Meeting at 11/4/99
MMS headquarters in Waltham
Meeting was called to order at 5:30pm.
Present:
- Mark Hansberry, MD (President): MH
Christoph Wald, MD PhD (Secretary): CW
Peter Gordon, MD: PG
Michelle Nebres, MD: MN
Mark Mullins, MD: MM
Items:
- Fall Forum 1999 — Spring Forum 2000
- Membership Drive
- Social Event
- Website
- The Public Image of Radiology
1. Fall Forum 1999 Spring Forum 2000
The fall forum was seen as a good success with an attendance of approx. 40 residents/fellows and informative speakers. There was vivid discussion at the end of the forum. A total of 12 new members signed up at the meeting. The topic for the upcoming Spring Forum 2000 was also discussed. MH suggested to choose “Fellowship” again (how to get a fellowship, timing, fellowship lists, accreditation issues etc.), a successful forum in spring of 98. The governing council members agreed and elected this topic not only because there seemed to be a great deal of interest in the past but also in view of the ongoing discussion about future changes in the application process. This will lend an actual political dimension to the forum in spring and provide an opportunity to establish people’s view on this process and collect potential suggestions as to how the fellowship application process could be improved. The forum may be an opportunity to “poll” the Massachusetts residents/fellows present on this issue, if there are any good suggestions/motions these could be discussed at the upcoming annual ACR meeting in September 2000.
2. Membership Drive
Increasing membership remains one of the most important tasks of the MRS resident section governing council to gain credibility and a broad base of support and ideas amongst the Massachusetts residents and fellows. It was suggested to mail out a letter to incoming residents in summer in order to make them aware of the existence of our society. Until the next meting in January 2000 the members of the governing council will attempt to obtain the addresses of incoming year 2000 residents from their future program directors so they can be contacted even prior to arrival at their respective program. It was also suggested that the more senior residents pay particular attention to incoming new residents and make them aware of the section (i.e. take them to meetings, etc.). It will be important to better define a profile for the Resident Section in discussing what members can expect from this group. While in many other states the local Radiological Society plays the role of the subspecialty postgraduate educator in our state this function is largely taken by the New England Roentgen Ray Society. However, discussion of labor terms, comparison of educational standards across the state residency programs, non-traditional education of residents (like during the last fall forum) and social/networking opportunities are important aspects of this form of organized radiology in our state, this is where the MRS resident section comes into play. It is our task to communicate this to our peers and encourage involvement; the message is “the agenda of this section is YOUR agenda.”
3. Social Event
It was decided that the section should organize a formal social event at the beginning of the academic year i.e. summer 2000. This would create an opportunity for incoming residents to meet their peers and make first contact with the society. CW reported that similar activity is part of the annual program of the Massachusetts Medical Society resident and fellow section and that the social programs have been quite successful. PG stressed the importance of personally and informally meeting people that one might be working with directly or indirectly in the future, enhancing “corporate identity” or a “family” sense amongst Radiologists in this state. Detailed suggestions about the format and scheduling of such a formal event will be discussed at a future meeting in spring 2000.
4. Website
The governing council believes that web presence is a crucial tool in furthering the cause of our section. A dynamic website providing a combination of permanent information about the society, pertinent information for residents/fellows about dates, deadlines (RSNA, AFIP), job and moonlighting opportunities, updates on current political issues of concern for residents and fellows as well as providing an infrastructure for communication with the section (by e-mail to governing council members, bulletin board, online registration form facility) may develop into THE hub for our section. Members of the resident and fellow community in Massachusetts are geographically dispersed and there are many time constraints — interested members may not be able to attend meetings physically. A website may provide a tool to tie more people into the work of the section; minutes of meetings could be posted there to enhance the awareness of the resident/fellow community about the work of the governing council and the topics covered. By providing a varied and interesting up-to-date list of links to other Radiology websites our website could become a “home” and “starting point” for the electronically inclined future resident/fellow. CW has been in contact with Mark Girard, MD, who is involved in setting up a website for the MRS. Our resident section will have its own subsite under the umbrella of the MRS main website. The site will be administrated by a private out-of-state company who will create the website based on suggestions of content coming from the members of the resident section. At this point it is unclear as to when and how content will have to be submitted. CW will work on clarifying the “mechanics” of getting the MRS Resident Section website up and running until the next meeting in January. In the meantime, the members of the governing council will think about possible content and desired functionality of the website. It is hoped that the website will be active by March 2000, certainly before the spring forum in April so it can be used to announce, direct and gather information, suggestions and membership information. Possibly a “listserv” function could also be incorporated in the website allowing registered users (i.e. governing council members) to discuss issues in between meetings without physically having to convene. By creating a sprawling website the resident section could lead the way for the MRS in utilizing this amazing new technology to better serve its members.
5. The Public Image of Radiology
MH again suggested that the resident section develop ideas to improve public perception and awareness of Radiology. He stated that for instance in the popular TV series “ER” a negative image is associated with radiology (radiologist misses an important finding, radiologist is asleep and doesn’t want to get up top do a study etc.). The section may want to express their dismay with this biased way of depicting our specialty. MM mentioned that there has been a successful exhibition about Radiology at the Museum of Science in Boston in 1997 and that one could make an attempt to reinstate such an exhibition tailored to educate the non-medical general public about our specialty. Other ways of improving the awareness for Radiology were mentioned: inviting school classes into Radiology departments, providing films about Radiology for Science classes, making Radiology a required rotation during Medical School training etc.
The meeting was adjourned 9:00pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by CW.