RSNA Press Release

OAK BROOK, Ill. (August 18, 2009) — Radiologist Jill E. Jacobs, M.D., from New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center in New York, will bring her medical expertise to South Africa as part of the International Visiting Professor Program offered by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The program fosters international relations among radiology societies to assist with medical education in developing and newly developed nations.

Dr. Jacobs, associate professor of radiology and chief of cardiac imaging at NYU Langone Medical Center, will be joined by two fellow radiologists as she embarks August 24 on the 10-day trip. She will spend her visit giving presentations and teaching intensive seminars to members of South African radiology societies and hospital radiology departments.

The program is mutually beneficial. The visiting team of radiologists informs local doctors and hospitals about the latest advances in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. In turn, the visiting professors experience firsthand the obstacles faced by medical professionals in the host countries.

"The RSNA International Visiting Professor program is an exciting opportunity for me to network with fellow radiologists in South Africa," Dr. Jacobs said. "I hope to leave with a better understanding of the common challenges and differences in our health care systems. Hopefully, the information shared will be a great learning experience for all of us."

Dr. Jacobs is accompanied by L. Santiago Medina, M.D., M.P.H., from Miami Children's Hospital, and Leanne L. Seeger, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles. Locations of the presentations in South Africa include the University of Stellenbosch in Tygerberg, Radiological Society of South Africa National Congress in Johannesburg, the University of the Free State, Universitas Bloemfontein and Pelonomi Hospital.

The International Visiting Professors Program was founded in 1986 and is administered by RSNA's Committee on International Relations and Education (CIRE).

RSNA is an association of more than 43,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

The RSNA Committee on International Relations and Education was established in 1986 to advise the RSNA on how the Society might provide international assistance to enhance radiologic education in countries requesting and requiring assistance. (RSNA.org/International/CIRE/)