^{Published on September 1, 2021}

Renee Cruea

Executive Director, Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research

Founded in 1995, the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research (Academy) is a non-profit advocacy organization located in Washington, DC, that unites imaging societies, patient advocates, and academic radiology departments with the goal of securing federal investment for medical imaging research through education and advocacy. ARRS is one of the founding member societies of the Academy. In 2000, the Academy played a pivotal role in the establishment of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), as well as the Interagency Working Group on Medical Imaging in 2016, and continues to raise awareness with policy makers about the importance and impact of medical imaging research.

The Academy benefits from the continuous expertise and leadership of ARRS representatives to our board. Currently, Erik K. Paulson, ARRS vice president, serves on our Executive Committee, and Ruth C. Carlos, ARRS president from 2019–2020, serves as vice president of the Academy. 

Advocacy is vital to the success of investigators and to the success of radiologists in private practice. Federal funding for medical imaging research impacts the breadth of the field. The Academy is the single organization that brings together academia, industry, and patient groups to collectively advocate for strong investment into imaging research (cf., the annual NIH increases to imaging research in the chart below—created, maintained, and advocated for by the Academy each year).

While the Academy advocates on behalf of the community full time, individual ARRS advocacy efforts have tremendous impact. Ensuring that members of the US Congress hear from individual investigators ensures that, as constituents, you are illustrating the impact research efforts have locally. The Academy regularly requests that researchers across the imaging space reach out individually in support of research funding. By utilizing the Academy’s action alert system, you can use existing templates, adding your own personal touch or details related to your institution, and let your elected representatives know that research funding is important to you.

Beyond advocating for research funding, the Academy has a multitude of programs that assist researchers in the field to succeed. In addition to recognizing new members of the Council of Distinguished Investigators every year, the Academy has a robust and growing Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI2). Nearly 20 members of the Academy’s CECI2 council identify ARRS as their professional home. Most recently, the Academy recognized ARRS members Joel Fletcher and Martin Torriani as Distinguished Investigators. There is a plethora of resources on our website, www.acadrad.org, for these researchers. Multiple annual events promote engagement between industry, academia, and patient advocates, such as the Medical Imaging Technology Showcase held on Capitol Hill and the Academy Imaging Shark Tank session presented during the Radiological Society of North America meeting. Additionally, the Academy routinely collaborates with the NIH to sponsor interesting workshops relevant to the field. Often, Academy representatives are invited to voice representative opinions and help formulate pertinent policy. 

The Academy unites the voices across imaging to help achieve the collective mission of improving the field to benefit patient outcomes.