VANCOUVER, British Columbia--The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) presented its highest honor, the SIR Gold Medal, to Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., FSIR; Ho-Young Song, M.D., Ph.D.; and Robert L. Vogelzang, M.D., FSIR, during its Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver. These awards acknowledge distinguished and extraordinary service to SIR or to the discipline of interventional radiology.
"This year's Gold Medalists embody the spirit of our specialty and of minimally invasive medicine: to harness the energy, innovation and agility of minimally invasive, image-guided procedures and collaborate across professional and geographic borders while developing breakthrough treatments for patients," said SIR 2015-16 President Alan H. Matsumoto, M.D., FSIR, who represents SIR's 6,100 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through interventional radiology. "All three of our honorees have provided invaluable visionary leadership that has advanced the specialty," said Matsumoto, professor and chair of the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., FSIR
Ferris retired from his position as professor and chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of Arkansas Medical Center, Little Rock in 2008, after 31 years. Prior to that appointment, Ferris served as of chief of diagnostic radiology at Boston University Hospital and chief of neuroradiology and cardiovascular radiology at Boston City Hospital and Boston University School of Medicine. Consistently recognized as a pioneer in the field of interventional radiology for his work on the anatomy and embryology of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and with IVC filters, Ferris was also one of the first recipients of a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Vascular and Interventional Radiology. He has given over 300 lectures worldwide, and has served as president of several societies, including the Radiological Society of North America, the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology and the Society of Thoracic Radiology.
Ho-Young Song, M.D., Ph.D.
Song is currently professor of radiology at Asan Medical Center at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. Song's career has been focused on the development of stents for the treatment of benign and malignant strictures involving the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, colon, rectum and bile ducts. He has 26 medical device patents, including American and European patents for a self-expanding endovascular stent. Song has served on the editorial boards of many journals, including SIR's flagship publication, the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and has authored or co-authored more than 350 papers and book chapters. In 2008, Song was named "Most Distinguished Scientist" by the South Korean government.
Robert L. Vogelzang, M.D., FSIR
A past president of SIR, Vogelzang is the chief of vascular and interventional radiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, a position he has held since 1985. In addition to training more than 100 future interventional radiologists, he has been actively involved in research and contributing knowledge to the field of interventional radiology by authoring more than 100 scientific papers and more than 50 book chapters. Vogelzang's areas of clinical expertise include the treatment of vascular malformations, uterine fibroid embolization, and placement and retrieval of retrievable inferior vena cava filters. Vogelzang has also made significant contributions to SIR by serving on the Relative Value Updating Committee workgroup and through health policy advocacy.
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About the Society of Interventional Radiology
The Society of Interventional Radiology is a nonprofit, professional medical society representing more than 6,100 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. Visit sirweb.org. The Society of Interventional Radiology is holding its Annual Scientific Meeting April 2-7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, British Columbia, Canada. Visit http://www.sirmeeting.org. From April 2-6 they can be reached in the Vancouver Newsroom at (778) 331-7650 or (778) 331-7651.