at the one-year mark,” says Dr. Symanski.

While GNA has been around for many years, the procedural techniques and possibilities continue to evolve. With newer technology (such as cooled-RF), adding nerve targets, and refining the location of nerve targets, the procedure will continue to become more effective. Already, the field is expanding to other large joints such as the shoulder and hip, which can also be affected by OA. “We are a developing program and only offer knee ablation at this time, but we may expand to other joints in the future,” says Dr. Symanski.

Image of a genicular nerve ablation.

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RESEARCH REPORT

Senator Baldwin Tours WIMR to Promote Wisconsin as a Tech Hub On August 30, 2023, Senator Tammy Baldwin toured the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) on campus. She visited the UW–Madison Cyclotron lab, Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility, WIMR PET Imaging Center, and the Photon Counting CT Scanner.

“It’s great to be here at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research and to see the groundbreaking innovations that are occurring here,” stated Senator Baldwin, adding that she appreciates “the partnerships that have been built between a public university research institution, and private sector health care industry leaders.”

Missy Hughes, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation secretary and CEO, also joined the tour, which was led by members of the Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics. Each tour stop highlighted the exceptional facilities and technology in WIMR that facilitate the cutting-edge research that takes place there.

The group included Chair Thomas Grist, MD and Frank Korosec, PhD, who described the mission of the department and provided context for the many innovative programs housed in WIMR. Todd Barnhart, PhD and Jason Mixdorf, PhD, both members of the Cyclotron Research Group, led the tour of WIMR’s PETtrace cyclotron. James White guided the group through the Ablation Laboratory. Members of the Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility, Scott Knishka and Jeannine Batterton, PhD, explained the facility’s role in producing the radiopharmaceutical agents necessary for translational clinical research and human clinical

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use. Alan McMillan, PhD, Diego Hernando, PhD, and Tim Szczykutowicz, PhD presented the PET/MR, MRI, and photon counting CT scanners, respectively.

This visit was part of an effort to highlight UW-Madison’s part in a new statewide biohealth consortium. The consortium of 15 private and public partners aims to advance an economic development strategy for bolstering Wisconsin’s leadership in personalized medicine and biohealth technology. By bringing together leaders in higher education, technology, and health care, the consortium aspired to earning a Regional Tech Hub designation for Wisconsin. A goal that was accomplished in October.

The Tech Hub designation opens the doors for millions in federal funding, as well as the opportunity to bring significant new private investment to the state’s biohealth industry. It is expected to generate a substantial number of new jobs, further boosting the state’s biohealth sector and enhancing employment opportunities for local communities. With the initial Tech Hub designation secure, the consortium is preparing an application for Phase 2, which could unlock access to between $50 and $75 million in federal grants.

Tour participants join Senator Tammy Baldwin and Missy Hughes for a photo.

Multidisciplinary Team Uses Machine Learning for Stroke Intervention Each year, nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke: a serious medical condition where blood supply to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In the latter case, emergency surgery is necessary to remove any blood from the brain. Speed is of the essence: In either type of stroke, parts of the brain become damaged, which can lead to permanent brain damage and long-term disability.

“With stroke, imaging is critical to guide treatment,” says Alan McMillan, PhD. “It’s important to make treatment decisions quickly.”

Dr. McMillan is part of a six-person research team investigating ways to streamline image-guided stroke intervention. In these procedures, surgeons rely on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to provide information about the size and location of the clot.

The challenge? “Getting a segmentation is time-consuming, and you need to know the answer quickly,” says Dr. McMillan (“segmentation” refers to the time it takes for a radiologist to process the image and delineate the various types of tissues present within). “It could take a human 20-30 minutes, maybe even longer, to segment a single case.”

The goal is to develop a machine-learning network to shorten the time for processing an image. The multi-disciplinary team includes members of the Departments of Radiology, Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Neurosurgery and Electrical Engineering.

One author is Denver Broncos defensive end Matt Henningsen,

who contributed while attending UW-Madison where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

Dr. McMillan contributed his expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) to the research team. The first author, Thomas Lilieholm, a PhD candidate in the Department of Medical Physics, also took the Machine Learning for Medical Imaging (ML4MI) Initiative’s Summer Bootcamp, which gives participants a hands-on introduction into the principles and application of machine learning for medical imaging.

Lilieholm even credited ML4MI in the article’s acknowledgments.

The research team trained a machine learning algorithm to identify where a blood clot is in the brain. Their findings – which were recently published in Magnetic Resonance Imaging – show that their machine-learning network was able to identify and segment MRI images of blood clots swiftly and accurately.

“It makes it more feasible to do an image-guided intervention,” says Dr. McMillan. “If you know where the clot is with good certainty, you can use that to inform the intervention.”

With more information on the size and location of the blood clot, neurosurgeons can select an intervention that’s best for a patient.

Optimizing the treatment, in turn, can mitigate the extent of brain damage due The image shows a results comparison for two slices from a testing dataset, autonomously to a stroke. segmented with high accuracy.

