Headline News

Dr. Susan Palasis truly embodies John Naisbitt’s insightful words: “Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it.” I have the privilege of bestowing the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Presidential Award to Susan—a leader whose commitment to education and mentorship, dedicated service to the SPR, and vision in implementing the first American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR) meeting have left an indelible mark. Her significant efforts and contributions over the course of her career have helped transform the subspecialty of pediatric neuroradiology and have fostered collaboration between the SPR and ASPNR to advance the care of children worldwide.

Susan’s journey to this moment is as inspiring as it is unconventional. She was born in Greece and arrived in the United States at age two. Her original Greek name, Chrysanthi, was changed to ‘Susan’ by a well-meaning US immigration officer. Frequent moves between Greece and the U.S. in her early years meant Susan regularly switched languages—re-learning Greek or English with each transition. Ultimately, her family settled in Rochester, New York, where her parents opened a Greek restaurant, "Pete’s Charcoal Pit."

During her teenage years, Susan worked as a waitress at the family restaurant after school and on weekends, but that was too restrictive for her spirit.  Her parents, noticing her mischievous streak and sliding grades, made a bold decision: they sold the restaurant and moved the family back to Greece, where Susan continued her education. It was during her senior year of high school that reality struck, and she had to answer the pivotal question of what to do with her life. Waitressing was out of the question!  However, many of her close relatives were in the medical field and their conversations around their work sparked a fascination in her. Determined to join their ranks, Susan began preparing for the notoriously difficult Greek medical school entrance exams.

As the saying goes, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Despite skepticism from her teachers about her chances of success, Susan passed with flying colors and earned her medical degree with honors from the Aristotle University School of Medicine. She served a government mandated two-year primary care internship in a mountainous region of northern Greece, where she worked at a health center in a rural town and lived in a small apartment with a single gas-burning stove that heated one solitary room. Susan provided medical services under challenging conditions, including nights alone on call facing serious emergencies with limited resources. Her experiences shaped her decision to pursue a medical specialty with less direct patient care but equally impactful in diagnosis and management, and thus Susan chose the field of diagnostic radiology.

Her passion for neuroradiology was ignited during her radiology residency at George Papanicolaou General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece where, under imaging resource constraints, she explored temporal bone imaging with tomography as there were no CT or MR scanners in the hospital. A serendipitous observership at Ohio State University exposed her to the rapidly evolving techniques of advanced neuroimaging and the mentorship of Dr. Donald Chakeres, the Chief of Neuroradiology, as well as to her future husband, Dr. Bryan Philbrook—a neurology resident with whom it was love at first sight. They married within a year.

Susan’s determination to practice in the U.S. meant surmounting another challenge: passing U.S. medical boards and finding a radiology residency program that would accept a foreign medical graduate. After innumerable and persistent phone calls to radiology residency programs across the country, she secured a spot at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach that just happened to have an unexpected vacancy—a stroke of luck and a testament to her perseverance.

From there, Susan’s career began to flourish. She was accepted to a neuroradiology fellowship at Duke University. Susan quickly became aware that the pediatric cases were some of the most challenging to perform and interpret. It was a keynote lecture on magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) by Dr. William Ball, the Chief of Pediatric Neuroradiology at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, at a scientific meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) that inspired Susan to dedicate herself to the world of pediatric imaging.  Susan completed two additional years of fellowship training at Cincinnati Children’s, in pediatric neuroradiology and pediatric radiology. These experiences cemented her commitment to lifelong learning.

Susan began her career at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) at the Scottish Rite campus, which operated as a private practice at the time. There, she served as both a pediatric radiologist and a pediatric neuroradiologist. During her time at CHOA, Susan continued to invest herself in academic activities. She ultimately sought a position in academic medicine, that would enable her to more effectively mentor and lead as a pediatric neuroradiologist. An opportunity arose when the position of Chief of Pediatric Neuroradiology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago became available. During her time at Lurie Children’s, Susan recruited top faculty, fostered strong relationships, and elevated the quality of pediatric neuroimaging. Her passion left an indelible mark on the institution. As Cindy Rigsby observed, “Susan’s passion for pediatric neuroimaging is strong, and her dedication has left an everlasting mark on the pediatric neuroimaging community.”

