Leadership column
By SIR President Matthew S. Johnson, MD, FSIR, and SIR Executive Director Keith Hume
The value of SIR I
f you have spent any time on
sirweb.org, you will have seen the phrase “Powered by volunteers.” It couldn’t be more true. Every day we are astounded by how much our 800+ volunteers give of their time, expertise and energy to provide fellow members with resources, education, practice guidelines and more. Their efforts enable SIR to mobilize our members’ collective energy on behalf of the specialty.
Acting as one unified voice may be among the most important benefit SIR offers. When volunteers meet with the White House or speak to FDA panels, they are empowered to speak with the authority of the IR community. Every year we experience what our collective voice has achieved: primary specialty designation, standardized resident training programs, cessation of Medicare cuts and paradigm- shifting therapies that improve and save lives.
Though SIR is the vehicle through which IRs are heard, the passion and ideas come from our members. Our seven membership sections act as fulcrums for starting and channeling conversations about IR’s most pressing issues—from the need for a more diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the patients we treat, or the educational and regulatory challenges that affect the training of future IRs. Member sections, SIR Connect and other groups like our SIR Angio Clubs provide opportunities for collaboration, community and camaraderie to bolster personal and professional growth.
In recent years, SIR has welcomed a large number of members-in training to help shape and mentor the next generation of IRs. Together with SIR Foundation, our volunteers are creating a culture of clinical care and evidence-based research. The clinical trials supported by SIR Foundation provide evidence and data to validate and improve IR therapies, while Research Consensus Panels identify research gaps to prioritize further investigation. The upcoming Clinical Trials Network will help IRs develop and promote clinical trials and enhance scientific investigation, and SIR Foundation grants and awards help support this science. In addition, clinical registries such as VIRTEX give context to the data generated by IRs, in order to create benchmarks, improve patient outcomes and provide evidence of the value of IR therapies.
There is no better example of the strength of the IR community than SIR Annual Scientific Meeting, when education, expo, cutting-edge science, and networking come together in one event. While SIR has shifted gears over the last two years to deliver innovative virtual meetings, the value of coming together in person is incomparable. SIR is powered by our members, and we cannot wait to see you all together again and hear the voice of IR in person.
As an SIR member you are:
• Increasing patient access to IR treatments
• Improving patient outcomes through evidence-based medicine
• Accessing lifelong learning, innovation and research in IR
• Growing diversity and inclusiveness within the specialty
• Increasing awareness of IR among referring physicians, legislators and the public
6 IRQ | SPRING 2022
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