For over four decades, the Canadian Heads of Academic Radiology (CHAR) have been an expanding authority in promoting radiology education, research, and academic practice among Canadian academic institutions. The CHAR is an association that brings together the Heads of the 16 academic radiology departments in Canadian universities.
Dr. Narinder Paul is Chair of the CHAR and Chief of the Department of Medical Imaging at Western University in London, Ontario. “The principle role of the CHAR,” said Dr. Paul, “is to promote academic radiology across Canada. There is also a desire to provide expertise in promoting academic radiology in other parts of the world, specifically low resource areas.”
The CHAR’s contribution to the radiology community in Canada is founded on academic radiology’s four pillars of operation:
- Research Innovation
- Using novel approaches to address unmet patient needs
- Clinical Excellence
- Translating research validated novel techniques into routine patient care
- Knowledge Translation
- Sharing new techniques with other radiologists, fellows, and residents
- Outcomes Analysis
- Evaluating improvements in patient outcomes and health system viability
Over the past year, CHAR members have identified a set of academic priorities to pursue and have started executing on the accompanying deliverables. One of these priorities has been to direct the focus of the CHAR’s annual research award, in partnership with the Canadian Radiological Foundation (CRF), toward COVID-19 related topics. Applicants for the 2022 CHAR/CRF Award were encouraged to concentrate their submission on a project under the broad umbrella of COVID-19, such as human practice factors, AI, or imaging and intervention.
The focus in subject matter was in keeping with the CAR’s advocacy outreach to the federal government over the past year, with calls made for more funding to reduce medical imaging backlog brought on by the pandemic; calls to which the government responded with a $2 billion increase to the Canada Health Transfer.
The connection between organizations is key to benefiting Canadian radiologists collectively going forward. The CAR and CHAR link together Canadian academic radiologists and the larger radiology community, with its variety of medical practice settings and specialties. “The CAR represents a broad spectrum of Canadian radiologists,” says Dr. Paul, “and the CHAR represents academic radiologists. The partnership is an essential step forward in progressing radiology as a specialty practice across Canada.”