President’s Message

 

I would like to thank all of the members of the SRU, for this opportunity to lead our Society in 2025. I hope my efforts and actions in the upcoming year live up to the trust that has been given. It will be a busy year as we continue to develop innovative programs and engaging social opportunities, in addition to the long-standing favorites. And yes, we have heard the feedback of members for the return of Sonopardy!

 

First of all, I want to thank our outgoing President, Nirvikar (Nirvi) Dahiya, MD, FSRU, FACR, FAIUM, for guiding us through a productive year. His new Outreach committee and SRU Ambassador program are carrying the SRU banner to other societies internationally, most recently supporting speakers in India, Italy, and soon Japan. His organization and efforts moved the society on a positive trajectory, culminating in an outstanding meeting in Seattle this past September. Often our West Coast meetings wane a bit in attendance, but over 200 attendees filled the rooms with interest in moving the field forward. For me, I most look forward to seeing everyone in person and the in-person meeting cannot be matched virtually. However, it was hard to step away from the excellent program created by Theodora A. Potretzke, M.D., FSRU, and her Program Committee. It included innovative offerings in non-interpretive topics, bread-and-butter sonography education, and even our first live scanning session of CEUS streamed to us in real-time. 

 

Our scientific program was the strongest in years thanks to the work of the research committee under the leadership of Arthur C. Fleischer, M.D., FSRU and Manjiri K. Dighe, M.D., FSRU. Last year we funded three strong research seed grants, and two new ones were selected earlier this month for the 2025 cycle. I would like to thank our corporate partners for their continued support, which allows us to fund activities such as these grants. We hope to build on this quality to further expand research offerings at the national meeting in October 2025. 

Our newest consensus conference addressing the lexicon for first trimester obstetrics is already an impactful document and has generated much discussion. We look forward to a new consensus focused on hepatic steatosis imaging headed by Richard G. Barr, M.D., Ph.D., FACR, FSRU, which has recently started. Regarding the structure and committees of the society, I am pleased the major bylaws revisions have been a successfully implemented. We will continue to make minor improvements such as the creation of an SRU Ethics committee (it is good to be prepared even if we hope it is never needed).

 

I am happy to welcome Jason M. Wagner, M.D., FSRU as our new Secretary of the Executive Board. If you are seeing this summary in the SRU newsletter, then his first major task is complete! The Board has a full agenda for the upcoming year as we continue to provide high-quality content for our Radiologist Members and Fellows, while we expand educational offerings for our new Scientist and Sonographer members. As an effort to engage with these new groups, we have taken first steps in creating an Advanced Practice Sonographer interest group to build on some of the excitement at the recent national meeting.

 

We will begin our third year working with our management team, ESI, led by SRU Executive Director, Toni Ebra, and Society Coordinator, Marie Gomez. ESI has been a valued partner, and we look forward to a long relationship going forward. Our separation from ACR support was admittedly stressful, but ESI has helped us upgrade our membership lists, create a new improved website, and move the forum within the website. Toni, Marie and I are hard at work preparing for the Nashville meeting, and I think it will have a lot to offer our members. Be sure to mark your calendars for October 10-12th, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Nashville. I look forward to seeing you all there, and bring your boots for line dancing!

 

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve as your President.