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Perry Pickhardt Named Most Influential Radiology Researcher by AuntMinnie AuntMinnie awarded Perry Pickhardt, MD this year’s Minnie in the category of Most Influential Radiology Researcher. The award recognizes his work on automated artificial intelligence (AI) body composition tools for opportunistic computed tomography (CT) screening.

CT scans are often used for a specific clinical purpose – like determining the cause of a patient’s acute abdominal pain. However, these scans also provide supplementary metrics that often goes unused. CT scans can quantify bone mineral density, visceral and subcutaneous fat, skeletal muscle, and liver fat, among other organ and tissue metrics.

In opportunistic CT screening, these supplementary data are leveraged to evaluate a patient’s overall health and wellness. From the patient perspective, this adds significant prognostic value without requiring additional imaging time or radiation exposure.

Still, the labor-intensive nature of manual body composition measurements has prevented opportunistic screening from being integrated into clinical practice. AI might be a solution by allowing automated analysis of biomarker information.

“This avenue of research is proving to be very fruitful,” says Dr. Pickhardt. “There is now a growing appreciation that we should strive to extract all the extra clinical value we can from the imaging that we are already doing.”

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It’s not Dr. Pickhardt’s first time winning a Minnie. In 2016, he also won tin the same category. Since then, his work’s merit has

continually been recognized internationally. His papers have won two Best of American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) awards in 2022, a Best of AJR award in 2021, a Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) Best GI Paper Award in 2020 and more. More recently, his article, “Detection of Moderate Hepatic Steatosis on Portal Venous Phase Contrast-Enhanced CT: Evaluation Using an Automated Artificial Intelligence Tool” received the Best of AJR award in the Gastrointestinal Imaging section for 2023.

In addition, he was named an Honorary Fellow of the European Society for Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) in 2023, and received the Lodwick Award, which is presented annually to the author of the paper with the largest impact in the field of musculoskeletal radiology, medicine or physiology.

His numerous awards recognize his commitment to advancing the field of abdominal imaging – and his work has led to over 400 scientific publications and book chapters, as well as multiple textbooks.

“It’s always an honor to be considered for such an award,” says Dr. Pickhardt.

“It’s very gratifying to see one’s research being recognized like this.”

Also this year, the School of Radiologic Technology at UW won the Minnie for Best Radiologic Sciences Program. The hospital-based radiography program sponsored by UW Health University Hospital enables aspiring technologists to earn a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology.

Campus-wide Symposium Supports Collaboration Among AI/ML Researchers the Data Science Institute (DSI) – brought researchers from across campus together for cross-disciplinary discussion to encourage collaboration.

“We have all kinds of expertise on campus that we can leverage,” says Dr. Tiwari. “As researchers, we tend to – and I’m guilty of this, too – focus on our own silos. There’s so much expertise beyond our own departments and our own fields that can be leveraged.”

“The keynote speaker, Kyunghyun Cho, PhD, is someone who knows the algorithmic side of things but is focused on translational problems,” says Dr. Tiwari. Dr. Cho, who is an associate professor of computer science and data science at New York University, gave a talk on his work to develop clinical predictive models.

Colleagues from across the campus cather to discuss machine learning applications in research.

The emerging field of machine learning (ML), a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science, has exciting potential applications to healthcare and medicine. In medical imaging, specifically, ML tools may accelerate productivity and improve diagnostic accuracy.

However, implementation is a major challenge to the field. Pallavi Tiwari, PhD, who leads UW-Madison’s Machine Learning for Medical Learning (ML4MI) Initiative, believes that interdisciplinary collaboration will be the key for translating algorithmic innovations into effective clinical tools.

“AI in Imaging and Medicine: Breaking Silos, Building Bridges,” a symposium on October 6 – organized by the ML4MI Initiative and

While the symposium included some talks, it was designed to be interactive. The day also featured small group discussions and a “speed collaborating” session – like speed dating for researchers.

“We had 130 registrations from over 30 different departments and programs,” says Dr. Tiwari. “Clearly, there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the use of AI in medicine and healthcare at UW.” This university-wide event takes a step forward in establishing a collaborative community of ML researchers on campus.

“We have such exceptional faculty on campus working on AI and machine learning,” says Dr. Tiwari. “When we have a platform to come together, we can build on each other’s strengths.”

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RadUnity Secures $500,000 in Seed Funding The clinical variability of CT scans can add to the radiologist’s load by demanding extra time and mental energy. RadUnity Corp., a UW spin-off led by Timothy Szczykutowicz, PhD, aims to address that problem, by developing and implementing a system for harmonizing medical images. In July, the company announced that it had secured $500,000 in seed funding.

“The idea for RadUnity came from work I was doing for our clinic,” says Dr. Szczykutowicz, the start-up’s founder. “I found myself spending too much time and energy creating uniformity in our CT protocols across scanners located throughout the UW system.”