Susan is currently the Director of Pediatric Neuroradiology at CHOA and a Professor of Radiology, Imaging sciences, and Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. She is also the medical director at the Facility for Education and Research in Neuroscience (FERN) at Emory College of Arts and Sciences and is an adjunct professor in psychology. Her dedication to advancing education around pediatric neuroimaging has been remarkable.  She has won numerous awards, has been an invited visiting professor and speaker at over 180 national and international forums, and has over 160 abstracts and publications, including the highly referenced Lancet article in 2021, “Pediatric neuroimaging findings in SARS-CoV-2: A multi-national multi-center collaborative study”.

Susan’s vision and enthusiasm have extended beyond institutions to professional societies. She revitalized the Southern Pediatric Radiology Society (SPRS) as its president and orchestrated one of its most memorable meetings in Greece. She has also served on numerous committees of the ASNR and is an associate editor for their journal, Neurographics.  She has been a contributing author to the American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR) Pocket Mentor, a survival guide for women radiologists. In the SPR, Susan has served on numerous committees including neuroradiology, child abuse, bylaws, ethics, finance, scientific paper, nominating, scientific program and the board of directors.  She has been involved in developing the educational curriculum at the SPR’s annual meetings and other societal educational activities. These are just a few examples of Susan’s dedication to her field.

One of her greatest achievements was through the ASPNR. During her time serving on the executive committee of the society, Susan appreciated that there was a stark and unmet need to provide a dedicated educational and scientific meeting for the society’s members. Pediatric neuroradiologists only had access to limited sessions on topics that were pertinent to their area of practice at other societal meetings. Establishing a scientific meeting for the ASPNR came with financial risk. Susan gauged the interest of the pediatric neuroradiology community and consulted with many leaders in neuroradiology and pediatric radiology. She recalled the words of Jim Donaldson who told her that if she believed that it was the right time for an independent pediatric neuroradiology meeting, she should just go for it, which is exactly what she did. Without other organizational support and working with a team of like-minded determined pediatric neuroradiologists, Susan chaired the 1st Annual Scientific Meeting of the ASPNR in New Orleans in 2019.  The meeting was hugely successful, drew international participation, and has occurred yearly ever since. Establishing a scientific meeting for the ASPNR was a turning point for the society and has helped it grow into a worldwide leader in pediatric neuroimaging education and research. In the words of David Mirsky, the current president of the ASPNR, “Susan has a presence that lights up a room...even a reading room. Her passion extends to both her personal and professional endeavors. She continues to radiate an energy that is infectious and seems to only elevate with age.”

Behind Susan’s achievements stands a family whose influence and support have been instrumental. Her father, Peter, overcame immense challenges as an immigrant, instilling in Susan resilience and grit. Her mother, Agapi, passed down her lively spirit, and her husband, Bryan, has been her steadfast partner. In Bryan’s whimsical words, “I have been so proud of Sue in her career as an exceptional pediatric neuroradiologist. I met Sue at the light box when images were still on film, and she immediately began showing me her “brains”. Over the years she has provided me with an exclusive neuroradiology service—even though she tends to see everything in “black and white”, but just the same, she is “one in a myelin!” Their children, Anastasia and Phaethon, continue to make their own remarkable contributions to the world. Anastasia is a successful investment manager at a major financial firm in Manhattan and Phaethon has earned an MD/PhD and will be embarking on a radiology residency at Emory University.

I have had the honor of knowing and working alongside Susan on the SPR board. Her unrelenting excitement for teaching and education, and her contributions to pediatric neuroradiology shine brightly. Susan, you truly lead every parade with joy and purpose. It is a distinct honor to present you with the SPR Presidential Award. Congratulations! 

Dr. Beth Kline-Fath

2025 SPR President