At the conclusion of 2017, contributions from Strategic Radiology (SR) member practices exceeded the halfway milestone toward funding its $800,000 gift to the RSNA Research and Education (R&E) Foundation.  The commitment will fund annual Strategic Radiology Research Seed Grants for 20 years in support research conducted by young investigators and push the specialty into the future.

Strategic Radiology practices donated $250,000 (does not include $75,000 from Austin Radiological Association which is funding its own named grant award) in 2017 and a cumulative $520,000 since 2016, when the commitment was announced. In total, current members of Strategic Radiology have donated more than $2.3 million to the Foundation through its Visionaries in Practice (VIP) Program since the program debuted in 2005.

The R&E Foundation has awarded more than $55 million in funding for radiology research since its inception and just concluded a successful $17.5 million fund-raising campaign.

“Commitments from Strategic Radiology and Austin Radiological Association made a big impact on the success of our Inspire-Innovate Invest Campaign,” said Robert Leigh, Manager, Fund Development, Research & Education Foundation. “Overall, group donations through our VIP Program accounted for over $3 million of the campaign total. We were thrilled to have such incredible support from the private practice community.”

SR member practice Austin Radiological Association became the first private practice to fund a named grant award in 2015, when ARA committed to donating $600,000 to fund an annual research resident grant award. ARA’s leadership laid the foundation for Strategic Radiology to make a similar commitment the following year.

“Strategic Radiology is the leading group in the country in strengthening and enhancing the private practice of radiology and in promoting cooperation and clinical integration among radiology practices," said Greg Karnaze, MD, practice president at the time the award was announced. “The funding of this grant is one more example of the strong commitment of SR to the field of radiology, including research and education.” 

30% Funding Rate

The R&E Foundation is playing a pivotal role in funding radiology research, achieving a remarkable funding rate of 30% in 2017 for the second year in a row. What’s more, surveys indicate that for every $1 granted by the Foundation, recipients have received over 50 additional dollars in subsequent funding from other sources like the NIH.

RSNA R&E Foundation grants advance radiologic research and education across multiple subspecialties, including breast/mammography, diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, quality improvement, and many more. Their grantees are finding answers about disease processes, revolutionary treatment methods, and the most effective ways to deliver treatment to patients.

“Working together as a coalition to help the RSNA fund research in radiology feeds the Strategic Radiology mission to improve the value of radiology through collaboration and innovation,” said Arl Van Moore, MD, FACR, CEO of Strategic Radiology. “We are proud to fund the important work of the RSNA R&E Foundation in advancing research in our specialty.”