Gold Medal 2017
The 2017 IS3R Gold Medals were awarded to Dr. Ronald L. Arenson and Dr. Guy Frija at the 12th Biennial Symposium held in Washington, D.C./US, August 24-26, 2017.
Ronald L. Arenson, MD, FACR
Dr. Arenson earned his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1970 before completing his internship at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and his diagnostic radiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He then began his academic career in 1976 at the University of Pennsylvania after serving in the U.S. Navy at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During his time at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Arenson served as associate chairman of clinical services in radiology, director of administrative services and interim vice-provost for information systems and computing. In 1992, he joined the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Fancisco (UCSF), where he now serves as Alexander R. Margulis Distinguished Professor and department chair.
Throughout his career, Dr. Arenson has received many honours, including the Alumni Medal of Honor from the New York Medical College in 2001 and the Gold Medal of the Association of University Radiologists (AUR) in 2013. Dr. Arenson has received the Innovation and Leadership Award from the Radiology Research Alliance, the Visionary Leadership Award from the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments and the Holly Smith Award for leadership at UCSF. He has been an invited speaker at many events, including RSNA 2007 and the American Board of Radiology Foundation Summit.
Dr. Arenson has authored or co-authored over 110 peer-reviewed scientific articles, four book chapters, three books and numerous exhibits, abstracts and editorials. He has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including Radiology, Investigative Radiology, Journal of Digital Imaging, Academic Radiology and Journal of the American College of Radiology. Dr. Arenson has been an invited lecturer nationally and internationally at nearly 250 universities and institutes.
Dr. Arenson is a member of many medical societies and organisations of which he has been an active member during his career. These include the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI), AUR, Society of Chairmen in Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD), Academy of Radiology Research (ARR) the American College of Radiology (ACR), and the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology (IS3R), over which he presided from 2007-2009. He is also a founding member of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM). Dr. Arenson holds fellowships in the ACR, ACMI and SIIM. He served as president of the AUR, SCARD and ARR, and served on the National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as the NIH Council of Councils.
A member of RSNA since 1974, Dr. Arenson has served on numerous committees, including the Publications Council, Education Council, Public Information Advisors Network, Research Development Committee and the Radiology Informatics Committee, of which he served as chair from 1999 to 2005. In 2007, he was elected to the RSNA Board of Directors and has served as the Board liaison for the annual meeting and technology. He served as chair of the board from 2012 to 2013, and president in 2015. Dr. Arenson now serves on the Board of Trustees of the RSNA Research and Education Foundation.
Guy Frija, MD
Dr. Frija received his medical degree in 1976 in Paris, France, where he later completed his residency. He also gained experience abroad early on in his career, having served as a resident at the University of Montreal in Canada in 1974.
A well-known figure among radiological societies around the world, he has served in a number of leaderships roles throughout his career. Dr. Frija served as president of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) from 2013 to 2014 and the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology form 2005 to 2007. He also presided over the French Society of Radiology for 12 years, and is credited with making it one of the most important scientific societies in France today. He has also served as an advisor to the French Ministry of Health for the deployment of PACS and is a former consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
An expert in thoracic imaging and contrast products, Dr. Frija has also helped to introduce information technologies into daily radiological routine. These days, his main research focus is on radiation protection, and he has been involved in establishing guidelines and protocols in France and in Europe through the ESR Clinical Decision Support project.
Dr. Frija is currently professor emeritus of radiology at the University Paris-Descartes, and consultant at the imaging department of Paris Georges Pompidou European Hospital, where he previously served as chair. He is also a part-time professor of radiology at the faculty of health sciences at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the scientific committee of the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, co-chair of the imaging section of MEDICEN, a French competitiveness cluster specialising in biomedical imaging, and chair of the steering committee of EuroSafe Imaging. He is also clinical coordinator of MEDIRAD, a 10 million Euro research project funded by the European Commission, and co-chair of the International Society of Radiology Quality and Safety Alliance.
In recognition of his contributions to the field of radiology, Dr. Frija has been granted Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Montreal and by the University Carol Davila of Bucharest, and honorary fellowship of several radiological societies. He was also appointed Knight of the French Order of the Legion of Honour in 2001.