Every center – and sometimes, every CT scanner – has different image reconstruction settings, creating an enormous amount of variation. Oftentimes, a radiologist must decipher the image they are looking at before they can interpret the clinical data it contains.

Dr. Szczykutowicz realized that the settings can be centrally managed and reformatted using a single image from each scanner.

This workflow allows a radiologist to define a new type of image in one place, and have it instantly applied to any study they read. For example, if a radiologist desires to receive 10 mm MIPs of the chest for all indications over the thorax, this can be programmed in a few minutes. Without RadUnity, it would take hours to program onto the individual protocols and scanners within a single hospital.

He validated the idea with clinical cases and filed a patent with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which was awarded in 2019.

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RadUnity’s software-as-a-service platform ensures a consistent “look and feel” for imaging data for a single patient over time and from patient to patient. This approach has been estimated to reduce the time radiologists spend “hanging” a study by four times.

Dr. Szczykutowicz is focused on next steps: building a minimum viable product with enough features to validate the idea and getting regulatory approval. Once the Food and Drug Adminishtration (FDA) approves the technology, it can be applied at scale.

“Outside studies should not be a burden to read,” says Dr. Szczykutowicz. “I want to see a day where radiologists can’t tell where a study came from.”

He hopes, too, to free technologists from scanner-dependent workflows. By creating a “load balancing function” that is uniform across a site, a technologist can focus on their patient, with image reformatting and processing automated or performed by another colleague in an outpatient clinic.

“I am thrilled to move forward with FDAcompliant product development,” Dr. Szczykutowicz said.

“The fact that one of our investors is a former radiologist validates RadUnity’s potential to alleviate burnout and reduce time spent on image interpretations.”

Grants Overview Ali Pirasteh, MD will receive a 5-year grant estimated to be $3.3M for “Development of FAPI PET as a Noninvasive Biomarker of Liver Fibrogenesis” from the National Institutes of Health.

Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, PhD received a Wisconsin Partnership Program Collaborative Health Sciences Program award, which includes a 3-year $600K grant for the project “Non-Invasive Ultrasound Urodynamics To Improve Medical Care For Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.”

Paul Laeseke, MD, PhD and Michael Speidel, PhD received a 2-year $378K grant for “Clinical and Theoretical Evaluation of qDSA” from Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.

Christopher Brace, PhD and Kenneth J. Noonan, MD received a 5-year $3.1M grant for the project “Developing microwave epiphysiodesis to correct limb length discrepancies” from the National Institutes of Health.

Jonathan Engle, PhD received a 2-year $500K grant from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging for the project “Modernizing radiobromine: improved radiohalogenation methodologies for translating 76/77Br theranostics.”

Jonathan Engle, PhD also received a 3-year $300K grant for “University of Wisconsin Cyclotron Group Contribution to the Isotope Program University Isotope Network” from the Department of Energy, Chicago Operations Office.

Sandip Biswal, MD received a 3-year $1.6M grant for “Novel PET/MR Imaging Approach for Persistent Postsurgical Pain Following Joint Replacement” from the National Institutes of Health.

Scott Reeder, MD, PhD received a $118K grant as co-PI with Jean Brittain, PhD of Calimetrix for the project “Advanced Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Phantoms for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.” Diego Hernando, PhD is a co-investigator.

Veena Nair, PhD received a $115K grant for the project “Admin Supplement for Stroke Connectome MRI biomarkers for VCID risk assessment” from the National Institutes of Health.

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SOCIETY MEETINGS

Highlights from the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting Three dozen of UW Department of Radiology’s faculty and trainees participated in the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting November 26-30, 2023 in Chicago. The conference, which is the largest in the U.S. for radiology, featured a theme of “Leading Through Change.”

Aligned with that theme, Elizabeth Burnside, MD gave the plenary on Monday titled “Leading Through Technology: Valuing Artificial and Human Intelligence.” The presentation drew a large crowd and was reported upon in the Healthcare Innovation article, “Wicked Problems: At RSNA, a Radiologist Leader Dissects Process Issues Around AI,” as well as the Imaging Technology News article, “RSNA 2023 Day Two Overview: Big Partnerships, BI-RADS Update Plans, Technology Trends.”

inducted the Council of Distinguished Investigators Class of 2023, which includes Alan McMillan, PhD and Ke Li, PhD. This prestigious honor recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of medical imaging. The class will be welcomed as part of the broader Council which includes a network of nearly 500 imaging investigators.

Jonathan Swanson, MD, MBA; and Aaron Field, MD, PhD.

During the conference, Meghan Lubner, MD received the 2023 Lifetime Honored Educator Award from RSNA. In addition, David Bluemke, MD, PhD received his third consecutive Honored Educator Award from RSNA. The Honored Educator Award acknowledges those most invested in furthering radiologic education through the creation of high-quality educational content in their field of study.

Perry Pickhardt, MD also accepted his 2023 Minnie award for Most Influential Radiology Researcher during the conference. AuntMinnie. com colleagues also interviewed him about the promise of AI body composition analysis for enabling opportunistic screening.

