Leadership column
By SIR President Parag J. Patel, MD, MS, FSIR, and SIR Executive Director Keith M. Hume
Looking back at Boston T
hose who joined us in Boston for the SIR 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting no doubt felt the energy that ran through every day of the meeting. From the Opening moments to the end-of-week programming, we were thrilled to meet members, new and old, and come together in person once more.
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, organized and made the meeting such a success—and thank you particularly to Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD, FSIR, and the entire SIR Annual Meeting Committee for the extraordinary creativity and dedication they brought to the meeting.
These meetings are always a unique opportunity to take stock of the specialty. IR remains innovative, creative and visionary. We attract individuals who think differently, who aren’t afraid to take on a challenge and forge new paths. And as SIR and SIR Foundation approach our 50th and 40th anniversaries, respectively, we look not just to our past but to our future. For if our past teaches us anything, it’s that our future is not only bright, but brimming with potential. We’ve seen time and time again that there are no challenges or obstacles that we cannot overcome when we work together with common purpose.
We are facing many challenges in the current practice of IR. Some are relatively new, and some are stubborn and enduring, such as turf wars, exclusive or pseudo- exclusive contracts, reimbursement for established procedures, or inclusion in disease path care guidelines. We’ve discussed these topics at annual meetings for many years and will likely continue to discuss them for many more to come as we constantly search for new ways to provide high-quality, minimally invasive therapies to improve patients’ lives.
Having that common purpose is vitally important, though it’s important to note that does not necessarily mean common points of view. Our challenges require more than deliberation—they call for diversity of thought and experience—a pluralism of voices. Which is why we are excited that, during SIR 2022, members approved a new governance model for the society. The new governance structure is a monumental step forward in strengthening IR and the society and will facilitate quicker connections, transparency, dialogue and decision-making via the SIR and SIR Foundation Steering Council. This will enable SIR to better represent members’ priorities and translate them into ideas and actions.
As part of an ongoing effort to increase paths to leadership and recognition, SIR’s Fellows voted to increase the transparency for the path to FSIR designation, in order to help our private practice colleagues achieve this high honor.
These votes, along with the energy and passion on display throughout SIR 2022, show more than ever how important our members are to keeping SIR moving and constantly looking forward. Ideas can be fleeting—but ideas that translate into action create a legacy. More than 800 volunteers who work on behalf of the society, foundation and SIRPAC understand the impact of ideas come to life, as well as the struggle and change that is part of the process. But with those struggles comes innovation, pluralism, collegiality and fellowship.
It is each one of you, our members, who make this innovation happen. SIR 2022 showed us that we are in a time of ideas and action, and it’s clear that SIR is headed into an exciting new era.
Our challenges require more than deliberation— they call for diversity of thought and experience—a pluralism of voices.
6 IRQ | SUMMER 2022
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