Cover for BSNR New Year Update 2022

BSNR New Year Update 2022

BSNR New Year Update 2022

I hope you had a good Christmas and that you’re thriving in this New Year.

There’s been a lot of progress within the BSNR over the last few months, and below are our Top Ten highlights.

Annual Scientific Meeting – London, November 2021. Tarek Yousry and colleagues organised and ran a fabulous meeting at the Royal College of Physicians with the gala dinner at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in Russell Square. There was a record attendance, with by far the largest number of registrants (around 250 people) that we have ever had. There was a stellar cast of international Neuroradiology speakers, including Professors Tom Naidich, Anne Osborn, Timo Krings and Katrin Amunts, and an absorbing academic programme was provided by a wide range of home-grown talent from the Home Countries. Just as impressive to me was the vibrancy and youthful energy that suffused the whole event. The 2022 event will be taking place in Liverpool, to be followed by Edinburgh in 2023 and Bristol in 2024.

Educational Programme. Ian Craven and colleagues on the Training and Education Subcommittee have continued to develop and present the weekly educational programme. This systematically covers the entire Neuroradiology landscape over the course of two years, and is of a standard which rivals that of established international training programmes. It relies on support from a huge range of teachers, with approximately 40 Consultants from around the country providing the lectures. There have been many thousands of downloads of the sessions, accessed from countries in every continent. There have also been other exciting developments, including the introduction of live and interactive film-viewing teaching sessions, available throughout the UK and delivered by some of our most outstanding trainers. 2022 will also see the start of a national programme delivering on call training to ST1 to ST3 trainees: this is seen as a key part of our drive to be accessible, visible and supportive to trainees in their earlier years.

Grand Round Series. Priya Bhatnagar and Shubh Biswas have continued to host and develop the successful Grand Round Series. Not only has this been a great opportunity for UK centres to showcase their own trainees and cases, but it continues to be a key part of the BSNR’s drive to engage internationally. Last week, we were fortunate to have several speakers from Hong Kong presenting to us: this opportunity was highly prized by our friends in HK, and is a great demonstration of the powerful and constructive effect that this engagement can have. We have also had recent presentations from South Africa, Canada, Singapore, Kuwait, Netherlands, India and Brazil. The ESNR is keen to develop a collaborative relationship in the further development of this forum.

Trainer of the Year. This year’s ASM saw the inaugural Trainer of the Year award presented. Trainers were proposed from around the country, with supportive testimonies, and a short-list was considered by a committee from within the Executive and TESC. There were two winners this year, Jo Jarosz (King’s) and Adam Thomas (Nottingham). Jo collected his award in person at the ASM, and received a very well deserved ovation.

British Paediatric Neuroradiology Group. Kish Mankad has done a tremendous job in establishing the BPNG, and is encouraging an inclusive approach. The BPNG has drawn up the Paediatric Module for the TESC’s Educational Programme, working with Lal Carlton-Jones, and has drafts for imaging protocols close to finalisation. The BPNG is engaging very effectively with key international groups, and is representing the BSNR-BPNG very well in the process.

International engagement. International engagement efforts have continued to bear fruit. The BSNR has been formally asked to provide a proportion of the educational programme at the Australia and New Zealand ASM in March, and is providing a number of high class speakers. We closely supported Timo Krings and colleagues in the provision of the Canadian Neuroradiology Course in November 2021. The BSNR is also central to a major collaborative effort between Dubai / UAE and the Royal College of Radiologists in the organisation of a major global Radiological Congress taking place in Dubai in September of this year. Plans are also in place for a collaborative effort with Singapore, Hong Kong and the Asian-Oceania Society of Neuroradiology. Continued engagement will take place through the ongoing Grand Round Series also.

Evening lectures. The Christmas Lecture, given by Professor Sahar Saleem on “What it’s like to be Radiologist to the Pharaohs” was a tour de force. We were fortunate to have the world’s first sight of the digital unwrapping of a royal mummy, two days before the world media took the story up. We are really fortunate to have one of the world’s most famous Neuroradiologists talking to us in the Spring Lecture: Frank Gaillard (Melbourne), the founder of Radiopaedia, has agreed to talk with us – this will be a great opportunity for us to engage and talk with one of the most inspirational and innovative thinkers in our field. The talk will be on Thursday 24th March at 8 pm (so that it’s not too early in the morning for Frank!) We will send out flyers beforehand, but please make note of the date.

Radiographers Forum. We have established a BSNR Forum for Neuroradiographers. The drive for this comes from suggestions made in the BSNR Survey of 2020, and this dovetails with Liverpool’s ASM plans, which include parallel sessions for our Neuroradiography colleagues. There has been an excellent response, with primarily senior radiographers, often with superintendent or advanced practitioner roles, attending. Please communicate this to your Neuroradiography colleagues, as the message may not have got through effectively everywhere. The Forum is an important step to opening up the Society, and to increasing its day-to-day relevance.

Royal College of Radiologists. We are building closer relations with the Royal College. This is an important collaboration, and I hope that the strengths and dynamism that exist within the BSNR can help us to achieve even greater things through the benefits provided by an organisation with the national and global reach of the College.

Equality representative. It is crucial that the Society is as fully representative of its members as possible, and to this end the BSNR will be appointing an Equality and Diversity Representative. This role will be important in promoting inclusivity within and accessibility to the Society’s committees and roles, and also at the Annual Scientific Meeting. Further details of this role and of the objectives will follow.

You will have seen that Dr Dipayan Mitra will be taking over as President of the BSNR at the ASM in Liverpool. Dipayan is a great choice for the Society and he has a very broad and insightful perspective on the matters that affect us. A number of opportunities will be arising in the coming months to take up key roles within the Society, and you are strongly encouraged to consider contributing in this way. Details will follow.

Finally, my profound thanks go to my colleagues on the BSNR Executive and on the Subcommittees, and to all who have contributed to and supported the programme of work that we have undertaken on your behalf. Our aim has been to make the BSNR the finest Neuroradiology Society that we can, and ultimately the success of our efforts have depended on all of your support, input and involvement. Thank you for your continued support.

With all best wishes

Danny

Daniel Birchall
President, BSNR