On Tuesday, the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging

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Caroline McShane, MD; Maddie Jentink, DO; Isha Pathak, MD; Meghan Lubner, MD; and Elizabeth Stoeckl, MD.

The conference also provided a chance to connect with colleagues and alumni from around the country. On Sunday, November 26, the department hosted a social event on the Vu Rooftop Bar for friends of the department.

Efren Flores, MD; Maria Daniela Martin Rother, MD; Anand Narayan, MD, PhD; Jade Anderson, MD; and Arissa Milton, MS.

In addition, RSNA awarded Certificates of Merit to four exhibits.

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“Sinonasal Tumors: What the Tumor Board Wants to Know” (Alexander Moeller, MD; Greg Avey, MD; Ian Koszewski, MD; Justine Bruce, MD; Adam Burr, MD, PhD; Marin McDonald, MD; Tabby Kennedy, MD)

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“Forward Together: Collaboratively Integrating Radiology throughout a Medical School Curriculum” (Matthew Lee, MD; Tabby A Kennedy, MD; Allison M Grayev, MD; Venkata Meduri, MD; Katie Yang, MS; Jason W Stephenson, MD)

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“Out of the Darkness and Into the Light: Redefining the Role of Radiology in Community Engagement” (Somiah E. Almeky, MD; Lucy Boyd Spalluto, MD; Franklin Iheanacho, BA; Anand Narayan, MD, PhD; Priscilla Jennings Slanetz, MD; Farouk Dako, MD; Nolan J. Kagetsu, MD; Randy Christopher Miles, MD; Christina Alexandra LeBedis, MD; Efren Jesus Flores, MD)

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“Signlet Ring Cell Adenocarcinomas of the GI Tract: Clinical, Radiological and Pathological Correlation” (Katey Molinarolo, MD; Mark Sugi, MD; Meghan Lubner, MD; David Kim, MD; Michael Hartung, MD; Kristina Matkowskyj, MD; PhD)

In addition, many of our faculty braved the cold on Tuesday, November 28 to take part in the RSNA 2023 5k Fun Run, which raised funds for the RSNA Research & Education Foundation.

Meghan Lubner, MD; Tabby Kennedy,

MD; RadioGraphics Editor Christine Menias, MD; and RSNA Board Member Cynthia Santillan, MD.

Thomas Grist, MD; Meghan Lubner, MD; Brian Nett, PhD; Tim Szczykutowicz, PhD; and Orhan Ozkan, MD at the RSNA R&E Foundation 5K Fun Run.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

UW Participates in National Lung Cancer Screening Day Lung cancer is the second-most common cancer in the United States – and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Still, the utilization rate for lung cancer screening rates is low: fewer than 1 in 10 eligible individuals receive an annual screening. National Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) Day on November 11, aims to increase awareness of lung cancer screening nationwide.

“When we think about screening in health care, we think of breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, cholesterol,” says Jeffrey Kanne, MD, the section chief of Thoracic Imaging. “Lung cancer’s always the one that people don’t think about because it’s always been somewhat stigmatized.”

Awareness is an issue – and so is access. Utilizing LCS is particularly challenging for those in rural areas and racial/ethnic minority groups, who are more likely to live 30+ minutes away from a designated LCS center, be underinsured, and have lower health literacy levels.

In 2022, 400 sites nationwide participated in National LCS Day. The program continues to grow: even here at UW. Last year, Dr. Kanne and the computed tomography (CT) team at East Madison Hospital screened 25 patients and did again this year.

Thanks to the efforts of Edward Lawrence, MD, PhD, the Madison VA Hospital also participated this year. On the morning on November 11 – which was also Veterans Day – Dr. Lawrence and his team screened 10 veterans.

“Our program is actually relatively new with our first patients enrolled and scanned in January,” says Dr. Lawrence. “The interest and enrollment in the program have been incredible, and we are working hard to try to match the demand.”

“For most patients who present with lung cancer symptoms, the disease is already very advanced and the cure rates are very low,” says Dr. Kanne. “The goal of screening is to detect cancer at an early stage when it can be cured.”

“The American College of Radiology started the first National Lung Cancer Screening Day in 2022,” says Dr. Kanne. “It’s deliberately planned on a Saturday, to accommodate patients who have fixed hours and limited access to clinics during the week.”

While a day of screening won’t resolve the healthcare disparities and socioeconomic factors that can prevent individuals from utilizing screening, it’s a step in the right direction. It serves as a catalyst for healthcare professionals to make screening a year-round priority.

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Edward Lawrence, MD, PhD; Jeffrey Kanne, MD; and Lisa Sherven, RN, BSN planned the day. Medical student Lauren Penn, pictured above, participated.

Anand Narayan Advocates for Expanded Breast Cancer Screening Early detection of breast cancer saves lives.

When breast cancer is caught during the localized stages, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%, according to the American Cancer Society. High costs often prevent patients from obtaining secondary screenings – a fact that members of the Department of Radiology, including Vice Chair of Equity Anand Narayan, MD, PhD are looking to change.

