Dear Members,
Happy summer SRU members! Summer marks the beginning of good weather (for most) and a time for leisure, relaxation, and rejuvenation. It also marks the end of graduation season with scholars, celebrities and songwriters weighing in with words of wisdom for recent graduates. In reviewing some of the best speeches (I highly recommend country singer Eric Church’s address to the University of North Carolina), I was struck by how many of them addressed the dangers and opportunities presented by technology, particularly AI. At the college graduation of my daughter, the commencement address struck a balance between hopefulness and realism in addressing the advent of AI and what AI meant for this graduating class as they enter the workforce. The basic advice of the commencement speaker was not to be fearful, gain foundational knowledge of AI, become adept in using it, and harness it to your advantage before it harnesses you.
In addition to the ubiquitous nature of the AI topic, I have noted the wide spectrum of perceptions of AI among Generation Zer’s, with almost half of young Americans describing the dangers of AI as “serious.” Reflecting this anxiety, one commencement speaker at a Florida university was lustily booed by graduates when she described AI as the next “Industrial Revolution.” This trepidation is further reflected in polling, which indicates that 67% of Americans believe AI will eliminate jobs and heavily disrupt their respective industries (Washington Post).
In digesting these headlines regarding fears of American grads with AI, I couldn’t help but think of radiologists who may be fearful of the advent of AI and its impact on radiology workflow and jobs. The questions that I hear being repeatedly asked are: “Will AI take my job away?” Similarly, prospective medical students are asking:” Should I even go into radiology with the advent of AI?”
This dialogue is an appropriate segue to discuss our upcoming SRU meeting in October. Our meeting will have several sections addressing the use of AI in ultrasound and radiology. Additionally, talks focused on increasing efficiency and quality to one’s ultrasound practice are also featured prominently in the program. The meeting agenda that has been planned by the program committee led by Drs. Tara Morgan and David Fetzer promises to have several fresh and innovative sessions including:
*As stated above, an entire half day will be devoted to the practice of ultrasound and how to make your practice higher quality and more efficient.
*Hands on workshops in MSK ultrasound, led by Jon Jacobson, and quantitative liver ultrasound, led by Richard Barr. There are limited spots in these workshops so make sure to sign up early.
*An insightful plenary session that will impart very useful information including a TI-RADS update explaining the newest changes to the guidelines, multidisciplinary talks discussing key clinical concepts in the diagnosis of endometriosis and HCC, and a keynote address by Flemming Forsberg.
*Robust scientific sessions where new research will be presented. Please consider submitting an abstract.
*A Science “Power Hour” that will encourage scientists and clinicians to share ideas in a social setting.
* Didactic sessions with world-renowned speakers will offer comprehensive reviews while imparting the newest information on topics. Subspecialty topics include OB-Gyn, Head and Neck, GI, GU, Vascular, and pediatrics.
* Our popular rapid-fire session on Sunday morning entitled “Ultrasound Head to Toe” that will show many cases in all disciplines.
*Sonopardy will also be back and will provide some old-fashioned competition and laughs.
On the social front, the hotel is located on the Michigan Avenue Magnificent Mile, a prime location near restaurants, bars, shopping, and the river. We have our vendor reception on Friday night and an architectural boat trip on Saturday that will show us the architectural highlights of the city, as well as numerous other opportunities to connect with old friends and meet new ones. This is a meeting you won’t want to miss!
So, what do you need to do to be a part of this excitement? First, you need to register as soon as possible to secure hotel room rates, limited hands-on workshop spots, as well as a spot on the boat! The meeting program and meeting registration can be found here (insert link). Hotel registration can be found here (insert link). If you are working on a project, consider submitting an abstract to present. The deadline for abstract submission is right around the corner on July 1st. If you are a fellow, please consider presenting a topic at the fellows meeting. This can be as formal or informal as you wish. Also, now is the time to nominate potential candidates for fellowship. If you know of someone who has contributed substantially to the field of ultrasound and to SRU, please encourage them to apply here (insert link).
Lastly, if you are working on a longer-term project or have an idea for one, please consider applying for an SRU Seed Grant. These grants are no longer limited to early career investigators although they will receive special consideration upon review. Seed grants can be awarded to clinicians, scientists, or sonographers and can cover an ultrasound-centric topic.
I hope you will consider coming to Chicago for our meeting which is sure to be enlightening, entertaining and plain old fun. In the meantime, enjoy the summer, form memories, connect with loved ones, and as Steve Carell said in his commencement address to Northwestern grads last year, “Don’t forget to just dance sometimes”.
