Letter From the President

January 5, 2023

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Greetings from the ASPNR! May the 2023 New Year bring you happiness, success, good fortune, and enduring friendships!

This ASPNR President’s Update comes with excellent news.  The Society is strong and engaged,  our membership is growing, and our finances are solid.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
“If it’s January, it’s ASPNR!”
ASPNR’S  5^TH ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING NEW ORLEANS
ASPNR’s 5^th Annual Scientific Meeting is nearly upon us. This meeting will take place over MLK weekend,  January 13-15, 2023 in the beautiful Ritz Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, LA.  We are looking forward to our annual meeting where you will be able to hone your pediatric neuroradiology skills, enjoy the rich culture of New Orleans, and connect with colleagues!

We have a terrific program lined up for you, starting with our keynote speaker, the inimitable Dr. Anne Osborne. As always, this meeting will be clinically focused with 10 themed pediatric neuroradiology sessions brought to you by best-in-class speakers.

Each session will be capped off by a Rapid-Fire presentation which will allow you to compete with the best and brightest for the top spot on the leader board.

A day before the meeting, we are offering a fMRI Advanced Imaging Workshop and the opportunity to mix and mingle on our Vieux Carré Walking Tour of historic New Orleans. The Saturday evening Gala will be at the House of Blues. We thank ASPNR’s 2023 Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Susan Palasis, for their hard work in organizing what will surely be a terrific meeting.

It’s not too late to register to join us! For meeting registration, please click HERE.

2022 ASPNR PEDIATRIC NEURORADIOLOGY PROGRAMMING AT THE 60^TH ANNUAL AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEURORADIOLOGY (ASNR) MEETING, NY, NY, USA
Once again, in collaboration with the ASNR, the ASPNR delivered high-value pediatric neuroradiology programming at the 2022 ASNR Meeting on May 16-18 in New York City with the always-popular Interesting Pediatric Neuroradiology Case Review; Pediatric Core, Tell Me More; and Pediatric CNS Infections, Rubor, Calor, Dolor, Tumor- So Says Celsus sessions. This latter session was part of the collaborative programming that takes place each year between the ASPNR, the ASNR, and the ESNR (European Society of Neuroradiology).  Lectures were top-notch and we received lots of positive feedback.

2022 ASPNR PEDIATRIC NEURORADIOLOGY PROGRAMMING AT THE 45^TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF NEURORADIOLOGY (ESNR), LISBON, PORTUGAL
Each year the ASPNR and ESNR collaborate to provide joint pediatric neuroradiology programming for annual neuroradiology meetings. ESNR’s  45^thAnnual Meeting took place in Lisbon, Portugal; ASPNR lecturers were Dr. Manohar Shroff and Dr. V. Michelle Silvera. The European pediatric neuroradiology speakers were Dr. Kish Mankad and Dr. Nadine Girard.  ESNR’s Dr. Chen Hoffman and ASPNR’s Dr. David Mirsky moderated the session. The talks were excellent, and we look forward to continuing this wonderful collaboration with our European colleagues.

INTERNATIONAL PEDIATRIC NEURORADIOLOGY TEACHING NETWORK SEASON III “CLASSROOM OF THE WORLD”
In 2022, Season III of the International Pediatric Neuroradiology Teaching Network (IPNTN) Webinar Series brought us fresh and innovative content.  The sessions were designed with a new focus, closely connecting clinical perspectives to imaging abnormalities in various pediatric CNS conditions.  These monthly sessions were fantastic and once again pulled in a wide international audience. We are grateful to the organizers Dr. Kish Mankad, Dr. David Mirsky, Dr. Jai Sidpra, and Dr. Nihaal Reddy and the esteemed speakers! We look forward to seeing what new ideas Season IV will hold! IPNTN Season 3 recordings will be available soon on the ASPNR e-Learning Library.

ASPNR 2022 WEBINAR SERIES– A HOLIDAY OFFERING
We were delighted with our early winter 2^nd Annual ASPNR Holiday Webinar, which focused on Neonatal Imaging. Our expert speakers were Dr. Seetha Shankaran, Dr. Ellen Grant, Dr. Prasad Hanagandi, and Dr. Yi Li, who shared their knowledge with us so generously. We thank our moderators, Dr. Sumit Pruthi and Dr. Nilesh Desai, for their expertise, our distinguished speakers, our Program Chairs, Dr. David Mirsky and Dr. Michelle Silvera, and our generous sponsor Embrace Aspect Imaging for making this event possible!

ASPNR’S 2023 GOLD MEDAL AWARD
ASPNR’s 2023 Gold Medal Award will go to our esteemed ASPNR member Dr. Andrea Rossi from the Gaslini Institute of Genoa, Italy.  We look forward to honoring Dr. Rossi for his immense lifetime contributions to pediatric neuroradiology at our 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans! Please join us! We thank the ASPNR’s Gold Medal Committee, chaired by Dr. Manu Shroff, for identifying such a worthy honoree and their efforts on our behalf.

