a dedicated IR position. We had applied for it before, and did not receive it so this award was especially exciting and gratifying.
What do you think made the difference in receiving funding for this cycle, as opposed to in the past? TG: Our institution believed in this initiative and supported a forerunner of the program which strengthened this most recent application. At the time of applying, we had a research track resident who had already gone through and successfully completed it. I believe it was helpful to show that despite not getting the extra funding, we had implemented the program and demonstrated the potential of the program to deliver on the mission of producing clinician scientists in IR— and in the meantime, we matched an additional resident directly into that spot. So, the program was bearing fruit.
We also received a letter of support from SIR Foundation that underscored the importance of this need and demonstrated the society’s commitment to the development of research. All of our residents apply for SIR Foundation grants and seek to get involved in SIR Foundation programs, and I think that letter was instrumental in demonstrating to the reviewers that there is a community and need for this which is supported by professional societies.
How will NIH funding expand the opportunities available in the track? TG: Previously, the research residency track was sort of agnostic to specialty, meaning that we matched based on our own evaluations. We weren’t focused on bringing in an IR or anyone with a specific focus. With the NIH funding, which will last for 5 years and hopefully longer, we are now able to bring in a candidate each year will pursue this new IR-DR research track.
Additionally, if we continue to be successful and there’s strong enough interest, we could possibly expand to include additional IR/DR track slots that will allow us to increase the cohort further.
IR science is important, and I believe the NIH recognizes how crucial it is to have scientists in our field to advance science and improve clinical care. We have so much talent coming into IR right now, and so much enthusiasm from trainees who have significant research backgrounds or who have a passion for research and a desire to learn.
What kind of research projects have come out of this pathway so far? TG: Our first resident, Brian Park, MD, is currently an attending at the Dotter Institute, and his projects focused on the development of mixed reality in interventional radiology. These projects explored how to co-register cross- sectional imaging to image-guided interventions, but also to enable direct tumor targeting using these mixed and augmented reality platforms.
The other resident was Jamaal Benjamin, MD, PhD, who is currently an attending at UT Southwestern, and his research focused on the metabolic stress response in hepatocellular carcinoma and how we can characterize that stress response in the context of locoregional therapies leverage this information to develop novel therapies.
Do you have any recommendations or advice for other programs looking to introduce a research track to their training? TG: It’s certainly a team effort to create the infrastructure within your institution and advocate for this pathway. There are several institutions with research tracks that have the infrastructure to expand their programs similarly,
and there’s a huge opportunity for prospective programs to hire and work with leadership from those institutions to help build out new programs. It not only helps increase the number of slots available for residents, but it also showcases a general need in IR to develop clinician scientists.
IR science is distinct in many ways from DR science; we’re thinking a lot more about therapies and fundamental biology, in addition to imaging physics. So, creating a research track is really an opportunity to enrich the research environment at your institution, and that can be part of the case presented when engaging with leadership.
The other step I’d recommend is engaging with the NIH and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering—who have been so instrumental in developing these programs—to get their perspectives, and hopefully support, around the need to continue funding research training in IR.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the IR community? TG: IR science is important, and I believe the NIH recognizes how crucial it is to have scientists in our field to advance science and improve clinical care. We have so much talent coming into IR right now, and so much enthusiasm from trainees who have significant research backgrounds or who have a passion for research and a desire to learn. This is an important moment in the history of IR, and we have an opportunity to leverage that talent by helping grow and support it through programs like this.
Through the collaborative development of this research track residency with our IR/DR program director, Susan Shamimi-Noori, MD, this program offers the highest levels of clinical and research training. We are excited to develop this program further and would encourage interested candidates to reach out to learn more.
irq.sirweb.org | 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
