RSNA Press Release

OAK BROOK, Ill. (June 11, 2012) — The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research and Education (R&E) Foundation will fund 80 grants totaling $2.9 million in 2012, the largest amount ever granted by the Foundation in a single year.

"It is so gratifying to see that our membership continues to recognize how critical their support is to advancing our field," said 2012 RSNA President, George S. Bisset, M.D. "In an era when extramural funding opportunities continue to shrink it is reassuring to know that R&E Foundation grants can increasingly foster the discovery of new knowledge."

Grants provided by the R&E Foundation serve as seed grants to launch young careers. Every dollar awarded to a grantee by the R&E Foundation generates more than $30 in subsequent funding from sources including National Institutes of Health, government agencies, corporations and private foundations.

"I would personally like to thank all of our generous contributors who made this possible," said R&E Foundation chair, Theresa C. McLoud, M.D. "With intense competition for grants, we are pleased to achieve a 30 percent funding rate this year."

Grant recipients will perform innovative research on a wide-range of projects spanning different modalities and anatomic areas, including renal imaging in acute kidney injury, PET/CT imaging in the functional diagnosis of early-stage liver fibrosis, and hemodynamic assessment of valve-related aortic disease with cardiac MRI.

Awards for educational initiatives, aimed at improving teaching and training skills, include the development of an MR e-learning platform for Latin America.

"I am certain the research and education projects undertaken by our awardees will benefit our specialty and, most importantly, will make a significant difference in the lives and health of the patients we serve," Dr. McLoud said.

Since its inception in 1984, the R&E Foundation has awarded more than $37 million in grant awards to nearly 1,000 investigators and educators, enabling more than $1 billion in additional research. Grant funding is made possible by the support of thousands of individuals, private practices and corporations that share in the R&E Foundation's mission to improve patient care through the advancement of radiologic research, education and practice.

RSNA is an association of more than 48,000 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 mission of the RSNA R&E Foundation is to improve patient care by supporting research and education in radiology and related scientific disciplines through funding grants and awards to individuals and institutions that will advance radiologic research, education and practice.