Dear All,
Once again we will be awarding BSNR trainer of the Year at the annual meeting.
Please could you encourage trainees /colleagues to send nominations for Trainer of the year to bsnrtesc@gmail.com or complete the nomination form.
Deadline is Monday 30th September.
Nominations should include evidence of commitment to neuroradiology education at any level and a statement on why the nominee should be considered for this award.
Many thanks
TESC team
I hope all is well with you, and that you’re enjoying the summer break.
I thought it important to share with you a Summer Update regarding recent developments relating to the BSNR.
1. The Educational Programme has just completed its first year, and has covered modules in Trauma, Neuro-Oncology, Inflammatory White Matter Disorders, and Neuro-Infection. This has been organised by Ian Craven and colleagues on the Training and Education subcommittee (TESC), and is being taken forward in Year 2 by Lalani Carlton-Jones and Tom Campion. The programme involves and depends on the support and teaching of many of our Neuroradiologists around the country, and continues to be extremely well received. Nearly 30 sessions have been delivered, with an average of 174 attendees per session. The videos of the lectures have also been watched more than 7,000 times. Year 2 modules will include Spinal Neuroradiology, Paediatric Neuroradiology, Head and Neck Imaging, and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Thanks go to all on the TESC, especially to Lalani for co-ordinating the speakers and to Tom for managing feedback and the video presentations on the website. Thank you to all who have supported the programme by their teaching.
2. The Grand Round Series has flourished, and is growing as a forum for teaching and sharing between centres. Recent presentations have been provided from within the UK by Imperial, Liverpool, GOSH, Brighton, Guy’s & St Thomas’, Newcastle, Birmingham, Kings, and Royal Free. The Series also provides a great opportunity for connecting with our international sister societies, and we have been fortunate to receive tremendous presentations from Toronto and Kuwait recently, with future presentations due from Brazil, Singapore and South Africa, with additional input anticipated from the Netherlands, Australia and Hong Kong later in the year and into early 2022. Priya Bhatnagar has been instrumental in co-ordinating the Series and has put in a huge amount of work communicating and connecting within the UK and internationally.
3. Shubh Biswas from Liverpool has been instrumental on behalf of the BSNR in the planning, co-ordination and delivery of a highly successful Global Webinar Series, in conjunction with the Royal College. This has consisted of a series of six lectures, with a mix of high profile international and UK speakers, to a global audience. The Series has been very well attended, with hundreds of attendees from around the world logging into the webinars. This has helped to further promote the role of the BSNR internationally, and has helped to strengthen our ties with the College. Many thanks to Shubh for the huge amount of work and dedication that he put into this on our behalf.
4. Plans are in place for the Training and Education Committee to extend the educational programme even further, through the introduction of Virtual Reporting Sessions. Having trialled RadAcad software, Ian Craven and colleagues will be providing virtual reporting training sessions with higher Neuroradiology trainees, in collaboration with local training schemes. This is a tremendously exciting initiative, and has the potential to provide high quality, small group teaching from nationally renowned trainers.
5. The second of our Evening Lectures was delivered at Easter, by Paul Sankey, of Foot Anstey Solicitors. Paul gave a lecture on medico-legal issues facing our speciality, including problems relating to perceptual errors, and built on the Christmas Lecture from Professor Jeremy Wolfe, who also attended Paul’s lecture as a panellist. The lecture was highly engaging and informative, and had over 500 attendees.
6. The BSNR continues to build its international collaborations. We continue to develop close links with the Australian and New Zealand Society, and have been invited to contribute to an ‘international session’ at the upcoming ANZSNR Conference in early 2022, with a view to reciprocation at BSNR conferences in the future. This connection is also closely involving Singapore and Hong Kong, with whom we have developed good communications. As an illustration of how effectively such collaborations can work, a highly successful seminar was delivered by the BSNR to the Brazilian Society in May, with six very high quality lectures from neuroradiologists from around the UK. Kelly Pegoretti Baruteau from UCL was instrumental in this, not only as a presenter but also as a Brazilian and Portuguese speaker, she helped make the seminar seamless.
7. The BSNR has established a subgroup in Paediatric Imaging, the British Paediatric Neuroradiology Group. This has been established with a view to promoting education and standards in Paediatric Neuroradiology, including Neonatal and Fetal imaging. The Group is at an early stage of formation, and Kish Mankad is the initial interim Chair. It is hoped that the Group will provide an effective vessel for Paediatric Neuroimaging, and is important in building bridges between specialists, with non-tertiary centres, with the British Society of Paediatric Radiology, and internationally. Your help and support during this formative stage is essential to the success of this project.
8. The BSNR is setting up a forum for the discussion of issues relating to AI in Neuroradiology. An initial scoping exercise is underway with a view to establishing the BSNR as a stakeholder in the process, building on the expertise that exists within our ranks. A survey will be sent out to help us to frame the best scope and focus for our initial efforts. Links with NICE have already been put in place.
9. Collaborative discussions are underway with our friends and colleagues within our sister society, the UKNG, to forge a joint co-operative approach to issues relating to Interventional Neuroradiology and to its interface with Diagnostic Neuroradiology. This is an exciting development from an organisational perspective and will provide the basis for effective cross-working and resource sharing.
