Fourth-year Chief Diagnostic Radiology Resident Patrick Couture, M.D., recently participated in the American College of Radiology’s (ACR) Rutherford-Lavanty Fellowship in Government Relations.
Couture was selected among a pool of applicants from programs across the country as one of six Rutherford-Lavanty fellows this year. The Department of Radiology and the Tennessee Radiological Society (TRS) sponsored his participation in the weeklong program in Washington, D.C.
During the fellowship, Couture met with the ACR’s government relations team, as well as state and government legislators, to learn how policy impacts the field of radiology and patient access to care.
“I got a glimpse of the depth and breadth of what the government relations team does,” said Couture. “The complexity of issues facing the profession, as well as the degree to which ACR works collaboratively with other institutions, was far more intricate than I anticipated.”
He also had the opportunity to observe and engage in dynamic conversations on screening colonoscopy with the ACR’s team and legislators. In a perspective piece he shared with the ACR’s Radiology Advocacy Network, Couture emphasized the role of radiologists as patient advocates, and the importance of putting patients in control of their health care.
“It was a great experience being able to make new connections and to engage first hand in conversations directly impacting radiology and patient care,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to participate in the program, and look forward to applying these new insights to my career.”
Couture, who was in his third year of residency at the time of the program, has served as president and secretary of the TRS Resident and Fellow Section, and has actively participated in ACR and TRS Day on the Hill activities in both Washington, D.C., and Nashville.
