A Proud Past, a Shining Future
By Pappas, Virginia
SNM Annual Meetings are always much anticipated, exciting – even stellar – events, and this year was no exception. Our numbers were impressive. More than 6,300 individuals – molecular imaging professionals, exhibitors, guests, reporters, and staff – met in New Orleans, LA, one of the oldest cities in the United States, to explore molecular imaging, one of the most cutting-edge sciences today. The 55th Annual Meeting was appropriately designated “Molecular Imaging: Build on the Past, Define the Future.” Today, SNM continues to lead the way on issues that affect imaging research, practice, and reimbursement and help our members stay up to date on innovative new procedures and refine current ones. We could not have chosen a better theme for this year, because New Orleans also is experiencing a momentous period in its history: a place with a vibrant past is coming back from the catastrophic hurricane in 2005 and redefining itself as a city that is passionate about its culture and its visitors.
A proud past, a shining future – SNM and New Orleans certainly have these in common. It was good to be part, albeit briefly, of the city’s re-emergence and to witness its “can do” attitude.
Speaking of a “can do” attitude: Once again, Frederic Fahey, DSc, and members of the Scientific Program Committee outdid themselves by providing another outstanding lineup. SNM staff worked seamlessly with the program committee in seeing to all the details that ensure a smooth and productive meeting. Each year brings its own challenges, but our diligent volunteers, industrious staff, and exceptional participants are always up to the task, managing to surpass everyone’s expectations.
The physician/scientist/pharmacist program included 88 scientific sessions (with a total of 611 oral presentations), 81 continuing education sessions, 8 categorical seminars, 3 basic science summary sessions, 10 special sessions, and more than 1,000 scientific posters. The technologist program included 8 scientific sessions (with a total of 74 oral presentations), 32 continuing education sessions, 4 categorical seminars, 8 special sessions, and 32 scientific posters.
New this year were a CT case review for nuclear medicine physicians and continuing education sessions on Saturday, designed for those individuals unable to attend weekly programming. The Molecular Imaging Center of Excellence showcased its second annual Molecular Imaging Gateway and sponsored a new educational track, “Novel Approaches to Molecular Imaging,” featuring many of the newer, nonnuclear imaging modalities. InfoSNM was back for a second year with 3 scientific sessions (including a total of 15 computer presentations) and 6 educational sessions. Making a debut was the joint SNM/ U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) Symposium, which provided an overview of the USP mission, governance structure, and issues related to radiopharmaceutical quality assurance and compounding as mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
We continue to be impressed by the quality and diversity of the abstracts accepted for presentation each year. We feel privileged to see the talented work that is going on in laboratories, hospitals, and clinics across the United States and throughout the world.
I want to thank our “Bench to Bedside” donors. Funding for our many initiatives to advance molecular imaging and therapy comes from GE Healthcare, Bayer Schering Pharmaceuticals, Covidien, IBA Molecular, Lantheus Medical Imaging, and Siemens Medical Solutions USA (Corporate Circle members); Bracco Diagnostics, Cardinal Health, MDS Nordion, and Philips (Corporate Visionary members); Mediso Medical Imaging Systems and Molecular Insight (Corporate Contributors); and Digirad, FluoroPharma, Hermes Medical Solutions, Medrad, NukeMed, NuView, and Rotem, Inc. (Corporate Friends).
Overall, the 2008 Annual Meeting was a busy and productive time. Be sure to get your passport in order soon and start thinking now about signing up for SNM’s 56th Annual Meeting June 13-17, 2009, in Toronto, Canada.
The future belongs to those who are alert and prepared for the next scientific breakthrough. While we are truly proud of SNM’s past, we expect even greater things from tomorrow’s research. Join us as we move forward into SNM’s shining future.
On a final note, I want to congratulate The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) for receiving an impact factor of 5.915 (up from 4.986 for 2006). This rating is provided yearly by the Institute of Scientific Investigation Journal Citation Reports. As a result of this impact factor, JNM ranks number 2 among 87 journals in the category “Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Medical Imaging.” The journal is another way that SNM continues to set the standard for molecular imaging research and practice. Congratulations to everyone involved in ensuring that JNM publishes only the best in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging exploration and discovery.
Virginia Pappas, CAE
Virginia Pappas, CAE
Chief Executive Officer, SNM
Copyright Society of Nuclear Medicine Aug 2008
(c) 2008 Journal of Nuclear Medicine, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.