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While many came to know Jian-Ping Dai, MD, in his recent role as vice-minister of the Games Services Department for the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), radiologists have long regarded him as a visionary who helped develop and advance radiology practice in China. He serves as the principal advisor for radiology to the Chinese Ministry of Health. Dr Dai is a professor of neuroradiology in the Beijing Neurosurgical Institute of Beijing Tiantan Hospital at the Capital University of Medical Sciences. He also serves as president of Beijing Tiantan Hospital and is immediate past-president of the Chinese Society of Radiology. "Dr Dai's important and wide-ranging contributions have influenced the field of radiology," said 2008 RSNA President Theresa C. McLoud, MD. "His strong and thoughtful leadership of Chinese radiology has placed imaging in the forefront of medical specialties both nationally and throughout the global community." Dr Dai said he accepts honorary membership on behalf of all radiologists in his country. "Thirty years ago, the Chinese people resolutely embarked on the historic journey of reform and an opening up to the international community," said Dr Dai. "This new policy afforded me the opportunity to travel abroad and start my 'personal learning in the global community' and to work with international colleagues towards universal standards of quality care for our patients." Born in Beijing, Dr Dai received his medical training and completed his radiology residency at Beijing Xuan Wu Hospital and completed a fellowship in the United States in the neuroradiology division of the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) under Juan Taveras, MD. At MGH, Dr Dai met longtime friend Robert Grossman, MD, now Saul Farber Dean and CEO of New York University Langone Medical Center. Their friendship was the stimulus for an ongoing education and research exchange between NYU and the Chinese Society of Radiology. Returning to China after his residency, Dr Dai worked with neurosurgery pioneer C. C. Wang, MD, to establish the first full-time neuroimaging center in the country and introduced neurointerventional therapy to China. As China began to rise to world-class status in radiology, colleagues worldwide pointed to Dr Dai's abilities as an educator, as well as his interpersonal skills. The recipient of several awards from the Chinese government, Dr Dai has focused his research on medical image processing, interventional therapy for cerebrovascular disease, nervous system imaging, and cerebral function MR imaging. He has published more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals. As BOCOG vice-minister, Dr Dai oversaw the coordi-nation of medical services for more than 16,000 athletes participating in the Beijing games. His responsibilities ranged from assembling the appropriate imaging equipment and guaranteeing the readiness of area hospitals to training medical managers and ensuring food safety and pest control. More than two dozen dedicated hospitals and 200-plus medical stations within the Olympic venue were used to treat athletes, with about 3,000 volunteers trained to assist medical professionals in providing care. Dr Dai emphasized technology in assembling the polyclinic that served as the centerpiece of medical efforts within the Olympic venue, outfitting the clinic with CT and MR imaging systems, ultrasound, PACS, and RIS, and recruiting medical professional volunteers from throughout China. An expert on the evolution of medical imaging in China, Dr Dai has addressed many groups, such as the China International Medical Fair. He served as president of the Chinese Society of Radiology and chief editor of the Chinese Journal of Radiology from 1996 to 2005 and established the Chinese Society of Neuroradiology in 1987. He serves as vice-president of the Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Hospital Association, Chinese Doctor Association, and China Association of Medical Equipment. Dr Dai is also president-elect of the Asian Oceanian Society of Radiology and served as president of the International Congress of Radiology organizing committee in 1996. An RSNA member since 1991, Dr Dai has encouraged his radiology students and colleagues to become involved with the RSNA as well. Colleagues around the world have lauded his ability to inspire young Chinese radiologists to not only train but also excel in a highly demanding subspecialty. Dr Dai was named an honorary fellow of the Hong Kong College of Radiologists in 2000 and has served as president of the Asia-Pacific Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology. He has addressed international audiences on such topics as MR imaging implementation in developing countries. In recognition of his tireless work within and beyond the specialty of radiology, the RSNA is proud to present Dr Dai with Honorary Membership.
Having established himself as an internationally recognized authority on the clinical applications of CT and MR in body imaging, Maximilian F. Reiser, MD, has become a leader in European radiology. "Those of you who know or have worked with Dr Reiser recognize his energy, strong work ethic, and dedication to scholarship and excellence," said 2008 RSNA President Theresa C. McLoud, MD. "He is profoundly committed to the advancement of radiology and the care of his patients." Dr Reiser is a professor and chair of the Department of Clinical Radiology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He was recently elected dean of the Munich University medical faculty. "Throughout my professional life, I was deeply impressed by North American radiology and radiologists and had the privilege to get to know and make friends among the most prominent of them," said Dr Reiser. "RSNA, both the organization and the scientific and educational meeting, are exemplary and outstanding. Receiving honorary membership in this distinguished society is more than I would ever have dreamed." After receiving his medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University, Dr Reiser completed a residency at the Technical University of Munich. The many academic appointments he has held throughout his career include professor and chair of radiology at the University of Bonn, chair of the academic promotion committee of the Munich University medical faculty, and chair of the vascular center and the breast center of Munich University Hospitals. Earlier this year, Dr Reiser presided over the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) as it launched a new program intended to encourage more interdisciplinary exchange. General medicine was ECR's guest this year as part of the "ECR Meets" program, with the intent of improving dialogue between medical specialties. "This new aspect of the ECR program is especially important to me," Dr Reiser told the media when ECR opened in March. "The more understanding our colleagues have of the newest developments in radiology, the better they will utilize imaging studies." Under Dr Reiser's tutelage, ECR attracted 17,000 participants from more than 90 countries and is now the second largest radiologic congress worldwide. Dr Reiser's ascent to leadership in European radiology has included service as president of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology, congress president of the German and Austrian Radiological Societies, and president of the German Radiological Society. He has served on the ECR Board of Directors since 2000 and served this year as second vice-president of the European Society of Radiology. Dr Reiser's research interests are broad and have included publications in skeletal radiology, MR imaging, and abdominal imaging. He has published more than 700 peer-reviewed research articles and reviews, as well as five textbooks. He has conducted research on technological advances in both CT and MR imaging, including dual-source CT and 3-T MR applications in abdominal imaging. "Technology and progress in technology play an important role in radiology," said Dr Reiser. "Other driving forces are basic sciences and advances in the clinical disciplines. For radiology, it is key to be closely integrated into the clinical work flow and to be accepted as a clinical discipline." Dr Reiser has served in many visiting professorships throughout Europe and internationally. He has received the Holtheuesen Ring Award of the German Radiological Society and honorary membership in the Austrian Radiological Society, Hellenic Radiological Society, Korean Radiology Society, and U.K. Royal College of Radiology. He is also a member of the Leopoldina, the German National Academy of Science. A member of RSNA since 1990, Dr Reiser is a member of the RSNA Public Information Advisors Network and International Advisory Committee and, at RSNA 2007, served on the panel for the Sunday Image Interpretation Session and moderated a special focus session on radiation dose. In recognition of his significant contributions to radiology in Europe and worldwide, as well as his groundbreaking efforts to inspire multispecialty collaboration, the RSNA is honored to present Dr Reiser with Honorary Membership.
When multiple avenues are available to achieve an ideal outcome, Gustav K. von Schulthess, MD, PhD, is likely to seize all of them. Throughout the course of his career, his scholarly efforts have pioneered the applications of physics to functional imaging. Most American radiologists know Dr von Schulthess as co-director of the International Diagnostic Course in Davos, Switzerland, a top annual teaching event with more than 1,000 participants and 40 top-ranking radiology and nuclear medicine professors from around the world, said 2008 RSNA President Theresa C. McLoud, MD. "This course, first held over 40 years ago, provided a model for adult learning by offering interactive case-based sessions with small working groups of attendees," said Dr McLoud. "Dr von Schulthess' leadership serves as an example of his endless enthusiasm, vigor, and dedication to education. All these attributes are combined with his charm, enthusiasm, and depth of knowledge." Dr von Schulthess said he has been fortunate to spend his career at the crossroads of anatomic and functional imaging. "My education and affiliations have been at the crossroads of Europe and North America," he said. "In many ways, my professional approach has stayed more American. I am grateful to have imbibed the American spirit, and I am proud that RSNA honors my 'go-between' role in this way." Dr von Schulthess is director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine and codirector of the MR Centre at University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland. He also serves as a professor of nuclear medicine at the University of Zürich. In his research and in his professional enterprises, Dr von Schulthess discovered early that the best way to reap the full benefit of multiple disciplines is to combine their best and complementary aspects. During his graduate education, he pursued both medicine and physics, eventually enrolling in the Joint Division in Health Sciences and Technology program at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He graduated in 1980 with a PhD in physics from MIT and a medical degree from Harvard. He returned to Switzerland, spending 18 months training in internal medicine at University Hospital Zürich before pursuing a residency in nuclear medicine. The pathophysiologic aspects of internal medicine interested him, but the research capabilities of nuclear medicine held more appeal. Within just 4 years, Dr von Schulthess became a junior staff member at University Hospital Zürich, and after completing a research fellowship in MR imaging at the University of California, San Francisco, he returned to University Hospital as director of body MR imaging. Two years later, he was named acting director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine in the Department of Medical Radiology. Under Dr von Schulthess' direction, the hospital became one of the first sites in Europe to pioneer new technologies, introducing MR imaging in 1985, echo-planar MR imaging in 1992, and interventional MR imaging in 1995. The hospital was the first clinical site worldwide to introduce clinical PET/CT scanning in March 2001. Recognized as a worldwide authority in multimodality functional imaging and nuclear medicine, Dr von Schulthess has research interests that encompass combined-modality fusion imaging, especially of tumors and infection, with PET/CT, SPECT/CT, and PET/MR. Throughout his career, he has improved cooperation between his specialties of nuclear medicine and radiology and has encouraged physicians to pursue an additional 3 years of training to receive board certification in both specialty areas in Switzerland. In 2003, Dr von Schulthess cofounded Timaq, a company providing expertise for the pharmaceutical industry and contract research organizations in clinical trials, and now serves as the company's chief scientific advisor. The author of more than 210 peer-reviewed articles, Dr von Schulthess has served as an associate editor and reviewer for Radiology and as a reviewer for numerous other journals. An RSNA member since 1985, Dr von Schulthess received an honorary degree in medicine from the University of Copenhagen in 2007. He was 1994-1995 president of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology, receiving honorary membership the following year. He was also president of the Swiss Society of Nuclear Medicine from 1996 to 1999. For his scientific and scholarly contributions to imaging, and particularly for his role in advancing disciplinary cooperation between diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine, the RSNA is proud to present Dr von Schulthess with Honorary Membership. |
