Keynoter Grist speaks at annual event focused on research trainees and mentors
Nearly 50 UT Southwestern trainees participated in the sixth annual Radiology Research Day on May 1. The event featured 28 poster presentations, 10 electronic presentations and 10 oral presentations, in addition to a keynote address by Dr. Thomas M. Grist, professor and chair of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin.
The Department of Radiology sponsors the annual event to highlight research projects in both basic and clinical science.
The first Research Day had 28 participating trainees, and over the past six years, participation and attendance has steadily increased. In fact, this year’s attendance rose 22 percent from last year’s.
“The growth and success of Research Day are the results of our trainees contributing to various innovative educational projects, projects aimed at improving patient care (Quality) and innovative clinical and basic research efforts underway in our Department.” said Dr. Robert Lenkinski, Vice Chair of Radiology Research. “Also, of importance is the willingness of our faculty to mentor these trainees to help them apply their intellectual skills and curiosity in a meaningful manner.
Research topics presented included an array of medical imaging and modalities, as well as quality improvement and educational projects.
In his keynote, Dr. Grist shared practical advice about promoting innovation within research teams.
“There’s been a lot of innovation in medical imaging, but we ought not take that for granted,” he said. “Promoting innovation requires us to make time for alpha wave activity, to prepare the prefrontal cortex. Some of our best ideas come to us when taking a hot shower.”
Dr. Grist encouraged promoting an “open source” environment, by “embracing the outsider.” Many good ideas occur when people are new to a field, he added.
“Interdisciplinary research is important,” he said. “Group creativity is critical to our ability to move the field forward.”
Dr. Grist said effective teams embrace the concept of “urban friction,” a creative environment that supports interaction, skepticism and constructive criticism. “Where there is no criticism, there is no engagement,” he said. “Imperfection of ideas leads us to listen.”
"Since its beginning six years ago, Research Day has grown to attain all that we had dreamed and hoped for," said Dr. Neil M. Rofsky, Professor and Chair of Radiology. "I find the intellectual vibrancy and innovation shown to be inspirational. It matched perfectly with the creative insights from our keynote speaker, my good friend and trusted colleague, Dr. Thomas Grist.”
Presentations were judged by a distinguished panel of Radiology faculty members, including Dr. Lakshmi Ananthakrishnan, Assistant Professor of Radiology and a member of the Abdominal Imaging Division; Dr. Timothy Booth, Professor or Radiology and Interim Chief of Pediatric Radiology; Dr. Basak Dogan, Associate Professor of Radiology and Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine and a member of the Breast Imaging Division; Dr. Ivan Pedrosa, Professor of Radiology, Chief of Body MR, and holder of the Jack Reynolds, M.D. Chair in Radiology; Dr. Marco Pinho, Assistant Professor of Radiology and a member of the Neuroradiology Division; Dr. Xiankai Sun, Director of the Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Program and holder of the Dr. Jack Krohmer Professorship in Radiation Physics; and Dr. Elena Vinogradov, Assistant Professor of Radiology and a member of the Radiology Research Division.
Award recipients were as follows:
Best Posters: Parastoo Sabaeifard, Ph.D., Basic Science; Durgesh Dwivedi, Ph.D., Clinical Science; Jesse Conyers, M.D., Educational; Joseph McDevitt, M.D., Quality
Best Electronic Presentations: Heling Zhou, Ph.D., Basic Science; Kevin Yan, B.A., Clinical Science
Best Oral Presentations: Xinzeng Wang, M.S., Basic Science; Yee Seng Ng, M.D., Clinical Science
Dr. Lenkinski holds the Charles A. and Elizabeth Ann Sanders Chair in Translational Research and the Jan and Bob Pickens Distinguished Professorship in Medical Science, in Memory of Jerry Knight Rymer and Annette Brannon Rymer and Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Pickens. Dr. Rofsky holds the Effie and Wofford Cain Distinguished Chair in Diagnostic Imaging and serves as Co-Director of Translational Research for the Advanced Imaging Research Center.