Caroline Wilson

Practice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical education and demonstration combined with the latest research and science in imaging informatics. This year, the meeting will incorporate new hands-on sessions that will give attendees the chance to get up close and personal with some of the latest technologies.

This year's SIIM scientific and didactic programs include the return of favorite topics such as workflow, productivity, PACS/RIS replacement, DR, and an imaging informatics professional (IIP) survival guide, as well new elements illustrating this year's theme: building bridges.

The SIIM program continues to bridge the gap between radiology and other clinical specialties that incorporate medical imaging. The program features several sessions that reflect an enterprise imaging focus, including a SIIM U session on enterprise integration strategies and a hot-topic session drawing similarities and outlining contrasts between image management issues inside and outside of radiology.

Exhibiting vendors at the SIIM Annual Meeting continue to represent a broad spectrum of products and services and the latest trends in imaging informatics. Many exhibiting companies will feature new workflow management and connectivity solutions for enterprise interoperability, multiple PACS, and PACS archive migration control.

SIIM brings a new level of practicality to the 2008 Annual Meeting with hands-on sessions, including learning labs and a chance to investigate open source options.

Learning labs on three topics will give attendees the chance to preview and use some of the latest technologies and tools. These small, classroom-style labs will be offered several times throughout the meeting on DVTK (a DICOM validation toolkit), Nagios open source software and wikis, and the XIP (execute in place) file system. Attendees can bring their own laptops and plug in.

Also new this year is an Open Source Plug Fest, where some of the most successful open source projects used in imaging informatics will be on display. Representatives from many of the open source communities will be available to help attendees understand and get started using these powerful programs.

At the conclusion of the May 14 preconference Imaging Informatics Professional (IIP) Symposium, a road map geared to the learning needs of IIPs will be discussed with the educational sessions of particular interest highlighted within the SIIM 2008 Annual Meeting. Certified IIP (CIIP) study groups offer another chance for attendees to benefit from personal interaction with colleagues: these informal gatherings will provide an opportunity to come together with other attendees for peer-to-peer interaction and to learn, share knowledge and resources, and find out how others are studying for the certification exam.

SIIM 2008 general sessions bring together some of the most respected names in medical imaging informatics and several pioneers in the field. 

Ronald Arenson, M.D., will deliver the opening general session keynote address and provide a bridge from the past to the future. Arenson is a founder of the RISC/SCAR (Radiology Information Systems Consortium/Society for Computer Applications in Radiology, SIIM's previous name) project and one of the inaugural SCAR/SIIM fellows, as well as one of the most intuitive and provocative thinkers in the field.

At the closing general session, an impressive panel of industry luminaries, led by moderator Eliot L. Siegel, M.D., and including PACS administrators, physicians, and vendors, will answer questions posed by SIIM members. Prizes such as an iPOD touch, Amazon Kindle, IBM ThinkPad, and Garmin nuvi GPS will be awarded to the most interesting and provocative questions selected for use during the session (entrants must be present to win). No doubt the questions will be thoughtful, compelling, and controversial. Submit your questions today on the SIIM web site (

The Live Workflow Demonstration is back with a new panel this year after an extremely popular debut at SIIM 2007. This session will demonstrate the use of postprocessing tools in clinical practice using specific, case-based examples.

Featured abstract presentations are a highlight of the SIIM 2008 scientific program. Six authors whose abstracts were highly ranked by peer reviewers have been chosen to give extended presentations of their papers during the scientific sessions.

The program includes 86 abstracts presented both as papers in 10 scientific sessions and as posters and demonstrations. The 8th Annual SIIM Research & Development Symposium rounds out the scientific program. The symposium features presentations on the findings and results from SIIM research grants issued during the previous year. This year's R&D symposium also includes an update on the ongoing SIIM TRIP (Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process) compression study.

