Making a Difference

The Roentgen Fund was instrumental in granting me protected time to pursue my research in artificial intelligence (AI). The algorithm we developed to spot COVID-19-associated pneumonia on chest radiography is a direct extension of the cardiac MRI project that my 2019 ARRS Scholarship was awarded for. It also provided me the time and space I needed to mentor my PhD students, post-docs and research residents. I am very grateful for The Roentgen Fund grant. It gave me the freedom to pursue academic research and mentorship, all of which will transform the care of our patients and shape the future of our specialty.

The ARRS Scholarship allowed me to focus on research involving early-phase clinical trials evaluating functional imaging, which is an imaging technique that displays the anatomy and function of the breast, as a precision tool combined with a newly developed tracer for PET/CT scans. By looking at these images, we hope to measure or predict a biologic outcome like tumor progression by seeing which women have cancer cells that are actively growing. Early results from an ongoing clinical trial indicate that we are able to measure cancer cell growth with a functional imaging study shortly after a patient is diagnosed with cancer. This may be a key in helping select the best treatment for patients. We can have the right patient receive the right treatment for the best response.

As a recipient of the Lee F. Rogers International Fellowship in Radiology Journalism (2016-2017), the objective of my study was to evaluate metrics related to manuscripts rejected by AJR, with and without review during 2014, and to determine their final disposition. After participating in meetings with the members of the editorial staff and practicing as a reviewer, I published my research in the AJR—“Analysis of the Revision Process by American Journal of Roentgenology Reviewers and Section Editors: Metrics of Rejected Manuscripts and Their Final Disposition.” My analysis found that manuscripts submitted to AJR that were rejected after peer-review were published in journals with higher impact factors than rejected articles that did not receive review. Based on my research, the peer review process appears to improve the quality of manuscripts and thus, contributes to the scientific community.

I was fortunate to be selected for the ARRS Leonard Berlin Scholarship in Medical Professionalism from 2015 to 2017. As a scholar, the program was extremely valuable in my professional development and greatly enhanced my ability to contribute to the profession of radiology. Given support of the program, I was able to complete a Master of Medical Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in May of 2017. Through this degree I learned a wide variety of skills and knowledge in many important areas, including: leadership, quality improvement, health care economics, information technology, population health management, health care policy, and health care delivery. Through this experience, I have a much better understanding of what professionalism means in our current health care environment and how medical professionalism is evolving. I shared what I have learned regarding this topic and a vision for the role of professionalism in medicine at the 2017 ARRS Annual Meeting in New Orleans. I am extremely appreciative of The Roentgen Fund^® and everyone that has been a part of the ARRS Leonard Berlin Scholarship in Medical Professionalism.

The ARRS/ASNR Scholarship has been a key turning point of my academic career. The award, supported by The Roentgen Fund^®, has provided the needed protected time to establish my research program. During the scholarship period, I completed several research projects evaluating brain tumors using MR spectroscopy, volumetry, and machine-learning approaches. The results of these research activities led to development and validation of imaging biomarkers that can impact patient care by non-invasively predicting brain tumor genetics as well as patient outcomes. I met many mentors and collaborators in radiology, as well as other fields of medicine, during the award period, and these experiences are instrumental in advancing my research projects through multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations.

My research journey started with the ARRS Scholarship in 2012. This opportunity gave me resources and mentorship that formed my critical stepping stones. My ARRS work of penumbral imaging led to two career development awards (2014 CTSA CT2 and 2015 CTSA KL2), which further solidified my research path in stroke imaging. As part of the ARRS award, I also completed my master’s program in clinical and translational research, which included structured education on study design and biostatistics. Since my ARRS Scholarship, I have expanded my local and national network of collaborators and secured consistent funding through the NIH and industry. I now have extensive experience in project management of imaging core labs, including leading the central imaging core labs in multiple, large, industry- and NIH-funded multicenter stroke trials including PRISMS, CLEAR-ER, CLEAR-FDR, ROSE ICH, MOST, NERVIVE AND ENDOLOW. I also developed experience in imaging biomarker development, particularly for acute stroke trials, and writing national guidelines on stroke imaging. Furthermore, the ARRS Scholarship laid the foundation for my leadership and career development. I am currently the Vice Chair of Research for the Radiology Department at the University of Cincinnati. I continue to expand my research with new areas of inquiry in innovative imaging technologies and human centered design thinking, and I am dedicated to growing our department’s research enterprise. I will forever be indebted to The Roentgen Fund^®, which not only gave me the financial resources, but also an incredible support system and a nurturing environment, thus setting me up for success.

The Berlin Scholarship enabled me to form collaborations with a number of students, residents, and faculty members at my own and other institutions, and our combined efforts help to highlight professionalism's vital role in promoting excellence in radiology. During the years of scholarship support, we published 17 refereed articles, and I had the privilege of delivering 29 lectures on professionalism topics for radiology departments and medical schools around the country.