President’s Corner #25: Nominate Someone Today!

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Nominate someone today!

I still vividly recall attending my first ISMRM meeting in 1999. The meeting was held in Philadelphia. As a starting PhD student, I was incredibly excited that my work about magnetic resonance angiography of the peripheral arteries was selected for presentation. On the way to Philadelphia, I read all the recent literature, so I was ready to answer questions. After my presentation, I got questions by several people whose papers I had studied carefully. I don’t exactly remember the questions, but I do recall the genuine curiosity with which they were asked. After the session ended, we continued the conversation in the hallway, and I was very impressed by how open and approachable these leaders in the field were. They shared their insights without reserve and gave me a number of further ideas to explore. Over the next few years I kept running into them at subsequent ISMRM meetings, and something of a mentor/mentee relationship developed. Several of these leaders went on the receive Fellowships or Society medals. Was this a coincidence? I don’t think so. All of them had done great science, but what set them apart was the generosity with which they shared their ideas and expertise, their time and their willingness to help other people and the Society. In my opinion, this is true leadership.

I hope you recognize this story. In fact, I’m pretty sure that many of you have had similar experiences. If that is the case, think about nominating one of them for an ISMRM Fellowship or a medal. Our society is a diverse community of highly talented individuals. We seek nomination of anyone who has made significant contributions to science, to the development of the Society or to education in MR, all in the broadest sense, potentially qualify for fellowship. The Gold Medal is a recognition for a major research contribution to the field of MRI and the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for outstanding contributions to the operation, effectiveness or good reputation of the Society. Although selection for awards is highly competitive and the full spectrum of impact of each candidate is looked at across multiple quantitative and qualitative metrics, I am sure all of you know someone in our Society that deserves one of these honors.

Over the past two decades, the ISMRM has become my professional home. I feel fortunate to be part of this Society with its incredibly diverse and talented community of scientists and physicians. Don’t wait for someone else to take the initiative. We are a global and collaborative Society, and we seek a group of nominees that broadly represents our membership and its activities. Therefore, please nominate someone today! The deadline for applications is 15 October. More information about the process can be found here (login required).

Tim Leiner, M.D., Ph.D.
2020-2021 ISMRM President