Headline News

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It has been such a pleasure and an honor to serve as your President this past year. Your ASPNR committee members have worked hard to grow the society, create more opportunities for involvement, and extend its outreach. We have increased our membership and strengthened our inter-societal collaborations. It is an exciting time to be a member of the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology!

1st Annual ASPNR Scientific Meeting

We are excited to announce the ASPNR’s first independent scientific meeting at the NEW ORLEANS, LA. ROYAL SONESTA HOTEL, JANUARY 18-20, 2019! The meeting will include a robust educational program and scientific sessions where pediatric neuroimaging research can be shared. Our target audience will include general neuroradiologists, pediatric neuroradiologists, pediatric radiologists, researchers, physicists, technologists, and other professionals interested in the field of pediatric neuroradiology. More details about keynote speakers and programing can be found on the ASPNR website soon (https://aspnr.org/).

ASPNR Gold Medal Award

The recipient of the 2018 ASPNR Gold Medal Award is Dr. E. Ralph Heinz, from Duke University. Congratulations to Dr. Heinzfor this well-deserved recognition! Please join us on Wednesday June 6 th , 12:15pm, at the ASPNR business meeting held during the ASNR meeting in Vancouver, to congratulate and celebrate Dr. Heinz for his significant contributions to our field.

Pediatric Neuroradiology Research Award

I am delighted to announce that there were many worthy research proposals submitted this year. The recipient of the 2018 ASPNR Research Award is Dr. Benita Tamrazi from Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for her proposal on “Imaging Genomics of Pediatric Rhabdoid Tumors of the Brain: Identification of Prognostically Significant Metabolic Subgroups Using in vivo 1H-MR Spectroscopy” Congratulations to Dr. Tamrazi!

I would like to ask the ASPNR community to please consider giving a tax deductible donation to the ASPNR Research Fund now! You can easily donate on the ASPNR website (https://aspnr.org/) in any amount that is right for you. You can also contact Kristine Kulpaka kkupaka@aspnr.org, Tel. 630-574-0220 ext. 234 for assistance. Your support of pediatric neuroradiology research will be recognized on the ASPNR website and at the ASPNR 1 st Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Important research projects that further our understanding of pediatric CNS disease need your financial support. Any amount is welcome!

ASPNR website and Social Media

ASPNR is having great success with its website and social media! Here are some recent facts about our website (we launched December 2016): (1) Jan-May 2018 Users: 3620; Sessions 5838; (2) Top users are (in order) :USA, India, Brazil; (3) Most viewed pages: Home page, E-learning content (Interesting cases, Interesting Case sessions) and Future Meetings. With regards to Social Media Followers we are : (1) on Facebook; (2) have 925 Twitter Followers; Content includes Metabolic Monday and Temporal Bone Tuesdays; (3) on Instagram: 312 Followers and (4) we are on Linkedin (new). Follow us on Twitter @TheASPNR and join ASPNR on Facebook and Instagram. A big thank you to all of our tweeters, re-tweeters and especially to those of you that post material.

Membership Survey : The Membership Committee have put together a short survey to gather current information about our ASPNR members. We are asking you to take part in a short online survey in order to better understand the interests, needs and composition of our membership with a goal of identifying areas in which the society can better serve the members. 

Please consider doing this survey before the Vancouver ASNR annual meeting, if possible. Thank you in aiding the efforts to improve our society. We hope to present this data on the ASPNR website and at the 1st ASPNR meeting in January 2019.

Pediatric Neuroradiology Publications

The ASPNR Publication Committee has been successful in soliciting high quality pediatric neuroradiology papers for publication. Outstanding pediatric neuroradiology scientific exhibits will be invited to submit to Neurographics. If you are interested in participating as a guest editor for a pediatric neuroradiology topic in AJNR’s News Digest, please contact managing editor Karen Halm at khalm@ajnr.org. If you would like to volunteer as a reviewer for the pediatric neuroradiology section of AJNR, please contact senior editor Dr. Thierry Huisman at thuisman@ajnr.org.

Get recognized for your Interesting Cases!

We all know that there is no shortage of brain stumping interesting neuroradiology cases to go around. The ASPNR Interesting Case Committee can help your interesting case reach the broader neuroradiology and pediatric radiology community. Submitted cases will undergo a review by the committee panel and those selected will be posted on the ASPNR website and/or shown during the Interesting Case Session of ASNR. You and your institution will be credited for the case if selected. Please submit your interesting cases to committee chair Dr. Larry Eckel (Eckel.Laurence@mayo.edu) for consideration. Cases that aren’t selected for this year will be considered for the following year, with your approval.

ASPNR Programming at the 56^th Annual ASNR Meeting

I hope to see everyone at the upcoming ASNR meeting at Vancouver Convention Centre! ASPNR programming this year includes:

• Symposium session – Pediatric Neuroimaging: Improving Quality and Safety (SAM), Sunday June 3, 1:15 – 3:15 pm
• Meeting session – One Hours SAM Session: Spine (will include Pediatric Spine) (SAM)(AR), Tuesday , June 5, 7:00am- 8:00 am.
• Meeting session – ASPNR/ESNR (European Society of Neuroradiology) Collaboration Session: Safety and Toxicity to the Pediatric Brain, Tuesday June 5, 4:45pm-6:15pm.
• Meeting session – Imaging of the Immature Brain and Placenta: Added Value (SAM); Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 1:15pm-2:45pm.
• Meeting session – Pediatric Interesting Case Session (ENT), Wednesday, June 6, 2018 4:45pm-6:15pm (includes interesting case unknowns, and trivia). The 3 audience members with the most correct answers as recorded on the AR system will receive a certificate along with a monetary award of $200 for 1st place, $150 for 2 nd place, and $100 for 3 rd place. The winners will be identified live at the end of the session and will be posted on the ASPNR website (https://aspnr.org/).
• Meeting session – Healthcare Artificial Intelligence and Application to Pediatric Neuroradiology : Thursday, June 7; 10:30am-12:00pm

Please continue to volunteer for committees, support the ASPNR, and encourage others to join. It has truly been a rewarding year for me to serve as President of this great society. I’ll be passing the baton to our next ASPNR President, Dr. Arastoo Vossough!

All the best,

Ashok Panigrahy, M.D
ASPNR President and Executive Committee Chair