On Wednesday, July 12, Dr. Narayan testified at a Wisconsin State Senate hearing to advocate for increased supplemental screening and diagnostic imaging coverage on behalf of the Wisconsin Radiological Society.

Most health guidelines recommend regular mammography screening beginning at the age of 40 or 50. However, a standard mammogram isn’t always effective, especially for patients with dense or heterogeneous breast tissue.

“In a dense breast tissue, it’s much more difficult to identify cancer,” says Dr. Narayan. While other methods (like breast MRI or ultrasound exams) exist, these secondary screenings can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which can deter patients from getting scanned – potentially, delaying their diagnosis.

The proposal would require health insurance providers, including the state’s public medical insurance program, to cover those screenings with no copay for patients with a heightened risk of breast cancer.

For example, women with dense breast tissue or heterogeneous breast tissue, or women with a family history of breast cancer. Dr.

Narayan and the Wisconsin Radiological Society also recommended that the bill be amended to ensure that health insurance providers would cover diagnostic imaging examinations without co-pays.

“We’re trying to make the supplemental screening and diagnostic imaging more similar to our screening mammograms, where patients know that they’ll be covered,” says Dr. Narayan.

The bill is supported by multiple medical groups, including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Nurses Association. It has bipartisan support in both the state Assembly and Senate. Dr. Narayan is hopeful that the measure will get through the Health Committee and will pass.

Physician advocacy is also crucial since doctors – and in this case, radiologists – have a unique perspective and expertise that will help to advance critical legislation.

To Dr. Narayan, who has participated in advocacy since he was a medical student, contributing his perspective is part of his responsibility as a physician.

“As physicians, it’s our obligation to stand up for our patients in this way, too,” he says. “Certainly, what we do on a clinical basis is important, but a lot of factors related to the outcomes they face are outside of the hospital.”

By easing the financial burden of secondary screenings, Dr. Narayan (and the other members of UW Radiology that have contributed to these efforts, like Mai Elezaby, MD) hope to improve outcomes for breast cancer patients across the state.

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Faculty Encourages High Schoolers to Consider Careers in Radiology “I chose to participate because I think that it is vital that we are inclusive as a Radiology community,” says Dr. Avey. “That means that we need to engage as many high school and college students as possible to consider radiology as a career.”

Megan Vadnais, a radiologic tech lead in MRI, highlighted how technologists and sonographers play an integral role in radiology.

The need for medical imaging continues to increase, as the population ages and incidence of chronic diseases rise. In fact, the U.S. imaging market has an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2% between 2022 and 2030. But will there be enough radiologists and radiologic technologists to meet the demand?

Staffing shortages are a serious issue – in fact, it’s a finalist in the Biggest Threat to Radiology category of the 2023 Minnies. Our faculty also identified workforce recruitment and retention as the most pressing need.

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“Enrichment efforts for young people – such as the HOPE program – help influence our youth to join health professions where diversity is needed,” explains Nicole Boone, the department’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity coordinator. “Diversity in radiology is imperative, as a diverse workforce can bring unique perspectives and skillsets needed to produce equitable outcomes in patient care.”

To build the next generation of radiology practitioners, department members participated in a Health Occupations and Professions Exploration (HOPE) seminar in October. The HOPE program aims to expose high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to careers in the health sciences through hands-on activities.

Our team members have found participation rewarding on many levels. “For me personally I have found great enjoyment and fulfillment being a mentor in the HOPE program,” says Tim Ziemlewicz, MD, a regular volunteer. “Mentees I have connected with through the program have made a great impact on our clinical and research programs. It is incredibly rewarding to see students in the program, who rarely have familial or other network connections to the healthcare system, flourish when given the opportunity to engage with healthcare teams.”

Greg Avey, MD led an interactive session to show high schoolers from underrepresented backgrounds what it’s like to be a radiologist.

Dr. Avey and resident Cullen Fleming, MD set up stations simulating procedures and concepts as an active learning opportunity.

The department supports HOPE and our members that participate.

This includes Jessica Robbins, MD, Jade Anderson, MD, Giuseppe Toia, MD, Ryan Woods, MD, Anand Narayan, MD, PhD, Jason Stephenson, MD, Mark Kliewer, MD and Mai Elezaby, MD.

“We simulated being radiologists for a day, using an audience response system to review images, making findings and treating patients,” says Dr. Avey.

Additionally, Chair Thomas Grist, MD, Fred Lee, MD and the Radiology Finance Committee was the first financially support HOPE prior to its adoption as a UW Health program in 2016.

EDUCATION

Inaugural Mentorship Program Connects Faculty and First-Year Residents Department and serve as a trusted resource on how best to approach training to become an excellent radiologist,” says Vice Chair of Education and the Residency Program Director David Kim, MD. “For the faculty mentor, there is a sense of fulfillment to be a part of a trainee’s journey and helping with perspective from their experiences of going through the process many years ago.”