The popular SIIM University sessions focus on the nuts and bolts of imaging informatics, while hot-topic sessions cover in-depth, specialized learning opportunities on cutting-edge subjects not typically included in SIIM U.The 2008 SIIM U program has 12 sections covering topics such as communicating results, 3D and advanced visualization, basics of imaging informatics, and PACS operational policies and procedures, among others. Ten hot topics address such issues as imaging center PACS, 24/7 radiology, downtime horror stories, and digital dashboarding.

As always, the SIIM Annual Meeting provides plenty of new learning opportunities in addition to fun networking and social events. In between sessions and visits to the exhibit hall, attendees can attend a virtual tour of the University of Virginia radiology department and provocative debates on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) versus Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Who Owns PACS?

Attendees will not have to leave Seattle without a visit to the Space Needle; the welcome reception is always a popular event for relaxation, networking, and camaraderie, and this year it's set against the backdrop of the Seattle skyline atop the world-famous Space Needle.

SIIM expects a total attendance of approximately 3000 and a sold-out exhibit hall. For complete program details of the 2008 Annual Meeting, visit: 

Ms. Wilson is the SIIM director of publications and media. 

Articles

Practice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical education and demonstration combined with the latest research and science in imaging informatics.

SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

Practice meets theory at the 2008 Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting, May 15 to 18, in Seattle. This year, the SIIM meeting will incorporate new hands-on sessions that will give attendees the chance to get up close and personal with some of the latest technologies. Scientific and didactic programs include the return of favorite topics such as workflow, productivity, PACS/RIS replacement, digital radiography, and an imaging informatics professional (IIP) survival guide, as well new elements illustrating this year's theme: building bridges.

The program features several sessions that reflect an enterprise imaging focus, including a SIIM Usession on enterprise integration strategies and a hot-topic session drawing similarities and outliningcontrasts between image management issues in­side and outside of radiology. Exhibiting vendors will feature new workflow management and connectivity solutions for enterprise interoperability, multiple PACS, and PACS archive migration control.

SIIM brings a new level of practicality to the 2008 meeting with hands-on sessions, including learning labs and a chance to investigate open source options. Learning labs will be offered several times throughout the meeting on DVTK (a DICOM validation toolkit), Nagios open source software and wikis, and the XIP (execute in place) file system. Attendees can bring their own laptops and plug in.

Also new this year is an Open Source Plug Fest, where some of the most successful open source projects used in imaging informatics will be on display. Representatives from many of the open source providers will be available to help attendees understand and get started using these powerful programs.

At the conclusion of the May 14 preconference Imaging Informatics Professional Symposium, a road map geared to the learning needs of IIPs will be discussed, with the educational sessions of particular interest highlighted within the general conference. Certified IIP (CIIP) study groups offer another chance for attendees to benefit from personal interaction with colleagues: these informal gatherings will provide an opportunity to come together with other attendees for peer-to-peer interaction and to learn, share knowledge and resources, and find out how others are studying for the certification exam.

SIIM 2008 general sessions bring together some of the most respected names in medical imaging informatics and several pioneers in the field. Dr. Ronald Arenson will deliver the opening general session keynote address and provide a bridge from the past to the future. He is a founder ofthe RISC/SCAR (reduced instruction set computing/Society for Computer Applications in Radiology, SIIM's previous name) project and one of the inaugural SCAR/SIIM fellows, as well as one of the most intuitive and provoc­ative thinkers in the field.

At the closing general session, an impressive panel of industry luminaries, led by moderatorDr. Eliot L. Siegel and including PACS administrators, physicians, and vendors, will answer questions posed by SIIM members. Prizes such as an iPOD touch, Amazon Kindle, IBM ThinkPad, and Garmin nuvi GPS will be awarded to the most interesting and provocative questions selected for use duringthe session (en­trants must be present to win). Sub­mit your questions today on the SIIM website (

The Live Workflow Demonstration is back with a new panel this year after an extremely popular debut at SIIM 2007. This session will demonstrate the use of postprocessing tools in clinical practice using­ specific, case-based examples.

