Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation to bestow annual awards

FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riad Salem, M.D., MBA, FSIR, will receive the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award on March 7, during the Society of Interventional Radiology's (SIR) Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C.

"I am honored and humbled to be recognized by my peers with the SIR Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award," said Salem, a professor of radiology, medicine and surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago. "This award represents another triumph of our specialty and cements the principles of interventional oncology as an integral component of modern interventional radiology and cancer care. It is the culmination of a decade-long vision of structured research and development towards a new treatment paradigm. Radioembolization is now recognized as a standard of care by international guidelines and has been incorporated by thousands of hospitals benefiting patients worldwide. For this experience, I am blessed."

"Dr. Riad Salem is a forward-thinking pioneer in the field of interventional radiology. His contribution to the art, science and practice of yttrium-90 radioembolization for liver malignancies opened the door for this now widely accepted treatment for many patients who simply had no other options," said Filip Banovac, M.D., FSIR, SIR Foundation chair and chief of vascular and interventional radiology  at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. "The entire field of interventional radiology owes him a great deal of gratitude for his innovative work."

The Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award recognizes promising young practitioners to encourage the pursuit of academic careers. This year's recipient is Terence Gade, M.D., PhD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Gade is co-founder and co-director of the Penn Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory, which has enabled research focusing on interventional oncology and vascular biology. Among other efforts, his innovative use of animal models has evolved the study of chemoembolization in vivo and allows interventional radiologists to characterize the cellular response to the treatment.

"Although still early in his career, his work is a model to all of us of who understand the importance of translational research in interventional radiology," said Banovac. "We look forward to many future contributions that Dr. Gade will make to our field."

The following individuals will be recognized for their outstanding achievements in research and innovation with the Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award: Rita Dupaix, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; John Filtes, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, New York; Mansur Abdul Ghani, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Zachary Hartley, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Calif.; Jingran Ji, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Tao Pan, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing, China; and Philip Skummer, MPH, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y.

SIR Foundation's Resident/Fellow Research Awards recognize high-quality research by trainees. This year's recipients are Andrew J. Kesselman, M.D., Stanford University Medical Center, Calif.; Christopher Malone, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine; Hugh McGregor, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine; Alexander Yowei Sheu, M.D., Stanford School of Medicine, Calif.; and Jenanan Vairavamurthy, M.D., The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.

This year's Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropy Award will be presented to James F. McGuckin, M.D., director of the Philadelphia Vascular Institute, in honor of his generosity and outstanding commitment to SIR Foundation. McGuckin is also the founder and CEO of Vascular Access Centers, which specializes in continued function and preservation of dialysis accesses, high-level peripheral arterial work, limb salvage, and venous disorders, including recanalization of central venous occlusion. In addition, McGuckin, who holds degrees in mechanical and bioengineering, co-founded and is director of research at Rex Medical and is chairman of the board of Endoshape. 

Media registered to attend the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting may also attend the awards ceremony on March 7. SIR 2017 registration is complimentary to credentialed media. For press registration only, contact Elise Castelli, (703) 460-5572, [email protected], or Ellen Acconcia, (703) 460-5582, [email protected]. Press representatives may also register online, view scientific abstracts and download a meeting schedule at www.sirmeeting.org. View our media guidelines here.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology
The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 6,100 practicing interventional radiology physicians, scientists and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR's members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels—from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians. Visit sirweb.org. The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its Annual Scientific Meeting March 4-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Visit sirmeeting.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation
SIR Foundation is a scientific foundation dedicated to fostering research and education in interventional radiology for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge, increasing the number of skilled investigators in interventional radiology and developing innovative therapies that lead to improved patient care and quality of life. Visit sirfoundation.org.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology