image: The Society of Interventional Radiology presented the 2015 Gold Medal to Anne C. Roberts, M.D., FSIR, during its Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. These awards acknowledge distinguished and extraordinary service to the society or to the discipline of interventional radiology. Courtesy Society of Interventional Radiology. view more
Credit: courtesy Society of Interventionial Radiology. www.sirweb.org
ATLANTA--The Society of Interventional Radiology presented its highest honor, the SIR Gold Medal, to Johannes Lammer, M.D., FSIR; Anne C. Roberts, M.D., FSIR; and Harvey L. Neiman, M.D., FSIR, during its Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. These awards acknowledge distinguished and extraordinary service to the society or to the discipline of interventional radiology.
"When we talk about the pioneers who have impacted minimally invasive medicine, collaborated across borders and harnessed image-guided therapies to develop breakthrough treatments, we need look no further than this year's Gold Medalists," said SIR 2014-15 President James B. Spies, M.D., MPH, FSIR, who represents the society's 5,600 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through interventional radiology. "These SIR Gold Medalists seize every opportunity to provide visionary leadership and to advance the specialty," said Spies, chair of the radiology department at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and professor of radiology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Johannes Lammer, M.D., FSIR
Lammer, professor emeritus of the Medical University Vienna, Austria, served until last year as chair of its department of cardiovascular and interventional radiology. Calling Lammer "a true global representative of radiology," Spies noted that he was receiving this honor "for the contributions that he has made not only to European interventional radiology, but to our field as a whole." His research interests include vascular interventions, including endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and oncologic interventions, such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and biliary interventions.
Anne C. Roberts, M.D., FSIR
A past president of SIR, Roberts is chief of vascular and interventional radiology at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) hospital and the San Diego VA hospital. Roberts is a "tireless champion of research and patient care who always gives selflessly for the betterment of the specialty," said Spies. The first chief of radiology at UCSD Thornton Hospital, which opened in 1993, Roberts held that position until 1996, when she assumed her current role. Roberts's clinical interests include pelvic congestion syndrome, invasive placenta of the uterus and inferior vena cava filters as well as the treatment of uterine fibroids with uterine fibroid embolization and magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound.
Harvey L. Neiman, M.D., FSIR (awarded posthumously)
Neiman, who led the American College of Radiology (ACR) first as chair of the Board of Chancellors and then as chief executive officer, retiring in 2014 after more than 20 years, is receiving the Gold Medal posthumously. Neiman spent his early career in academic practice, making substantial contributions in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Spies called Neiman "one of the earliest in the field to recognize the need for greater leadership and research initiatives within radiology." His efforts brought the message of interventional radiology to the broader radiology and medical community, and he pioneered the application of health services research to interventional and radiology practice. The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, established by ACR in 2012, researches the role of radiology in new health care delivery and payment models.
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About the Society of Interventional Radiology
The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 5,600 practicing interventional radiology physicians, scientists and clinical associates, dedicated to improving patient care through the limitless potential of image-guided therapies. SIR's members work in a variety of settings and at different professional levels--from medical students and residents to university faculty and private practice physicians.