10. The planning for the BSNR Annual Scientific Meeting is at an advanced stage, with a view to a face-to-face meeting in London on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th November, to take place at the Royal College of Physicians. A training day will also take place on Wednesday 17th November. There is an exciting and busy programme scheduled, with top quality international and national speakers. Details will follow very shortly. Thanks go to Tarek Yousry and his team for their hard work and inspirational leadership.
As I hope you can see, there has been a considerable amount of progress made, all dependent on the hard work, support and engagement of a large number of individuals. The continued success and development of the programme depends on your continued support and involvement.
I would again wish to thank the BSNR executive and all on the BSNR subcommittees for their hard work, enthusiasm, and drive, working on your behalf.
Thank you all for your continued support in making the BSNR as exciting, inclusive and relevant a society as we can.
With all best wishes
Daniel Birchall
President, BSNR
We were extremely fortunate to have eminent clinical negligence solicitor Paul Sankey talking to us on 21st April, picking up where Professor Jeremy Wolfe left off in our Christmas lecture (which is still available to watch here); after Professor Wolfe told us about why we miss things, Paul Sankey gave an engaging and informative lecture about what happens after radiologists miss things. His fascinating talk took us through the key cases that have shaped the law as it currently stands, and where he feels there is still progress to be made. Of interest to all radiologists and indeed all health professionals and beyond, Mr Sankey asked: what is reasonable care when it comes to pure diagnostics, and how does the law recognise this? This was followed by a fascinating panel discussion involving Mr Sankey, Professor Wolfe, BSNR President Dr Daniel Birchall, and BSNR Educational Committee Lead Dr Ian Craven.
Please do watch and share the lecture – available via youtube here.
OMG, I did not see that! The science of missing what is in front of your eyes
We were extremely lucky to have Jeremy Wolfe, Professor of Ophthalmology & Radiology, Harvard Medical School and Director, Visual Attention Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital as our inaugural BSNR Christmas Lecturer on the 16th December. He delivered a fascinating talk on his research on the psychology of perception and what causes us to miss things like gorillas in chest CTs! The lecture recording is available above (we apologise for technical difficulties at the start).
Professor Wolfe was awarded the James Bull medal and honorary fellowship of the BSNR by our President, Daniel Birchall. More information on the fascinating research he and his group are involved in is available here.
Results of the BSNR Constitution & Membership Survey
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you to those of you who contributed to the recent survey about two matters relating to the constitution and membership of the Society. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed changes. Each of the changes is of fundamental importance to the forward development of the BSNR. They will make the Society more resilient to face the future, and are an important step in developing the Society’s inclusivity. Firstly, there was overwhelming support for the BSNR to apply for the status of a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation (ICO). This is important in terms of basic organisational functioning and resilience, for example in relation to management of financial affairs, including funding and sponsorship. A formal application has now been lodged with the Charity Commission.
Secondly, there was similar support for the introduction of a new, free associate membership category for trainees. This is a very significant development as it allows and encourages trainees of all seniority to engage with Neuroradiology at an early stage. It also assists greatly in the promotion and management of the new, webinar-based educational programme, which is key to engaging better and in promoting inclusivity. The new category will become active fairly shortly.
Thank you for your support.
All best wishes,
Daniel Birchall (President)
Harriet Joy (Honorary Secretary)
Dipayan Mitra (Treasurer)
We are very please to announce the members who will be awarded the Isherwood Pump Priming Grant and the Travelling Scholarships for 2020, from a very high quality field of applications.
The 2020 Isherwood Pump Priming Grant is awarded to Dr Aysha Luis.
The 2020 Travelling Scholarships are awarded to Dr Jaoa Alves Rosa and Dr Lalani Carlton Jones.
The BSNR Educational Programme starts next week, with two modules – Trauma and Stroke – planned before Christmas.
See the main page here for details and how to register.
Deadline 24th August 2020
Applications for the 2020 Isherwood Pump Priming Grant (up to £10,000) and the 2020 BSNR Travelling Scholarships (up to £2000) are now open, and the deadline is 5pm on 24th August 2020. For more details on how to apply, see the individual pages here:
Isherwood Pump Priming Grant
Travelling Scholarships
Upcoming Sessions
25 June 2020 (Last updated: 27 Jul 2020 22:06)
Upcoming online teaching sessions and grand rounds:
Wednesday 29th July
13:00-14:00 (BST) BSNR Fellows Grand Round
Dr Priya Bhatnagar, Newcastle
ACTATS launched on 07 May 2020 in anticipation of Scotland’s nation-wide thrombectomy service starting up. In the past month, 702 users have registered. 27 have completed all training components, which makes them eligible for 7 CPD credits, in accordance with the CPD Scheme of the Royal College of Radiologists.
Registration is free thanks to the support of Medtronic & NHS National Services Scotland. The training tool consists of three didactic lectures, with MCQs to test learning from the didactic lectures; a series of 30 validated, plain CT & CTA stroke cases for practice; a five question feedback survey to help us improve the training tool; & a certificate of completion.
ACTATS is suitable for any radiologists or stroke physicians worldwide, who have an interest in improving their CTA evaluation & interpretation skills. We encourage anyone involved with thrombectomy & imaging to enrol & to complete the training.
You can access the website via the link below: