VIENNA - ECR Today spoke with incoming European Society of Radiology (ESR) President Dr. Lorenzo Bonomo about his vision for the year to come.
ECR Today: What are your plans and ambitions regarding your presidency?
Bonomo: It is with great pride that I take on the presidency of one of the most important and prestigious international scientific societies in the world. I'm also particularly pleased that my presidency coincides with the ESR's 10th anniversary, which we'll be celebrating next year.
Dr. Lorenzo Bonomo is chairman of the department of radiological sciences and bioimaging at the Catholic University of Rome, A. Gemelli Hospital, Italy.So much has been done over the past few years thanks to the work of my predecessors, the Executive Council, the statutory committees, subcommittees, working groups, and the tireless and efficient support of the ESR staff. Many of the objectives in the road map approved in 2012 have been achieved together with other new important projects, started during Dr. Guy Frija's presidency, and it will be my duty to consolidate and bring them to a conclusion. Among them are the development of a clinical decision support system in Europe, the creation of an accreditation council, and a strengthening of relations with other scientific societies in Europe, and the EuroSafe Imaging campaign. The whole learning, education, and training field certainly requires close attention and a collaborative vision.
I would also like to draw the national societies closer, by intensifying dialogue with them, trying to understand their needs, and helping them to promote and increase the visibility of radiology.
I would like my role to be that of a facilitator supporting the ongoing projects and promoting the start of new activities that committee chairpersons intend to achieve.
The ESR launched the EuroSafe Imaging campaign during ECR 2014 to promote radiation protection throughout Europe. How will it do so exactly?
We established a steering committee, consisting of various stakeholder representatives, to plan, coordinate, and implement the activities. Members include the chair of the National Societies Committee and Subspecialties and Allied Sciences Committee, as well as representatives of the European Paediatric Radiology Society (ESPR); Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE); European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP); European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS); European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical, and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR); and a patient representative (and potentially an observer from the European Commission). We also plan to develop lists of criteria for safe radiological examinations. Additionally, the criteria for each examination will be applied to specific body parts and be available in many European languages. Last but not least, we will develop training material and electronic self-assessment modules on radiation protection topics.
The official endorsement of the ESR's European training curriculum for radiology by the radiology section and council of the European Union of Medical Specialist is a very significant achievement. How will the ESR further promote harmonization of training in Europe?
This official endorsement and the support of national societies are an important acknowledgement of the work carried out by the ESR Education Committee and its chairperson, Birgit Ertl-Wagner. The next step is the publication of Level III, regarding the subspecialties, which will complete the whole training path.
Unfortunately, residence training in Europe is not homogenous; training ranges from two to six years depending on the country. Therefore, harmonization is quite a long way off . What the ESR can and is trying to do is invest in training and education, and so we decided to introduce an eLearning platform. All the educational material available from all sources (ECR, European School of Radiology [ESOR], European Diploma in radiology [EDiR], Electronic Presentation Online System [EPOS], EURORAD, etc.) will be collected and combined, and a link between education and certification will be created. The objective is to create something different from the existing offers on the market. The curriculum, the existing education tool, and the ones that will be soon created -- like the eLearning platform -- are tools that the ESR will increasingly use to encourage the harmonization of European training. We hope that these initiatives will be followed by political developments across Europe.
Another positive development is the growing recognition of the European Diploma in radiology (EDiR). How important is it for a resident or radiologist to sit the examination?
EDiR, like any new process, needs some time to develop. Today, it represents an unofficial certification of excellence in most countries, with the exception of Poland, Turkey, and Catalonia, where official recognition has been achieved. But I think that in a few years, transnational certification will be required in Europe for every medical specialization.
In 2013, 157 candidates from 27 countries took the diploma, 30% more than in 2012. There is also great interest from radiologists working outside Europe.
I hope it will soon be possible to hold an EDiR exam in Italy as well.
In a world where migration between countries is increasing, having EDiR on one's CV represents is definitely an advantage.
As director of the Training Programme in Radiology at the Catholic University of Rome, you are committed to educating younger radiologists. What do you think of initiatives like the ESR's Rising Stars or Invest in the Youth?
Young people represent our future. Every year, my residents take part in the Invest in the Youth program and, over the years, many of the them have had the chance to attend the ECR and will continue to do so this year.
The ESR, through the European School of Radiology, encourages the training of young people with many activities and, therefore, we will continue to invest in the education of young radiologists.
Originally published in ECR Today on 10 March 2014.
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