2022 ASNR OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION AWARD IN PEDIATRIC NEURORADIOLOGY
The best pediatric neuroradiology oral abstract at the 2022 ASNR meeting in NYC was awarded to Dr. Yi Li from UCSF for her presentation: Quantitative Volumetric and Regional Analysis of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Injury in a Large Prospective Cohort from the HEAL Trial. E Calabrese, S Gillon, J Wisnowski, A Mathur, R McKinstry, S Juul, Y Wu, Y LI. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Li and her collaborators with this award! We thank the ASPNR Abstracts Committee, chaired by Dr. Nilesh Desai, for their efforts.

2023 CHARLOTTE AND THIERRY HUISMAN TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP
This year, the ASPNR offered a new travel scholarship to support attendance to ASPNR’s Annual Scientific Meeting for a member in training. The Charlotte and Thierry Huisman Travel Scholarship Award has been made possible by Dr. Thierry Huisman, a past ASPNR president, and his wife Charlotte. The first trainee recipient will be announced at the 2023 ASPNR 5^th Annual Meeting.

This scholarship provides up to $2000 in travel support for a 1^st author trainee with an accepted scientific or educational abstract for ASPNR’s Annual Scientific ASPNR Meeting.  We thank the Huisman Travel Scholarship Committee, chaired by Dr. Birgit Ertl-Wagner, for their efforts.

If you are interested in sponsoring an exclusive named travel scholarship for trainees or radiologists from low GDP countries, please reach out to members@aspnr.org.

ASPNR MEDICAL STUDENT TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP
The ASPNR is offering a new medical student travel scholarship to its Annual Scientific Meeting for interested medical students. The medical student scholarships are funded by individual ASPNR patrons. The ASPNR is grateful for the generosity of those who have supported this initiative. Recipients of this Scholarship will be announced at the 2023 ASPNR 5^th Annual Meeting.  We thank Dr. Tim Booth for leading this initiative.

2022 ASPNR PROMO PARTY, NEW YORK CITY
On May 16, 2022, the ASPNR held its 2^nd Promo Event in the sky-high Somewhere Nowhere Lounge overlooking the NYC skyline and the Empire State Building. The event was held during the 2022 ASNR meeting. The turnout of was fantastic and the musical talent, break-dancers, DJ Joe Gauthreaux and guests made for a memorable high-energy gathering. We thank Dr. Paul Caruso for his vision and hard work in organizing the event, event co-hosts Dr. Susan Palasis and Dr. Michelle Silvera, and our generous event sponsors Guerbet LLC and Embrace Aspect Imaging for making the evening possible.

ASPNR’S HONORARY LECTURE IN MEMORY OF DR. ZOLTAN PATAY
This year, the ASPNR lost a valued member of the Society. Dr. Zoltan Patay passed away at the young age of 65. We will honor his memory with the Zoltan Patay Honorary Lecture at the 2023 ASPNR Annual Meeting in New Orleans. The lecture will be given by Dr. Tina Young Poussaint, a longtime friend, colleague, and collaborator of Dr. Patay’s.

2^ND ASPNR – GUERBET RESEARCH GRANT
This year, the ASPNR announced its 2^nd ASPNR-Guerbet Research Grant, offering up to $25,000 in funding for pediatric neuroradiology research, generously supported by Guerbet LLC. The ASPNR received 30 Letters of Intent from the USA, Canada, Europe, South America, Far East, Middle East, Africa, and Australia. The 2^nd ASPNR-Guerbet Research Grant recipient will be announced at our 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. We thank the ASPNR’s Research Grant Committee, chaired by Dr. Kristen Yeom, for their hard work.

If you are interested in becoming an exclusive Sponsor of a named pediatric neuroradiology research grant for trainees or junior faculty, please reach out to members@aspnr.org.

ASPNR E-LEARNING LIBRARY
Learn pediatric neuroradiology from the best and brightest and take your knowledge back to the reading room! ASPNR’s online e-Learning Library is there for your educational benefit and access is complementary for ASPNR members.

This is a terrific educational resource for radiologists, members in training, and residency training programs. The e-Learning Library holds over sixty 15-to-60-minute lectures on various topics of pediatric neuroradiology and is continually updated.

We thank ASPNR’s E-learning Library Committee, chaired by Dr. Bill O’Brien, for its ongoing efforts and Guerbet LLC for their generous support of ASPNR’s E-learning Library.

To access ASPNR’s E-learning library, click HERE.

If you or your department is interested in obtaining an institutional membership for your trainees to offer access to these educational lectures, please reach out to members@aspnr.org.