This year, there are 10 first-year residents, each of whom has been matched with a faculty member. Mentors connected with their resident outside of clinical and academic settings to get to know them. Activities included taking walks in nature, playing board games, and attending backyard parties. Then, during the department’s monthly faculty meeting on September 13, each mentor introduced their mentee to the entire faculty. They described the resident’s educational history and career interests as well as their hobbies and interests.

Annual events like the Welcome Picnic for New Trainees allow residents to mingle with faculty, while this new mentorship program will create long-term relationships between residents and faculty.

The Department of Radiology has launched a new mentorship program that pairs each first-year resident with a faculty member.

Throughout their time at UW-Madison, the residents will benefit from the guidance and support of their mentors.

Departmetn Chair Thomas Grist, MD developed the program to benefit both trainees and faculty.

“The mentees have a point person to introduce them to the

“We thought it would be a great way to better welcome the residents to the department and feel more a part of this phenomenal culture and group of amazing people,” says Dr. Kim.

While many discovered Emily Krueger’s passion for baking after she won Welcome Picnic’s dessert contest, they learned more about her – and the other R1s – during the faculty meeting on September 13.

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FACULTY NEWS

The David A. Bluemke Endowed Professorship Established A new professorship established by Duane and Dorothy Bluemke will solidify the importance of collaboration within engineering and medical fields and honor David A. Bluemke, MD, PhD’s career and contributions to the field of radiology.

“We are long-time supporters of the University of Wisconsin, and because our son, Dr. David Bluemke, has made significant impacts in three different areas in the field of radiology during his career, we agreed it would be desirable to fund a professorship in his name,” says Duane Bluemke.

Dr. Bluemke joined the Department of Radiology as a professor (CHS) in the Thoracic Imaging and Cardiovascular Imaging sections in 2017. He came to UW from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where he was radiologist-in-chief at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, tenured senior investigator at the NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and Clinical Center, and adjunct senior investigator at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Prior to that, Dr. Bluemke was professor of radiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Bluemke has authored more than 600 publications in the areas of diagnostic radiology and cardiovascular disease, including his work as principal investigator for MRI studies in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

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In addition to his contributions to the field through his research, he has also led major strides to improve the reach and engagement

of radiology research articles. In 2018, he assumed the position of editor-in-chief of the journal Radiology, the field’s most prominent scholarly journal. During his tenure, Dr. Bluemke initiated broad scale publication of editorials by world experts, started podcasts to explain articles, increased the journal’s social media presence, and published more review articles. Under his guidance, the journal’s impact factor increased from 11.1 to 29.1.

Dr. Bluemke has also been recognized for his contributions to the next generation of radiologists. In 2022, the Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA) recognized him as an Honored Educator, a distinction which recognizes his dedication to furthering the profession of radiology by delivering high-quality educational content.

The Endowed Professorship enhances Radiology’s ability to recruit, retain and recognize outstanding faculty. “We expect the professorship funding will be used to attract new or retain existing talent to the department, which is a similar goal of the professorship that we previously established in the UW engineering department,” says Duane Bluemke. “We also hope this gift would encourage others who have the financial capability to support the Radiology Department and the Thomas Grist, MD; Duane Bluemke; Sara DeTienne University of Wisconsin.”and Dorothy Bluemke.

New Faculty Jade Anderson, MD joined us as an Assistant Professor (CHS) in the Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention section.

Matthew Shore, MD joined us as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Pediatrics Radiology section.

Joshua Warner MD, PhD joined us as an Assistant Professor (CHS) in the Abdominal Imaging and Intervention section.

Joshua Fage, MD joined us as an Assistant Professor (CHS) in the Neuroradiology section.

Jakub Siembida, MD joined us as an Assistant Professor (CHS) in the Thoracic Imaging section.

Ran Zhang, PhD joined us as an Assistant Professor in the Imaging Sciences section.

Nicholas Laucis, MD has joined us as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Community Radiology section.

Craig Tork, MD joined us as a Clinical Instructor in the Neuroradiology section.

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Faculty in the Public Eye Mai Elezaby, MD featured on

Steven Cho, MD featured in

15 WMTV NEWS Mai Elezaby, MD was featured on an NBC 15 news segment and article “Madison woman warns ‘density matters’ in breast cancer screenings” on October 26.

“Looking at patients and their individual risk, their genetic makeup, and their breast tissue density and giving them the options that are best tailored for them,” said Dr. Elezaby. “Not a one-size-fits all, but more of looking at what individual patient needs are.”

The Badger Herald, a student newspaper, interviewed Steven Cho, MD for the article “UW nuclear medicine employees use radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatments” that was published on October 12, 2023.

Dr. Cho explained the history of radiopharmaceuticals as well as the basics of nuclear medicine such as the difference between anatomic and functional imaging.

