Vanderbilt Pediatric Radiology faculty and staff were actively involved at the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) 2018 Annual Meeting recently held in Nashville, Tennessee. Combined, they gave more than 10 lectures and led various hands-on workshops and panel discussions.
The meeting welcomed more than 700 health care professionals, including pediatric radiologists, trainees, and pediatric technologists and administrators, from around the world.
Marta Hernanz-Shulman, M.D., professor and Vice Chair for Pediatric Radiology, is the past President and Board Chair of the SPR. She presented three talks entitled "US of the Vomiting Infant," "Dose Optimization by Individualization: Imaging Gently in Smaller and Effective Doses" and a keynote address, "The ALARA Concept: Image Gently and Beyond.” She was also a co-organizer of the hands-on ultrasound sessions, and participated as one of three mentors who discussed leadership and career opportunities at the Junior SPR luncheon for trainees and junior faculty.
Stephanie Spottswood, M.D., MSPH, professor and Vice Chair for the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, addressed diversity and unconscious bias in health care. She delivered the meeting’s opening keynote address, "The Power of Diversity: The Key to Meeting Today's (and Tomorrow's) Greatest Healthcare Challenges,” to all attendees. Her second presentation, "Diversity and Unconscious Bias in Healthcare,” was given to the SPR Board of Directors. In addition to her talks, Dr. Spottswood held a sunrise workshop on diversity and inclusion with speakers addressing diversity, unconscious bias, and supporting LGTBTQ Patients and Families, and individuals with disabilities, followed by a panel discussion on diversity, discrimination and mitigation.
Associate professor and chief of pediatric neuroradiology Sumit Pruthi, M.D., gave a lecture during the event’s General Postgraduate Neuroradiology session on imaging and complications of sinusitis and mastoiditis. In his presentation, he provided an overview of appropriate/inappropriate protocols, patient preparation, typical examples, key findings, tricks and pitfalls in imaging of mastoiditis and sinusitis related compilations.
Prior to a scientific session on education and policy, Melissa Hilmes, M.D., delivered a 20-minute keynote presentation entitled, “What does Value-added mean for education and radiology?” She also served as one of two organizers of the keynote lectures and speakers that were held in the beginning of the scientific sessions.
“Dr. Hilmes made a substantial and unique contribution by integrating introductory clinical perspectives from several medical and surgical faculty from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, which made a big impact on Vanderbilt’s visibility at SPR this year,” said Dr. Spottswood.
In addition to presentations delivered by faculty, Radiology staff from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt presented. Jason Hooper, B.S., RDMS, RVT, Lead Sonographer, presented “Happy Spitter or Surgical Referral? Sonographic Approach to the Vomiting Infant,” and Ciji Gilley, RT(R), Lead Fluoroscopy Technologist, presented “Intussusception Reductions.” Sarah Beth Gray, Child Life Specialist, also spoke at on Child Life Services in Pediatric Radiology and also on the hospital’s Patient Awake While Scanned (PAWS) Program.
“The contributions of Vanderbilt faculty and staff were supportive of the key theme of this year’s conference: Value-Added Radiology,” added Dr. Spottswood. “All of the presentations were well received by attendees, and were critical to the success of this year’s SPR meeting.”