ASPNR ON DEMAND MEETING LECTURES
For the first time in 2022, the ASPNR offered access to lecture recordings from the ASPNR’s 4^th Annual Scientific Meeting in its spring post meeting on-demand offering. This made it possible for clinicians who could not attend the 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting in Miami due to COVID-related travel restrictions and other challenges to access the meeting content. This was a successful initiative and will be offered after ASPNR’s  2023 5^th Annual Scientific Meeting as well.

ASPNR’S BARKOVICH NAIDICH HARWOOD-NASH (BNH) FOUNDERS FUND
The ASPNR is happy to report a tremendously successful 2^nd and final year of its $1-for-$1 matching campaign to raise donations for the BNH Founders Fund in support pediatric neuroradiology research.

The Society is grateful for the generosity of its members! The ASPNR raised $53K in 2021 and topped this fundraising amount in 2022. The final tally will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting in New Orleans.   We appreciate our generous supporters who are listed on ASPNR’s Donor Wall: https://aspnr.org/aspnr-supporters/

The ASPNR’s goal is to grow the BNH Fund to $1,000,000.00 within 7-10 years, which will allow the Society to offer an annual ASPNR Research Grant Award to its membership in perpetuity.  We thank ASPNR’s Fundraising Committee, chaired by Dr. Tim Booth, for its hard work on this initiative.

To DONATE TO THE BNH FUND, please click HERE.

ASPNR WEBSITE
The ASPNR website contains a wealth of information, educational content, professional and community news, and is frequently updated. This is where you will find information regarding ASPNR’s Annual Meeting, Webinars, collaborative inter-society programming, our e-Learning Library, Headline News, Case of the Week and Case of the Month archives, our Member Directory, and much, much more. This is also where you can renew your annual membership and donate to pediatric neuroradiology research or provide general support to the ASPNR. We thank the ASPNR Website Committee, chaired by Dr. David Mirsky, for their hard work in keeping us current and connected!

If your organization has open faculty, staff, or trainee positions, the ASPNR will post job information for you on its Jobs Classified Page as a complimentary service. To submit a posting, please contact members@aspnr.org.

To view employment opportunities, please click HERE.

ASPNR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
The ASPNR Social Media platforms bring you the 1. Interesting Case of the Month, 2. the Interesting Case of the Week, 3. Interesting Pediatric Neuroradiology articles, 4. Professional News Items, and 5. Community News. We thank ASPNR’s Social Media Committee, chaired by Dr. Laura Hayes, for their ongoing efforts to keep us up-to-date and educated!

To follow the ASPNR, please refer to these links:

• Twitter: @The_ASPNR
• Instagram: the_aspnr
• Facebook: @theASPNR
• Linkedln: American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology

CASE OF THE WEEK AND CASE OF THE MONTH OFFERINGS
The ASPNR continues to deliver a weekly (COTW) and a monthly (COTM) educational unknown pediatric neuroradiology case for your continuing life-long educational efforts. These interesting cases are brought to you by the hard-working members of ASPNR’s COTW and COTM Committees, chaired by Dr. Anant Krishnan, and Dr. Julie Guerin, respectively. We thank these teams for their hard work!

ASPNR MEMBERSHIP
The ASPNR membership continues to increase in size. We have approximately 650 members and the ASPNR is thrilled to see its international membership grow.  The ASPNR is extremely appreciative of its members who have supported the Society for many years with enthusiasm and engagement. In 2023, we look forward to welcoming new members and continuing to support current members in matters that are important to you.

For the first time in almost a decade, the ASPNR has raised its annual membership dues for 2023.  This dues increase was necessary to allow the ASPNR to fund its many new Society initiatives and enhance member services. The ASPNR’s goal as always is to maximize membership value while keeping membership dues as low as feasible.

The ASPNR is currently changing its membership association software. To this end, all ASPNR members have until February 15, 2023 to renew their 2023 membership. All ASPNR memberships will remain active until then.  We thank the ASPNR’s Membership Committee, chaired by Dr. Aylin Tekes, for their efforts.

ASPNR FINANCES
The ASPNR’s finances are strong. The ASPNR has been able to substantially build financial security for the Society and its membership in the past few years that will ensure the Society’s ability to weather unexpected financial challenges and market downturns. We thank the ASPNR’s Finance Committee, chaired by Dr. Mark Mamlouk, for their hard work.

ASPNR ORGANIZATION AND NEW ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY
ASPNR’s Board of Directors and its many active committees are hard at work to bring value to you, our Membership.

2022 saw a total of 12 Directors elected to the Board at the Annual Business meeting.  Our committee structure consists of 5 standing and eighteen ad hoc committees designed to help successfully manage ASPNR into the future.

ASPNR’s current organizational structure with its articles of incorporation aligns with our 501(c)3 tax exempt charitable status, and its Board of Directors, governing bylaws and committee charters result in an enhanced organizational structure that positions the Society for future growth opportunities, greater membership involvement, and strong financial performance.