Theranostics was also a focus, with our Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility Manager Scott Knishka, RPh, BCNP explaining how theranostics differs from radiation oncology in that it can precisely target the cancer from within the body. Patient harm is reduced since the radioharmaceuticals are injected internally. This is significant as radiation safety is a high priority for physicians.

“We try to minimize how frequently they need to get [exposed], but we try to balance the medical need versus getting an excessive number of scans,” Cho said. “A vast number of these treatments are outpatient, despite being a higher dose.”

Both Dr. Cho and Knishka encouraged students to consider a career in nuclear field, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.

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Faculty in the Public Eye Pallavi Tiwari, PhD featured on

In December, Pallavi Tiwari, PhD was invited to New York City to present to the V Foundation Board on her work in cancer research, as a funded V Foundation Translational Grant Awardee. While in NYC, Dr. Tiwari was featured on ESPN during the NCAA Men’s Basketball game between Florida Atlantic and Illinois at Madison Square Garden. Angel Gray interviewed her at halftime about her V Foundation’s funded cancer research.

“The V Foundation has been transformational in my career,” Dr. Tiwari said in the interview. “I had an interesting idea that the V Foundation believed in, and where it has taken us is we are now doing real-time clinical analysis in different hospitals to build this technology that can have a transformative impact on cancer patients and their lives.

When asked how it felt to be on the team that fights cancer, Dr. Tiwari responded “It means that we are currently the underdogs, but we are well on our way to win the championship.”

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HONORS & AWARDS Nandakumar Menon, MD was selected for the 2023 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Ones to Watch Program. This campaign recognizes early career professionals with the potential to shape the future of precision medicine.

WARF awarded Guang-Hong Chen, PhD a Named Professorship. Dr. Chen named the professorship in honor of Charles A. Mistretta, PhD. The award comes with $100K to support his passion for developing leading-edge medical imaging and treatment methods to achieve precision medicine for use in patient healthcare worldwide.

Meghan Lubner, MD received the 2023 Lifetime Honored Educator Award from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). This prestigious award is given to recognizes her investment to furthering radiologic education through the creation of high-quality educational content.

Dr. Lubner’s history of participation with RSNA – from completing their Advanced Grant Writing Course in 2021 to submitting educational exhibits to serving on educational review panels and more – demonstrates her commitment to advancing the field. Dr. Lubner has previously won RSNA’s Honored Educator Award in 2015, 2018, and 2022.

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Jade Anderson, MD served as an American College of Radiology Alternate Delegate and Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Delegate for the upcoming American Medical Association (AMA) Interim meeting in November.

At the 2023 meeting for the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology (ASHNR), the exhibit titled “Photon Counting CT in the Head and Neck: A Comprehensive Review of Technology and Image Demonstration” by Greg Avey, MD (with co-authors Timothy Szczykutowicz, PhD, Meghan Lubner, MD, Aria Salyapongse, and Tabby Kennedy, MD) won an Honorable Mention.

In the 2023 Pressure Chamber competition, hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, two of the five finalists include Department of Radiology faculty.

Timothy Szczykutowicz, PhD founded RadUnity, a company that has created technology for improving consistency for medical imaging. Humberto Rosas, MD is a member of AyrFlo Innovation Labs, which has a respiration monitoring system used in post-surgical settings.

Venkata Meduri, MD received the Medical Staff Collegiality Award from UnityPoint Health – Meriter. The award acknowledges physicians on the UnityPoint HealthMeriter medical staff who exemplify the characteristics of being a great colleague.

Katrina Falk, a MD-PhD student under Paul Laeseke, MD, PhD, won third place in the student competition at Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe 2023, which took place in Denmark.

Jeffrey Kanne, MD was an invited international faculty for the Mini-Fellowship in Chest Imaging. The course took place from October 13-15 in Mumbai, India.

Greg Avey, MD was selected for the Physician Leadership Development Program, a UW leadership program.

Jade Anderson, MD was accepted into the UW-Madison Centennial Scholars Program to increase the diversity and retention of current and future students within the UW Department of Radiology.

Elizabeth Burnside, MD was featured in the 608 Today newsletter’s article “The power of participating in medical research” about the All of Us program.

Giuseppe Toia, MD won a Cum Laude award from the Society for Advanced Body Imaging for the abstract “Consumable Material Waste Comparison between Multiuse Syringeless and Single-use Syringebased Injectors in Computed Tomography.”

Prasad Dalvie, MD, Mark Kleedehn, MD and Jason Pinchot, MD were awarded affiliate appointments in the Department of Urology, which has a long-standing clinical collaboration with the Interventional Radiology section. This includes taking care of complex renal stone disease, offering minimally invasive treatments for urological conditions and providing care for renal transplant complications.

Pallavi Tiwari, PhD presented “Radiomics in Brain Tumors: Past, Present and Future” at the International Radiosurgery Research and Education Meeting.

Alex Moeller, MD’s poster for “Comparing automated abdominal and thoracic aortic Agatston measurements derived from a deep learning-based model” won the Society for Advanced Body Imaging (SABI) Poster Cum Laude Award. John Garrett, PhD, Matthew Lee, MD, and Perry Pickhardt, MD contributed to the abstract.

