Jennifer Huang, MD, MEd, second-year diagnostic radiology resident, recently participated in the 2020 Introduction to Academic Radiology (ITAR) program as part of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2020 Annual Meeting.
Co-sponsored by RSNA, the Association of University Radiologists and the American Roentgen Ray Society, the ITAR program is designed for second-year residents interested in pursuing careers in academic radiology.
As a result of the pandemic, ITAR was held entirely virtual for the first time this year. Over the two-day period, radiologists and researchers from across the country presented on topics related to career development and mentorship, research, writing for journals, and more. Radiology Chair Dr. Reed Omary was among those who presented during ITAR’s session on career development.
“Dr. Omary and several radiology leaders from other institutions gave a series of really good short talks regarding various strategies about how to succeed as an academic radiologist,” said Dr. Huang. “The sessions we had were awesome. The shortened virtual program was definitely different, but all of the presentations were very high yield.”
There was one presentation in particular that Dr. Huang said stood out most. “Hearing the talk about how to give a talk was fantastic,” she said. “There were so many practical and useful tips that I hope to incorporate in any future talks that I give.”
During the program, Dr. Huang also had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with editors of four major industry publications, including Radiology, RadioGraphics and the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).
“It was inspiring for me to see females serving as the Editors-in-chief of both RadioGraphics and JACR,” said Dr. Huang. “We talked a little about what it means to be an editor and reviewer, and they gave great advice and suggestions on things to think about when submitting your work.”
In addition, during RSNA’s Annual Meeting, Dr. Huang was awarded a Cum Laude award for her educational exhibit, “A Systematic Approach to Evaluating Sellar and Suprasellar Masses in Pediatric Patients.”
“I really couldn’t have put this together without Drs. Asha Sarma and Sumit Pruthi, so I’m incredibly grateful for their guidance,” she added.