The program includes 86 abstracts presented both as papers in 10 scientific sessions and as posters and dem­onstrations. The 8th Annual SIIM Research & Development Symposium rounds out the scientific program. The symposium features presentations on the findings and results from SIIM research grants issued during the previous year. This year's R&D symposium also includes an update on the ongoing SIIM TRIP (Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process) compression study.

SIIM University sessions focus on the nuts and bolts of imaging informatics, while hot-topic sessions cover in-depth, specialized learning opportunities on cutting-edge subjects not typically included in SIIM U.

The 2008 SIIM U program has 12 sections covering topics such as communicating results, 3D and advanced visualization, basics of imaging informatics, and PACS operational policies and procedures, among others. Ten hot topics address such issues as imaging center PACS, 24/7 radiology, downtime horror stories, and digital dashboarding.

In between sessions and visits to the exhibit hall, attendees can attend a virtual tour of the University of Virginia radiology department and provocative debates on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) initiative versus Service-Oriented Architec­ture (SOA) and Who Owns PACS?

SIIM expects a total attendance of approximately 3000 and a sold-out exhibit hall. For complete program details of the 2008 Annual Meeting, visit 

Practice meets theory at the 2008 Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting, May 15 to 18, in Seattle. This year, the SIIM meeting will incorporate new hands-on sessions that will give attendees the chance to get up close and personal with some of the latest technologies.

SIIM chooses city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

The theme for the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine's 2007 Annual Meeting could be "something old, something new." The society has streamlined the meeting to mix old favorites such as SIIM University with new programs such as a live demonstration to display workflow solutions for large data sets. The revamped program incorporates the expanded role of imaging informatics in the healthcare enterprise.

SIIM 2007, taking place June 7 to 10 in Providence, features a comprehensive educational and scientific program. The meeting theme, "Imaging Informatics for the Enterprise," is designed to capture its scope.

"The SIIM 2007 program covers topics that span the realm of imaging across the healthcare enterprise," said program committee chair Dr. Bradley J. Erickson of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

. The 2007 general sessions offer new perspectives on imaging informatics, featuring two keynote speakers and a live workflow demonstration. Opening speaker John P. Glaser, Ph.D., vice president and chief information officer of Partners Healthcare Systems, will discuss "The evolution of the role of imaging informatics in the healthcare delivery system." Closing speaker Dr. Edward H. Shortliffe, dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and a professor at Arizona State University, will address "Biomedical informatics: its relationship to imaging research and practice."

A general session scheduled this year for the first time is a live workflow demonstration that will highlight some of the practical issues involved with managing large data sets. Three physicians representing varying specialty areas will each demonstrate resolution of an individual case using the same data set. The common data set for the case will also be made available to all exhibitors in the exhibit hall to plug in to products in their booths, allowing the educational session to continue in the hall as vendors demonstrate different workflow solutions on their own products.

"This is a chance to see how different systems and radiologists approach typical clinical scenarios, with emphasis on large data sets," Erickson said.

. The scientific program has always been the place for cutting-edge research and a fresh look at innovative practices at the SIIM meeting. Of particular note in 2007 are new featured scientific sessions, which include a combination of invited speakers and abstract presentations, all related to one topic. This year's featured session topics are optimizing the interpretation process; image processing, 3D, and CAD; and productivity and workflow. Additional scientific papers will focus on infrastructure, imaging informatics in the enterprise, the Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process (TRIP) initiative, and imaging informatics administration. A poster and demonstration session round out the offerings.

. For many attendees, the educational sessions, particularly the SIIM University program, are the main attractions at a SIIM meeting. SIIM U content is revamped each year to keep up with this dynamic field, and in 2007 it returns with 12 sections. It features introductory through advanced coursework in a variety of nuts-and-bolts topics designed to help those implementing, upgrading, or replacing PACS and RIS.

