RSNA Press Release

CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2004 - The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) today named four physicians as honorary members for their outstanding achievements in the field of radiology - Helen Carty, M.B.B.Ch., Liverpool, England; Guy Frija, M.D., Paris; George Klempfner, M.D., Melbourne, Australia; and Brian S. Worthington, M.D., Nottingham, England.

Honorary membership in RSNA is awarded to individuals who have shown exceptional dedication to the field of radiology or have distinguished themselves in other fields of medicine or related sciences.

Helen Carty, M.B.B.Ch.

An active educator and leader in pediatric radiology in the United Kingdom, Helen Carty, M.B.B.Ch., has been at the forefront of the use of medical imaging to detect child abuse.

"Helen has always brought a down-to-earth approach to academic and clinical radiology that also served her well in committee work. Perhaps that is a lesson she learned from her little patients," said RSNA President Brian C. Lentle, M.D. "Above all, Helen has lived the life she advocates-no one can be a good doctor or good radiologist without also remembering to be a good human being. She has always made time to enrich her life through her Irish roots and family."

"Honorary membership in RSNA is an award that, though I am pleased and honored to receive, is something I never dreamt of," said Dr. Carty. "For me, it is not just a personal honor, but it is also a treasured honor for the European Congress of Radiology (ECR). Both personally and as chairman of ECR, I am proud to be thus honored. It enhances the increasingly developing trans-Atlantic bonds in our discipline, and wearing both my hats, I thank all who have chosen me to receive it."

Dr. Carty graduated from University College in Dublin. She completed her postgraduate work at Mater Hospital in Dublin and St. Thomas's Hospital in London.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Carty was director of radiology services at Royal Liverpool Children's National Health Service Trust, Alder Hey Children's Hospital. She recently retired from her position as professor of pediatric radiology, thesis supervisor, and examiner at the University of Liverpool in England. She had been actively involved with the National Health Service and was the ambassador for radiology in the Department of Health's International Fellowship Recruitment Program.

Dr. Carty is a prolific writer and editor, and has taken part in numerous courses designed to bring modern radiology to the emerging former Eastern Bloc countries. She has delivered similar sessions and has been an invited lecturer or professor in many countries on all continents. Dr. Carty has organized 10 postgraduate teaching courses and been an invited visitor to all academic medical institutions in the United Kingdom. She served on many committees and councils of the Royal College of Radiologists and recently completed a four-year term as the college's Warden for education.

Guy Frija, M.D.

Guy Frija, M.D., is a talented researcher, educator and administrator who has helped transform the French healthcare system.

Dr. Frija has greatly contributed to the fields of magnetic resonance (MR) contrast imaging, MR lymphography and functional MR imaging of solid tumors and the liver. He has also focused attention on managing the digital imaging department at Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou and participating in the ongoing transformations of medical practice in France.

"Guy Frija pursued some of his education in North America and has always been a devoted supporter of RSNA. After moving to France, he rose to leadership positions in his own department, as well as in French radiology," said RSNA President Brian C. Lentle, M.D. "He combined these activities with scientific work in developing his own subspecialty, which gained him international recognition."

Dr. Frija was born in Morocco. He completed his radiology residency in Paris, but left the country to serve for 16 months in the military in Abidjan on the Ivory Coast. He also spent time as a resident at the University of Montreal in Canada.

He was the chairman of the Department of Radiology in Garches, France, before becoming the chairman of the Department of Radiology at Laënnec Hospital in Paris. Currently, he is director of the Laboratory of Imaging Research and chairman of the Department of Radiology at the Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou in Paris.

In addition to his academic career, Dr. Frija has held a variety of concurrent ancillary positions. He is the president of the National Commission of Medical Devices and consultant to the French Ministry of Health. He served as associate dean of the Necker Faculty and as a consultant to the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), both in Paris.

An RSNA member since 1989, Dr. Frija is the current secretary general of the French Society of Radiology. He is also the president-elect of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology.

Dr. Frija is a prolific author. His textbooks are considered to be the best in the French radiologic literature.

George Klempfner, M.D.

George Klempfner, M.D., is a tireless educator and researcher dedicated to raising the standards of radiology on an international level.

"George has always had a great devotion to the need for organized radiology to become both strong and international," said RSNA President Brian C. Lentle, M.D. "He has served as president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and went on to move through the executive ranks of the International Society of Radiology (ISR) to become its president, completing a two-year term this year."

Dr. Klempfner has been an RSNA member since 1983 and considers the award a special tribute. "The yearly RSNA scientific assembly is the premier international radiology meeting. It provides the most up-to-date information on radiology education, technology and research," said Dr. Klempfner.

Dr. Klempfner has lectured and published extensively. He has been an enthusiastic teacher and examiner. As secretary general for ISR, Dr. Klempfner helped establish the South Pacific Liaison Committee to improve radiologic practice in the region and assisted in the recent establishment of the Centre of Radiological Excellence in Fiji. As ISR president, he developed the World Council of Radiology. This council, which has representation from all major continental radiology societies, works toward the worldwide integration of radiology education training and qualifications.

Brian S. Worthington, M.D.

A leader in British radiology, Brian S. Worthington, M.D., has earned the respect of his peers for his significant contributions to magnetic resonance (MR) research.

"Brian pioneered many of the clinical applications of MR imaging in Nottingham University in England," said RSNA President Brian C. Lentle, M.D. "He developed productive clinical collaborations with basic scientists. His significance as an investigator was recognized when he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a rare honor bestowed on the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein—and never before on a radiologist. He became professor and head of his department and served among the leadership of British and European radiology, as well as regularly attending RSNA. Dr. Worthington is a Renaissance man with a passionate interest in Icelandic literature."

In addition to his early pioneering work with MR, Dr. Worthington later contributed greatly to defining the role of ultra-high speed echoplanar imaging in clinical practice.

Dr. Worthington qualified for his M.B.B.S. in 1963 in London and completed a radiology residency at London Hospital, obtaining a Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists. After completing his education, Dr. Worthington moved to Nottingham, England, where he was appointed to a newly created post in neuroradiology. He served nearly two decades as professor and head of the Department of Academic Radiology at the Queen's Medical Centre at Nottingham University, where he has been professor emeritus since 1998.

Dr. Worthington is an inexhaustible researcher and lecturer, and has been a visiting professor in Ireland, Finland and Canada. He has been an RSNA member since 1989.

RSNA is an association of more than 37,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.