SNMMI Elects New Officers During Annual Meeting

 

Munir Ghesani, MD, FACNM, FACR, chief of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging at Mount Sinai Health System and associate professor of radiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY, has been named as president for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

“As I begin my term as SNMMI president, I plan to address several issues that will help the field grow in relation to patient care,” said Dr Ghesani. “By focusing on public awareness, patient engagement, and regulatory approvals, we can make great strides to benefit our field and, most importantly, our patients.”

One of Dr Ghesani’s top priorities will be ensuring appropriate reimbursement for radiopharmaceuticals to help improve patient access to nuclear medicine scans. In the coming year SNMMI will continue its strong support of the FIND Act, which, if passed, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to pay separately for all outpatient diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals rather than packaging them as medical supplies. He will also continue SNMMI’s consumer awareness campaign to educate the public about what nuclear medicine is and what it can accomplish.

Helen Nadel, MD, FRCPC, director of pediatric nuclear medicine at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and clinical professor of radiology at the Stanford School of Medicine, in Stanford, California, has been named president-elect for the SNMMI. “As SNMMI president-elect, I plan to focus on the future of the field,” said Dr Nadel. “How can we be prepared for future health crises? What can we do to fast-track the development and approval of diagnostic and theranostic molecular imaging agents? How can we ensure diversity in all parts of the nuclear medicine family?”

Working with SNMMI members, task forces and committees, Dr Nadel will bring these issues to the forefront of the society’s agenda and will develop programs to address them. Projects will include creating rapid global communication and mobilization plans, fostering the society’s government and industry relationships, and implementing diversity initiatives.

Cathy Sue Cutler, PhD, FSNMMI, director of the medical isotope research and production program at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, has been named as vice president-elect for the SNMMI.

Securing appropriate funding for nuclear medicine services and providers will be a top priority for Cutler during her term. “A major challenge facing our field is the lack of sufficient funding,” she noted. “This has many downstream impacts, including deterring industry investment, lack of access to patients particularly underserved populations, and talent leaving the field for other careers.”

Cutler also plans to generate training and education opportunities for SNMMI members, as well as other medical practitioners, on applications of theranostics for personalized medicine. In addition, she will focus on educating the public on the value nuclear medicine brings to clinical practice.

Krystle W. Glasgow, MIS, CNMT, NMTCB(CT), NMAA, FSNMMI-TS, instructor and clinical coordinator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama, has been elected as the 2022-23 president for the SNMMI Technologist Section.

Retaining and increasing membership in SNMMI-TS is Glasgow’s top priority as Technologist Section president. “We have had great momentum in the past year in bringing in more members to our great society,” said Glasgow. “As president, I will continue working to engage with technologists and build excitement for our field.”

Glasgow also plans to strengthen the society’s support for nuclear medicine technologists through enhanced communication and educational offerings. By making SNMMI-TS a one-stop shop for technologists, Glasgow hopes that more technologists will take advantage of all of the opportunities offered by the society.

Dmitry Beyder, CNMT, MPA, radiology program manager of nuclear medicine, PET, CT and patient transport at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis, Missouri, has been elected as the 2022-23 president-elect for the SNMMI Technologist Section.

“The field of nuclear medicine is at a crossroads and will play a pivotal role in healthcare for the next generation,” said Beyder.  “With advancements in precision medicine and growth of technologist roles in novel imaging and therapy, the future for nuclear medicine technologists today is brighter than ever.” 

As SNMMI-TS president-elect, Beyder will focus on guiding technologists and the Technologist Section out of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will also work on strengthening the nuclear medicine technologist workforce and professional pipeline, as well as growing the role of nuclear medicine technologists in therapeutics, especially as theranostics continues to advance.