Anand Narayan, MD, PhD organized the virtual course “Mammography and Tomosynthesis: Update on Diagnosis, Quality and Radiation Dose” for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Brazil.

An image from an article by Perry Pickhardt, MD was used as the cover image for the June 2023 issue of Radiology.

A paper by Joseph Whitehead, PhD, a recent Medical Physics graduate, has been selected for the cover of this month’s issue of Medical Physics. Dr. Whitehead was cosupervised by Martin Wagner, PhD and Michael Speidel, PhD.

Apoorva Safai, PhD, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the IDiA Laboratory, selected for RSNA’s Introduction to Academic Radiology for Scientists (ITARSc) program.

Thomas Grist, MD received the 2023 Hector F. DeLuca Scientific Achievement Award. This award from BioForward recognizes his leadership and innovation that has brought Wisconsin to be among the top leaders in health solutions.

Previous winner, Fred Lee, MD, presented Dr. Grist with the award at the Wisconsin Biohealth Summit on October 17, 2023.

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POINTS OF PRIDE The Department of Radiology 2023 Year in Review

RANKINGS

#1

Hospital in Wisconsin

Overall Radiology Department

(Source: U.S. News & World Reports)

(Source: Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research)

$38K $16

MILLION

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#11

average amount per individual R&D grant

in intramural & extramural grants

R E S E A RC H

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grants awarded to faculty

300+

publications authored by faculty

CLINICAL O P E R AT I O N S

FAC U LT Y D E V E LO P M E N T

715K+

diagnostic scans read

16

25K

procedures completed

CO M M U N I C AT I O N S

E DU C AT I O N

2

AUNT MINNIE SEMIFINALISTS

392

for Most Effective Radiology Educator

hours of resident teaching conferences

12

13

medical students applying into Radiology

students in summer research mentoring program

faculty promoted

X (Twitter)

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newly hired faculty

LinkedIn

@UWiscRadiology

@University of Wisconsin Department of Radiology

3.7K

416

79

167

followers

followers

new followers

new followers (67% Increase)

78K

42K

impressions

impressions

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Jay Helvey, MD Jay Helvey, MD is a former Diagnostic Radiology resident and Neuroradiology Fellow. His interests include temporal bone and other skullbase lesions, though his interests often shift to new concepts – most recently, CSF Venous Fistulas.

Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, Nebraska. Learn more about Dr. Helvey below!

Have you had any achievements you would like to share?

As vice-chair of quality in my department my accomplishment with greatest lasting effect was transformation of our Peer Review. We junked the antiquated, punitive and counterproductive scoring system modeled after RADPEER and created a system within our PACS applications for Peer Feedback, Learning, and Improvement (P-FLI [my word]). It provides the opportunity to submit positive feedback on any case, with a promise of non-punitive tracking of data on errors. P-FLI has satisfied our administration, impressed our JCAHO reviewers and fostered congeniality among our faculty.

In reflection, how would you say your training at UW-Madison helped you in your career?

When presented with a challenging patient scenario, I commonly picture myself as a fellow in the Neuroradiology reading room at UW. We were eager to help any of our friends coming in for consults and determined to give them a reliable and useful plan for patient management. With my referring providers I’ve tried to emulate the relationships that I saw in that room, like the one Howard Rowley had with Brad Beinlich, or Lindell Gentry’s with Greg Hartig.

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What advice would you share with prospective and current trainees at UW-Madison?

Lynn Broderick was right when she refused to accept poor quality work product from me or anyone else around her. Always expect the best from yourself and your system.

Vic Haughton was right when he recommended trainees just select three of the patient scenarios they’ve encountered every day and find an article to read on each disease or scenario.

And Mark Keiper, one of my neuroradiology partners here at Nebraska Medicine, is right when he tells our residents to treat every patient like they are your mother, and every referring provider like they are your best friend from college.

Jay Helvey, MD; Richard Bruce, MD; and Meg Albertson, MD at Howard Rowley’s retirement party in 2023.

The “East Campus” of UW-Madison

Radiology Waukesha is proud to have thirteen radiologists with ties to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Group members include UW Radiology residency and fellowship alumni, UW School of Medicine and Public Health alumni, and a former faculty member from the department.

Pictured Above from Left to Right: David Roelke, MD (UW SMPH ‘93); Mary Hollister, MD (UW SMPH ‘88); Mark Hollister, MD (former UW Radiology faculty member); Timothy Enright, MD; Michael Larson, MD; Pat Keller, MD; Michael Bergquist, MD; Jennifer Bergin, MD; Katie Longo, MD; and Jeannine Ruby, MD. Not Pictured: Erik Olson, MD; Jill Hammersley, MD; and Gregory Kass, MD.

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Photo Credit: M.O.D. Sandip Media Biswal,Productions MD

radiology.wisc.edu @UWiscRadiology @University of Wisconsin Department of Radiology