Gender discrepancy in research activities during radiology residency
In recent decades, advances of gender equity in medicine have resulted in a steady increase in the proportion of women physicians. However, radiology remains a male-dominated specialty in most countries with less than a third of women enrolled in radiology training or holding academic positions in the USA.
Building the Dow Jones index for gender disparities in radiology
The stream of data on Twitter provides a rich source of information that can help us understand trends and viewpoints in real-time.
Why diversity is a ‘guiding light’ for the majority-female team behind the Boston Children’s innovation accelerator
With women making up the majority of its 80-person team, the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator program at Boston Children’s Hospital stands apart from its peers not only in the realm of hospital innovation, but also in the tech industry as a whole.
Practices Industry Voices—Women in healthcare need to be less fearful of failure
While others may define people by their successes, it turns out that many successful people actually define themselves by their many failures—not because they are happy to have failed, but because each failure represents a moment when they have learned an important lesson and grown.
Gender Pay Gap for Physicians Widening, Researchers Can’t Explain Why
New research documents an unexplained, growing disparity in pay between male and female physicians at the outset of their careers.
JACR
In a report on the importance of diversity, a female junior radiologist faculty member examines the predominant themes that may affect the professional lives of many women in medicine and radiology. The report published in JACR, provides an eye-opening look into the obstacles and problems women come up against during the pursuit of their career in medicine and radiology.
Supporting Diversity in Radiology and Informatics during RSNA19
Thank you for being a member of the RADxx community. We are excited to share some photos from our RADxx Cocktails for Change event at the annual RSNA conference. We had our greatest turnout yet with over 365 people joining us to support diversity in radiology and informatics and celebrate the winners of our 3rd Annual RADxx Awards!
Curating the 2019 ACR Informatics Summit
When I was approached about planning the 2019 ACR Informatics Summit, my goal was simple: assemble a diverse group of speakers, not only with respect to ethnicity and gender, or geographic location and practice type, but also diversity of perspectives related to one of the hottest topics in radiology: artificial intelligence (AI). Innovation is created when varied experiences, ideas, 
and insights are shared.
My first step was to recruit a terrific co-chair. Dr. Christopher Roth is an expert in implementing imaging technologies in clinical practice and is well connected in the world of imaging informatics. Together we recruited a fantastic team of moderators: Drs. Raym Geis, Tessa Cook, and Bibb Allen. The extensive connections the team brought formed the foundation of a great speaker panel.
Next, we searched the RADxx Speakers Bureau and other sites for engaging speakers on topics related to AI in medical imaging. Our keynote speaker hit the mark on all accounts: Professor Regina Barzilay, a computer scientist and MacArthur Genius Award recipient from MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab. Professor Barzilay was candid about the challenges surrounding AI, yet also inspiring. Her research is motivated by her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2014. Professor Barzilay is collaborating with Dr. Constance Lehman, a breast imager from Massachusetts General Hospital, to identify high-risk patients and to tailor a breast screening schedule that meets individual patient needs.
Following the keynote was a panel of speakers who brought different perspectives on the challenges and promises of AI. To kick off the discussion and create awareness of the many voices and backgrounds that must be engaged, Mr. David Andrews presented his thoughts and concerns from a patient perspective. He emphasized that the patient perspective is not one-size-fits-all and that as radiologists we will need to consider a range of opinions from our patients as we begin to employ this technology. Dr. Melissa Davis from Yale then discussed her real-world experience with implementing AI into clinical practice, followed by Dr. Dan Blezek’s discussion of the types of challenges informatics professionals face in translating AI into practice. Finally, Dr. Christoph Wald closed with thoughts from the point of view of a department chair.
The meeting ended with an all RADxx panel discussing the real-world challenges they face in managing the IT supply chain, a critical component of effective deployment of AI in health care. In this session moderated by Dr. Tessa Cook, Dr. Judy Gichoya, Sylvia Devlin, Charlene Tomaselli, and Roseann Spitznagel, they shared how radiology and enterprise IT departments can work together to bridge the divide; create consensus; and address the practical issues, challenges, and concerns surrounding AI deployment in the clinical radiology workflow. If you missed this session at the summit, this all RADxx panel also hosted a webinar based on their presentations available here.
Throughout the two-day summit, the energy in the room was palpable. While attendees agreed that there is much work to do to implement safe, reliable, and effective AI into the clinical practice of radiology, there is tremendous enthusiasm to work together to achieve this vision. Our professional world moves fast, and as leaders and learners, we do not always take the time to step back and hear all of the voices on an issue. The breadth of backgrounds at this event created a space for shared insights on AI and will foster a future of collaboration.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
This week I was promoted to Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. It was
an emotional moment and I was not sure I’d ever get here.
In my role as lead negotiator, I sit across the table from Health Insurance companies and negotiate deals
worth millions of dollars. Last year I gave a talk on AI in imaging to 2000 computer engineers. My latest
talk is called Fearless Leadership. I ride a bike in Manhattan for goodness sake. So why was it that when
it came to submitting my application for promotion I procrastinated and prevaricated for months?
The imposter syndrome wasn’t just real, it was overwhelming. After 11 years in private practice I joined
the faculty at Weill Cornell in 2014 and I absolutely love working in this collaborative clinical community.
My colleagues in radiology and across the organization have been supportive and I’ve taken on new
responsibilities that challenge me. But I regularly go to meetings with people who are NIH funded
researchers even Nobel Laureates. Who was I to think I could move up the academic ranks?
So what got me over my fears? Sponsors like the Chairs of the two Departments in which I have
appointments: Drs. Rob Min and Rainu Kaushal who supported my application and kept telling me I was
more than qualified. Mentors like Dr. Ruth Gotian who leads our newly formed Mentoring Academy who
kept gently nudging me along and colleagues like Dr. Elizabeth Arleo who set timeline targets and
reminded me that she was “holding my hand” along the way.
I share my story because all of us have areas where we feel less sure of ourselves and it is by supporting
and encouraging each other that we can start to really make a difference in the lack of gender balance in
academic leadership. It took a village to get me here but now I’ll approach the next academic hurdle
with much greater confidence. Not only that but I’ll be able to encourage others who, like I was, are
doubting their readiness.
#SomePersonalNews I got promoted to Associate Professor. Not bragging but wanted to share that for all I talk about #fearlessleadership this was one of the most intimidating things I have ever done.
— Geraldine McGinty (@DrGMcGinty) October 1, 2019