Sessions of particular interest include communicating results throughout the enterprise, taught by section 5 head Dr. Ramin Khorasani, and enterprise integration strategies toward the multimedia electronic health record, taught by section 10 head Dr. Paul J. Chang. The content of SIIM U this year reflects the society's greater focus on enterprise informatics issues, according to Erickson.

Hot Topic sessions address timely issues not covered by the traditional curriculum of SIIM U. This year, three sessions that address imaging issues throughout the enterprise-procedure room workflow in the interventional radiology/cardiology suite, PACS/RIS replacement, and leveraging IT for quality and safety-will each incorporate a one-hour breakout session to facilitate interaction with invited speakers, thought leaders, and other attendees.

. As the SIIM meeting grows, the virtual tour program will allow more attendees to take a facility tour without lost time commuting to different facilities. SIIM is piloting the program this year, offering a virtual facility tour of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The virtual tour, titled "Diagnostic imaging: the patient's progress through an automated imaging department," will be shown throughout the meeting, with a session featuring M.D. Anderson representatives to answer specific questions about the facility and the technology in use there.

. Now in its fifth year, the Imaging Informatics Professional (IIP) symposium offers a blend of old and new. The one-day preconference symposium will be held just prior to SIIM 2007, on June 6, at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The course addresses the knowledge gap experienced by many PACS administrators by exploring the blend of competencies required for imaging informatics administration. This year's course is designed to assist individuals who are interested in or plan to take the new Certified Imaging Informatics Professional (CIIP) exam. The first test is scheduled to be administered in fall 2007. Presenters will focus on topics included in the CIIP Certification Test Content Outline and will also direct participants to additional IIP sessions of interest within the meeting's educational content. SIIM will publish a road map for IIPs to assist them in navigating content of specific interest to the field.

. This meeting is all about scholarship and learning, and that aspect is also part of the something new. The annual Resident Scholarships will be presented during the meeting. Meeting and travel expenses for recipients have been paid by SIIM to encourage resident participation in informatics programs.

At the Annual Membership Meeting, new members of the College of SIIM Fellows will be inducted. This group includes pioneers in imaging informatics who have made significant achievements and contributions to the field. At the R&D Symposium, the 2006 SIIM grant recipient, Dr. William Boonn, will present his research findings on an open source web-based application for radiology decision support. SIIM recognizes ingenuity and innovation with the Roger A. Bauman Award for best student paper and top prizes for the poster and demonstration winners.

. Many established names will appear in the Exhibit Hall as well as more than a dozen first-time exhibitors. Each year, the SIIM technical exhibits grow as attendees and exhibitors realize the advantages of one-on-one interaction in the collegial atmosphere of the hall. The size of the meeting allows for small, personal product demonstrations and Q&A with vendor representatives.

. Perhaps the main reason many people attend the SIIM meeting is an old one: networking. The annual event is known for its relaxed atmosphere and the many opportunities for one-on-one interaction with some of the top experts in imaging informatics. Sharing observations or exchanging knowledge and experiences with colleagues often leads to impromptu gatherings and lasting friendships. First-time attendees to the meeting should gain an appreciation of imaging informatics and increase their knowledge of the field, while returning attendees continue to build relationships and add to their body of knowledge.

One always-popular networking event is the annual welcome reception, which this year takes place in conjunction with the Providence WaterFire. The award-winning WaterFire involves nearly 100 bonfires set to instrumental music along the Providence River Walk.

Complete program information and logistics, along with the Annual Meeting Preliminary Program, can be found at 

Ms. Wilson is director, publications and media, for the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.

The theme for the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine's 2007 Annual Meeting could be "something old, something new." The society has streamlined the meeting to mix old favorites such as SIIM University with new programs such as a live demonstration to display workflow solutions for large data sets.

Informatics meeting offers something old, something new

The theme of the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology 2006 meeting is "Imaging Informatics in Focus." The meeting promises to highlight a broad range of imaging topics of interest to physicians, scientists, technologists, IT specialists, and administrators representing radiology as well as other clinical specialties.

