Radiology is a dynamic specialty, essential to all aspects of health care—past, present, and future. Yet many academic radiologists are jaded, passively viewing various changes in health care delivery as threats, rather than as opportunities for action. The Association of University Radiologists (AUR) and its Radiology Research Alliance (RRA) provide timely remedies for such narrow views. By offering fresh perspectives on the practice of radiology, each Annual Meeting of the AUR and each issue of Academic Radiology deliver content that helps energize radiologists. The Task Forces of the RRA have been especially successful at fostering such energy. Since 2012, our annual task forces have created communities where academic radiologists at various stages of their career grapple with new trends which shape our field. Many RRA members serving on these task forces report the same “aha” moment: they decide not sit on the sidelines as the health care system changes. The value of such realization cannot be overstated and its message should be contagious. It should be emphasized, not just within the RRA and the AUR, but within the entire radiology community: We have an opportunity to shape the future of radiology and with it the future of health care.
In this issue of Academic Radiology , the RRA task forces report on four recent trends: (1) Research in Quality and Safety in Radiology, (2) Role of Radiology in Precision Medicine, (3) Image Data Sharing, and (4) Virtual Journal Clubs. Although the topics are intentionally broad, the articles that the task forces produced have a practical focus, intended to help readers gain of a foothold on each topic, a foothold that can guide further exploration. Importantly, these task force reports have an eye on the future, intended to ignite imagination for further research.
Radiologists have an opportunity to shape the future of health care by doing research in quality and safety. The RRA task force articles, “Science of Quality Improvement” and “Radiology Research in Quality and Safety: Current Trends and Future Needs,” offer valuable insights into such research. In particular, radiologists will benefit from the discussion of how the entire process, from study design to manuscript preparation, differs from traditional scientific research. They will also find practical information about reporting of safety incidents and conducting peer review. In its various forms, quality and safety research can help showcase radiology and its role in improving health outcomes. It may also force radiologists to consider more closely the regulatory as well as the ethical dimensions of clinical work and research. If successful, these articles should inspire radiologists to act; act to improve the quality of health care at their institutions and beyond.
Perhaps the hottest topic in health care today is Precision Medicine. Recent developments in molecular biology, genomics, information technology, and imaging are fueling this revolution in medicine. The RRA task force article, “Role of Imaging in the Era of Precision Medicine,” provides a thought-provoking overview of the topic. As it seeks to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of many disorders, precision medicine is intimately linked to advances in imaging. Current clinical applications of precision medicine extend to lung, breast, renal, central nervous system, and hematologic malignancies as well as other cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurologic disorders. In the context of precision medicine, “radiomics” is becoming a familiar term for many radiologists. Among its various meanings, radiomics refers to the extraction of quantitative data from computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography examinations—data that can be used to better target therapy. But radiomics is just a tip of the iceberg. There are many opportunities for radiologists to shape the future of precision medicine; and the opportunities will undoubtedly grow. The task force article will hopefully encourage radiologists to play a more direct role in various clinical and research applications of precision medicine.
Many academic radiologists have a professional stake in three domains—clinical work, research, and education. The RRA task force article, “Image Sharing in Radiology: A Primer for Academic and Clinical Radiologist,” shows how advances in image sharing technologies affect all three. In the clinical realm, the sharing of imaging studies across health care systems helps reduce costs by avoiding duplicate examinations. Another benefit to patients is reduced radiation dose. In the research realm, the sharing of imaging studies helps multicenter trials centralize and standardize image interpretation, lowering costs and improving scientific validity. In the education realm, image sharing provides trainees with unprecedented access to teaching files from around the world. While the article discusses various opportunities for image sharing, it also presents a practical summary of the challenges to implementing wide-scale image sharing, including regulatory and medicolegal issues. This task force report should be of interest to any radiologist looking to apply image sharing tools to their clinical work, research, or teaching.
The focus on teaching provides many opportunities for radiologists to shape the future of health care. The RRA task force article, “Another Time, Another Space: The Evolution of the Virtual Journal Club,” shows how the latest trends in education and technology may interact to create a virtual learning environment, of great benefit to any academic radiologist. The article includes practical advice on how to start a virtual journal club (VJC) and provides examples of successful VJCs in radiology. Evidence-based medicine, lifelong learning, flipped classrooms—these trends in medical education are unavoidable. The article provides a unique prism through which these trends may be viewed. Viewed broadly, VJCs can help: (1) increase multidisciplinary collaborations, (2) drive medical innovation, (3) facilitate policy changes, (4) improve global health, and (5) shorten translation of new research to clinical practice. Properly executed, VJCs can help foster a learning health care environment. What a perfect opportunity for radiologists to help shape our future.
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