One of the best-known European radiologists, Dr. Paul M. Parizel, PhD, is to leave his post at Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium. From January, he will combine an academic position as a full professor at the University of Western Australia with a part-time clinical appointment at Royal Perth Hospital.
"It is said that the decision to start a new career and to move house is the next most stressful thing after a family member dying, and this may well be even more true when moving to a different continent," he noted in a statement to colleagues. "It was a difficult decision, but at the same time, strangely, perhaps, I feel that it was the right thing to do, and I am at peace with myself."
At ECR 2018, Parizel (right) signed a memo of understanding between the ESR and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), represented here by its president Dr. Lance Lawler. All images courtesy of Dr. Paul M. Parizel, PhD.For over 15 years, Parizel has been chair of radiology at Antwerp University Hospital and professor of radiology at the University of Antwerp. He was president of ECR 2017, and is a past president of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), and Royal Belgian Radiological Society (BSR).
In the new year, he will start work in Perth as the David Hartley Chair in Radiology. His main role is to enhance the profile of diagnostic and interventional radiology and to build on existing research and service activities. In 1994, he spent five weeks as a visiting professor in Perth, and has returned several times in the past two decades.
"Perth has grown into an exciting and innovative metropolis," Parizel wrote. "The university, the hospital, the city, and the surroundings have always favorably impressed me. There is a very strong British influence, still, with style and tradition. The campus is reminiscent of Oxford or Cambridge, or Harvard or Princeton, and the university combines academic excellence with 'old world' style and tradition."
Parizel shakes hands with Dr. Dinesh Varma, president of the Asian Oceanian Society of Radiology (AOSR), who is based in Melbourne, Australia.Parizel's team in Antwerp comprises 20 board-certified staff members, 7 board-certified consultants, more than 75 radiographers and nurses, and a radiation physicist and medical informatics support staff. They see about 400 patients per day and perform close to 500 procedures per day, or approximately 170,000 procedures per year, including 30,000 CT, 20,000 MRI, 10,000 ultrasound, and 6,000 mammography examinations. The department also has 11 administrative staff members and 7 patient transportation staff.
Parizel is also the coordinator for the radiology residents-in-training program; the University of Antwerp has 23 radiology residents-in-training, 12 of whom work in affiliated hospitals, and 11 are at Antwerp University Hospital.
"In moving from Europe to Australia, I humbly hope to bring some of my experience, energy, and positive thinking to my Australian friends in Perth," he stated. "This is not goodbye, we'll meet again, or, as they say in French: ce n'est qu'un au-revoir."