In July 2023, the ASPNR transitioned to a new society management company HollandParlette. HollandParlette has been in the business of association management for more than 35 years ago and comes with deep expertise and experience. With HollandParlette by its side, the ASPNR is  strongly positioned for continued growth and success.

Please welcome our new Executive Director Ms. Nicole Brandt, our new account associate Ms. Kortney Incorvaia, and our new Event Manager, Ms. Zenia Spear.

We thank Matt Wilson and Shon Smith from Northwest Imaging Forums (NWIF) for past management of our Society and their dedicated support to the ASPNR during a critical period of the Society’s growth.

As HollandParlette offers in-house accounting services, we are also transitioning from our accounting firm McMahon & Co, Ltd. We thank Margaret McMahon and McMahon & Co, Ltd for their valued assistance to the ASPNR.

In business and governance matters, we are advised by our legal counsel, Robert Heist, Esq., from R. Connor & Associates, who is an expert on corporate law and nonprofit governance, and who served as past chairman of the Hershey Trust Company, an organization with an $18 billion endowment.  Of note, Mr. Heist is also my spouse, and he has performed a substantial amount of legal work for the ASPNR pro bono and/or at substantially discounted rates and waived fees, further benefiting the ASPNR and its membership.

 

FUTURE EVENTS AND NEW INTIATIVES

ASPNR MEMBERSHIP CYCLE
The ASPNR is excited to adopt a new annual membership cycle. The ASPNR has moved away from its former membership dues structure that was linked to the calendar year to a anniversary membership renewal format. Thus, going forward, in 2023, your membership will be valid for 12 months from the time you join or renew your ASPNR membership (like a gym membership!). For example, if you join the ASPNR in November, your membership will be valid for 12 months, until the following November. In addition, a membership autorenewal option will be introduced.

ASPNR WEBSITE
The ASPNR website https://aspnr.org  is undergoing a redesign that involves the front-facing experience and behind-the-scenes web operations. The new ASPNR website will roll out this month and more seamlessly integrate ASPNR’s web content, the e-Learning Library collection, and our association management software going forward.

ASPNR CORE CURRICULUM
ASPNR’s Core Curriculum will launch early 2023 and will be available to you in the E-learning Library.  The educational content is a members-only benefit and will be available to you as part of your ASPNR membership at no additional cost. The Core Curriculum will consist of thematic modules containing several 15-to-20-minute lectures. The modules are organized around essential topics in pediatric neuroradiology. This curriculum is targeted towards trainees and general radiologists. The Core Curriculum Committee, chaired by Dr. Bill O’ Brien, and its contributing lecturers have worked diligently on this project for over a year. We thank them for their sustained efforts.  Stay tuned.

ASPNR CARES SCHOLARSHIP
The ASPNR is excited to announce a new scholarship initiative titled ASPNR CARES. This program is focused on improving healthcare equity and access to high-quality educational and scientific materials in pediatric neuroradiology for physicians in low-income countries. To this end, the ASPNR will be offering 20 educational scholarships that provide free registration to the 2023 ASPNR post-meeting on-demand lecture offering in addition to 1-year ASPNR memberships, which will provide complimentary access to ASPNR’s e-Learning Library to scholarship recipients.

ASPNR MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR PHYSICIANS FROM LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
To foster healthcare equity and elevate neuroradiology imaging care for children worldwide, the ASPNR is excited to announce that it is lowering its membership dues for members from low-income countries, as defined by the World Bank, to $25.00/year in 2023.

LOOKING FORWARD AND GRATITUDE
It has never been a more exciting time to be a member of ASPNR!  We are growing and we are strong.  ASPNR’s future is bright and full of engagement, learning, kinship, and improved pediatric patient care.  We are grateful for the wonderfully positive feedback we have received from the ASPNR membership regarding the energy, inclusivity, quality of offerings, and engagement the Society’s committee volunteers work so hard on to provide to its membership.

We are so grateful for our amazing professional society, our membership, our hard-working committee volunteers, our engaged Board of Directors, our new management team HollandParlette, and our generous industry partners and benefactors, who make our many Society initiatives possible!

Please keep your membership current to benefit from all our activities and support the Society that works so hard to support you!

And of course, please join us for our 5^th Annual Meeting in New Orleans at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, January 13-15, 2023! 

 

Sincerely,

Michelle

V. Michelle Silvera MD
President American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology
Chief Pediatric Neuroradiology Mayo Clinic
Associate Professor of Radiology
200 1^st St NW, Rochester, MN 55905
Silvera.vmichelle@mayo.edu

Lynnae Henry, Administrative Assistant
T 507.284.2804  | Henry.Lynnae@mayo.edu  |  www.mayoclinic.org