RADxx Announces Award Winners for Outstanding Leadership in Medical Imaging Informatics

NEW YORK and CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- (RSNA) — RAD Women (#RADxx), a networking group for the advancement of women in imaging informatics, today announced the winners of the inaugural RADxx Awards. Winners and honorable mentions of the RADxx Trailblazer, Advocate, Champion, and Rising Star Awards were unveiled at a cocktail reception sponsored by Ambra Health during the annual RSNA conference. The outstanding individuals who have helped to lead the way for women in medical imaging informatics are as follows.

RADxx Trailblazer: Dr. Katherine Andriole
Dr. Katherine Andriole is Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research Strategy and Operations at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham Women's Hospital Center for Clinical Data Science. She has been a leader in biomedical imaging informatics for the last 25 years carrying out research, teaching, clinical service and administrative activities. Additionally, Dr. Andriole was instrumental in designing, building and implementing PACS before they became commercial entities. Dr. Andriole has developed multiple courses, directed fellowships in medical imaging informatics, and mentored over 60 trainees, which makes her the definition of a RADxx Trailblazer.

As a testament to the diversity of backgrounds found among the ranks of nominees for the RADxx awards, honorable mentions for the Trailblazer category also go out to:

• Dawn Cram, IS Director of Enterprise Imaging, Ochsner Health System
• Didi Davis, Director of Testing Programs, The Sequoia Project
• Dr. Nina Kottler, Vice President of Clinical Operations, Radiology Partners

RADxx Advocate: Dr. Tessa Cook
Dr. Tessa Cook is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Cook has been a passionate advocate for medical imaging informatics since her residency days and is now the fellowship director for the Penn Radiology Informatics Fellowship. In a prime example of medical imaging informatics at work, Dr. Cook is the principal developer of RADIANCE, a free, open-source dose monitoring software for CT, which was released worldwide in 2010. She is a frequent speaker at imaging informatics events and most recently, she helped develop the National Imaging Informatics Curriculum and Course to introduce senior radiology residents to the fundamentals of imaging informatics, with emphasis on practical concepts and knowledge.

From among the nominees for the RADxx Advocate award, two others that stood out as honorable mentions include:

• Anna Marie Mason, Executive Director, Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine
• Dr. Alyssa Watanabe, Director of Clinical Research, CureMetrix

RADxx Champion: Dr. Curt Langlotz 
Dr. Langlotz serves as Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Informatics at Stanford University. For more than 15 years Dr. Langlotz has contributed on a global scale to the growth of informatics in radiology, especially with his work as a committed advocate for improved radiology reports. A respected teacher and mentor, Dr. Langlotz and his trainees have been recognized for their contributions to radiology research with numerous scientific awards. He has personally mentored many of today's women leaders in medical imaging informatics, particularly during his time as Vice Chair for Informatics, Department of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This career sponsorship of women in imaging informatics is what earns him the distinction of RADxx Champion.

Other notable nominees for RADxx Champion include:

• Dr. Raym Geis, Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Dr. Marc Kohli, Director of Clinical Informatics Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco
• Dr. Arun Krishnaraj, Assistant Professor of Radiology, University of Virginia
• Dr. Paul Nagy, Deputy Director, Johns Hopkins Medicine Technology Innovation Center
• Dr. Nabile Safdar, Director of the Division of Imaging Informatics, Emory Healthcare

RADxx Rising Star: Dr. Judy Wawira Gichoya
Dr. Judy Wawira Gichoya is a resident Radiologist at Indiana University School of Medicine. In her more than six years experience in imaging informatics, Dr. Wawira Gichoya has received a number of distinctions, including, Best Hackathon project at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) for integrating FHIR images into an open source electronic medical records system, the Young Alumni Award 2015 from Indiana University Purdue University School of Informatics and the Google Anita Borg Award 2012 for women that have excelled in computing. As the RADxx Rising Star, Dr. Wawira Gichoya will receive a travel award to attend the SIIM Annual Conference and will be paired with leaders from the RADxx community to provide a priceless, guided mentor experience while at the event.

Many deserving candidates were among the nominees for RADxx Rising Star, with a few standing out for honorable mention that include:

• Dr. Shlomit Goldberg-Stein, Director of Musculoskeletal Intervention, Montefiore Health System
• Dr. Tatiana Kelil, Women's Imaging Fellow, University of California, San Francisco
• Dr. Lindsey Shea, Diagnostic Radiology Resident, Indiana University School of Medicine
• Prof. Kori Stewart, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Hartford

"The number of submissions for our inaugural RADxx Awards exceeded all our expectations. The level of talent, engagement and diversity represented in the field of imaging informatics is truly inspiring. We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on the RADxx award winners and honorable mentions to create more advancement for women in this growing field," said Dr. Geraldine McGinty, Co-Founder of RADxx.

The RADxx Awards recognize the achievements of women in the field of medical imaging informatics, as well as anyone— both men and women— who have supported the career advancement of women in medical imaging informatics. Informatics is a fast growing discipline within healthcare as new technology and increased amounts of patient data converge. Applying that practice to medical imaging requires additional expertise that bridges the gap between patient care, physician workflow, imaging operations and technology solutions. Award winners were selected by the RADxx executive committee from eligible submissions.

RADxx is an initiative sponsored by Ambra Health and founded in 2016 by industry leaders Dr. Geraldine McGinty (@DrGMcGinty) and Mini Peiris (@Mini_Peiris) to foster networking and mentorship opportunities for women leaders in radiology, informatics and IT management of imaging systems. With over 100 women and men in the group, RADxx seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in imaging informatics. The founding team has expanded into a steering committee for the initiative that includes leading practitioners across radiology and imaging informatics. To become a member of RADxx, visit the resource center here.

About Ambra Health
Ambra Health is a medical data and image management SaaS company. Intuitive, flexible, scalable and highly interoperable, the Ambra cloud platform is designed to serve as the backbone of imaging innovation and progress for healthcare providers. It empowers some of the largest health systems such as Memorial Hermann, Stanford Children's Health and New England Baptist Hospital as well as radiology practices, subspecialty practices and clinical research organizations to dramatically improve imaging and collaborative care workflows. As expert partners, we listen to our customers, understand their needs, and apply our extensive knowledge to deliver innovative medical image management solutions for the future of healthcare, now. Discover what the Ambra medical imaging cloud can do for you at www.ambrahealth.com.

SOURCE Ambra Health