SCAR 2006, which takes place April 27 to 30 in Austin, is shaping up as the biggest annual meeting to date. In recent years, SCAR has positioned its gathering as a leading scientific meeting with a practical edge, as well as a midyear marketing opportunity for vendors and purchasers of medical informatics equipment. In addition to the scientific and educational program, SCAR 2006 provides an opportunity to network with colleagues and industry thought leaders and view the latest medical imaging product innovations.

"There will be a substantial announcement regarding the future direction of SCAR as a leader in imaging informatics," said SCAR chair Richard L. Morin, Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL.

The development of a certification program for practitioners is under way. The purpose of certification is to allow healthcare professionals who manage imaging and information systems to achieve an accredited industry standard certification.

"SCAR has listened to its members and progressed with due diligence to create a body that will ultimately be independent of SCAR," Morin said.

The society will announce the timetable and rollout of the SCAR imaging informatics professional certification program, including a schedule for pilot testing, at the meeting.

The society has also revamped its PACS administration preconference course. Now called "Imaging Informatics Administration Symposium," the full-day course on April 26, just prior to the regular meeting, offers participants two tracks: one for the RT professional and one for the IT professional. The course is designed to give each an idea of the other's workflow and help augment clinical knowledge for attendees with an IT background and technical skills for radiology technologists and clinicians. Attendees will learn about the impact of PACS across the entire medical enterprise. This course will help explain the framework for future Imaging Informatics Administration certification.

SCAR welcomes two keynote speakers to the 2006 program. Ben Shneiderman, Ph.D., will provide a look into next-generation user interfaces for medical informatics in his opening general session keynote address. Shneiderman is a professor in the department of computer science at the University of Maryland and founding director of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory (HCIL).

Douglas Lenat, Ph.D., president and CEO of Austin-based Cycorp and one of the founders of the artificial intelligence movement, will examine computers versus common sense in his closing general session keynote address.

"As the two general session speakers will point out, as image overload increases stress levels across the industry, it will be more important than ever to focus on how we can better utilize computers to fit us, rather than we fit them," says program committee chair Dr. Bradley J. Erickson.

The sixth SCAR Research and Development Committee Symposium, following the opening general session, will feature the research of one of SCAR's 2005 grant recipients and include a discussion on "What is imaging informatics?" as well as an update on the society's Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process initiative.

SCAR University will feature 13 sections, and special sessions will focus on a variety of topics from architectural planning to PACS policies and procedures.

"The sessions on information interchange and 3D imaging labs, in particular, are expected to be hot topics," Erickson said.

New this year is a DICOM calibration demonstration, which takes place in the exhibit hall on Friday afternoon. Exhibiting companies will be on hand to demonstrate how to do the calibration on a monitor, and attendees can ask questions about the process. Erickson expects this demo to be of interest to a wide range of SCAR meeting attendees, from quality control techs to physicists, depending on the institution. An informal "ask the experts" panel is being organized in conjunction with the DICOM demo.

The TRIP initiative continues to generate interest in the informatics community. The society invited its three TRIP corporate partners to a private forum in Sarasota, FL, earlier this year to provide a vendor perspective, and significant developments are occurring as a result of the forum. SCAR has scheduled the next private forum to take place during the meeting in Austin. An update on TRIP will also be provided at the R&D Symposium.

"Imaging informatics has become a better recognized entity," Erickson said. "It's become identified as a legitimate arena for scientific endeavors."

In addition, SCAR is ratcheting up the scientific component of the annual meeting while retaining the practical hands-on atmosphere that has become its hallmark.

The society will host a press conference on the opening day of the meeting to announce the recipients of the first SCAR resident's scholarship and additional major announcements.

Ms. Wilson is director of publications and media for the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology.

Caroline Wilson

Articles

SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

SIIM chooses city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

Informatics meeting offers something old, something new

Imaging informatics meeting brings changes into focus