Highlights from the April 2023 Board Meeting

On April 27, the CAR Board of Directors met during the CAR 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in Montréal to discuss the upcoming priorities for the association, bid farewell to departing board members, and welcome incoming members.

After two successful years, Dr. Gilles Soulez’s term as President has come to an end. There are also a number of other board members whose terms have ended. A tremendous thank you to Dr. Carolyn Flegg, CAR Board Chair, Dr. Bill Anderson, AB representative, Dr. Michael Barry, Past-President, Dr. Darren Ferguson, Canadian Association of Interventional Radiology (CAIR) representative, Dr. Kiana Lebel, Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) representative, Dr. Frank Lexa, American College of Radiology (ACR) representative and Dr. Heidi Schmidt, ON representative, for their dedication and contributions to radiology in Canada.

“I have enjoyed my term as President immensely. It has been such a pleasure to represent the radiology community at large. I am proud of the work that my fellow board members and I have accomplished over the last two years. A special thanks to our outstanding staff led by Nick Neuheimer and all board members. While I am saddened that my term has come to an end, knowing Dr. Kielar’s outstanding leadership, I am confident she will lead the association to new heights. I will be happy to continue participating as a past-president in the board discussions.” – Dr. Gilles Soulez, CAR Past-President

Dr. Ania Kielar, CAR Vice-President, is stepping into the role of President and is looking forward to her term representing her peers on the national stage. Also moving into a new role is Dr. Alison Harris. Dr. Harris will assume the role of CAR Vice-President. Incoming board members include Dr. Veronique Caty, CAIR Representative, Dr. Rachel Fleming, ON representative, Dr. John-Paul King, Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. Jana Taylor, CAR Board Chair, Dr. Rick Walker, AB representative, Dr. Don Yoo, ACR representative and Dr. Hang Yu, RFS representative. The CAR Board welcomed our new representatives with enthusiasm.

“I would like to applaud Dr. Soulez for his leadership. He has built a considerable amount of momentum for the advancement of radiology in Canada. He also helped to shape relationships in the community with various stakeholder groups (CHAR) and supported the development of many exciting initiatives. My goal, in my two year term, is to build on this success.” – Dr. Ania Kielar, CAR President

Here are some of the highlights that stemmed from discussion among the board members, the most notable of which included engagement, patient care, and education.

1. Commercialization of healthcare – sobering thoughts from south of the border

Dr. Frank Lexa provided a snapshot into the movement towards the corporate ownership of radiology and healthcare in the US. Healthcare and health human resources, specifically radiologists, are moving towards a more commodity-based model. Radiology practices are being bought by private equity groups and large corporations, shifting the healthcare landscape to more of a for-profit business model. While Canada has a very different healthcare landscape, discussions are taking place regarding the further de-hospitalization of services. There are examples of positive investment in radiology, but this was a cautionary tale.

2. Working towards enhancing imaging care

The CAR has published a record number of practice guidelines over the last five years. Thanks to our expert volunteer members we are providing the radiology community with most recent evidence-based information, raising the bar on the standard of medical imaging care in Canada for patients. The most recently published guidelines include Cardiac CT, CT Colonography, Endometriosis, Incidental Findings, and Prostate MRI. This is not to mention the work that is being done on bone mineral density, lung cancer screening, and referral guidelines, set to be released in the coming months. Guidelines are now increasingly important as the barrier to enter and practice diagnostic imaging has dropped for other health professionals.

3. Raising the bar on Canadian radiology education

The CAR has enhanced its educational offerings over the last two years. With the continued development of our online learning management system, RAD Academy, and the delivery of a robust 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, we have the ability to provide our members with a one stop shop for all their continuing professional development needs. Working with our affiliate groups, the CanSPR, the CETARS, the CSAR and the CSTR, as well as our new partnership with the Canadian Heads of Academic Radiology, the CAR has big plans to offer new content and augment the value for members.

4. The CAR Journal continues to soar – breaking records

With an overall impact factor of 4.2 and an increase of 60% in direct downloads, the CARJ continues to flourish. Tremendous shout out to the CARJ Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Michael Patlas, for his leadership and to the editorial board on the overall success. Stay tuned for new initiatives such as the CARJ podcast supported by the Canadian Radiological Foundation.

The CAR’s accomplishments are directly attributed to our members. On behalf of the CAR Board of Directors, we acknowledge the many working group and standing committee volunteers who spend countless hours publishing guidelines and undertaking research, helping to shape the future of radiology.