Technologists News

SNMTS AWARDS AND ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED AT SNM ANNUAL MEETING

More than 6,300 technologists, physicians, scientists, and other members of the molecular imaging community convened at SNM's 55th annual meeting, held June 14–18 in New Orleans, LA. In addition to in-depth educational activities and opportunities to earn continuing education credits, experts shared the latest in research from the field—much of which will advance the practice of molecular imaging in the future. During the meeting, the Technologist Section of SNM inducted new officers who will serve in their roles through June 2009. The Technologist Section also recognized a number of technologists for their exceptional contributions to molecular imaging, nuclear medicine, and SNMTS.

SNMTS OFFICERS FOR 2007–08

Mark Wallenmeyer, MBA, CNMT, RT(N), of Springfield, MO, was invested as president of SNM's Technologist Section during SNM's annual meeting in New Orleans, LA. Wallenmeyer is an instructor/clinical coordinator for the Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program in the College of Health Related Professions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, AR).

Mark Wallenmeyer, MBA, CNMT, RT(N)

In his current position at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Wallenmeyer manages more than 50 student rotations in 10 different cities across five states. Additionally, he communicates with more than 60 clinical sites in the management of student rotations and teaches management seminars, instrumentation, and clinical instruction courses. He is also chief executive officer and co-owner of Trajecsys Corporation, an online educational data management firm.

Also during the annual meeting, SNMTS announced Cybil Nielsen, MBA, CNMT, of Louisville, KY, as president-elect. Nielsen is the nuclear medicine technology program coordinator for Jefferson Community and Technical College (Louisville, KY).

Cybil Nielsen, MBA, CNMT

Before joining Jefferson Community and Technical College, Nielsen served as nuclear medicine manager at Norton Healthcare, Inc., nuclear medicine supervisor at Norton Audubon Hospital, nuclear medicine technologist at Norton Southwest Hospital, and nuclear medicine technologist at Cardiovascular Consultants (Louisville, KY).

In the 2008 elections, SNMTS selected Kathy Hunt, MS, CNMT, of Memphis, TN, to serve as secretary. Cindi Luckett-Gilbert, MHA, CNMT, PET, RT(N), of Charlotte, NC, was elected as SNMTS Finance Committee chair. Frances Keech, MBA, RT(N), FSNMTS, was elected as the speaker of the National Council of Representatives of SNMTS. Peggy Squires, BS, CNMT, NCT, of Saint Charles, MO, was selected to serve as an SNMTS board member.

PRESIDENTIAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Cybil Nielsen, MBA, CNMT, of Louisville, KY, and David Perry, CNMT, PET, FSNMTS, of Tucker, GA, were awarded the 2008 President's Distinguished Service Award. David Gilmore, MS, CNMT, NCT, RT (R,N), of Boston, MA, SNMTS president 2007–2008, presented the award to these eminent recipients in recognition of their exemplary service to SNMTS and the profession. The award recognizes significant contributions to the Technologist Section over the course of an individual's career.

David Gilmore, 2007-08 SNMTS President, presents Cybil Nielsen with the Distinguished Service Award.

Nielsen currently serves as the president of the Southeastern Chapter of SNMTS and has held numerous committee appointments. She has served as chair of the SNMTS Educator's Task Force and is a member of the SNMTS Advanced Practice Task Force. For three consecutive years, she was an SNMTS state health policy liaison. She has also served as co-chair of the SNMTS Entry-Level Task Force and as a member of the SNMTS Awards and Grants Committee.

Nielsen is currently a member of the Kentucky Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologists and the Kentucky Radiation Control Branch, Radiation Revised Regulations Committee. She also serves on the board of directors of the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board.

Nielsen has been invited to give numerous lectures on nuclear medicine, healthcare, and noninvasive cardiac imaging. She has published articles in the JNMT and holds numerous honors, including the 2004 Indiana Wesleyan University Outstanding Professional Award.

David Perry is executive director of the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (Tucker, GA). Previously, he was manager of the department of radiology at Barnes Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO). He has served as chair of the SNMTS Publications Committee, head of the Uptake editorial board, and chair of the PET/CT Task Force.

David Perry receives the Distinguished Service Award from David Gilmore.

In 2003, Perry was honored as a Fellow of SNMTS. A member of SNM's Missouri Valley Chapter, he is the author of four publications and nine presentations. He is also a member of the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. Perry received his nuclear medicine technology certificate from Washington University.

SNMTS FELLOWS

Cindi Luckett-Gilbert, MHA, CNMT, PET, RT(N), of Charlotte, NC, and Kathleen Krisak, CNMT, of Holyoke, MA, were named 2008 SNMTS Fellows. This honor, established by the SNMTS National Council in 1995, recognizes professional excellence and acknowledges significant contributions by technologists to the practice of nuclear medicine.

David Gilmore congratulates SNMTS Fellows Kathleen Krisak and Cindi Luckett-Gilbert

Cindi Luckett-Gilbert is supervisor of PET/CT imaging for Presbyterian Hospital (Charlotte, NC), where she serves as chair of committees examining radiology process, improvement, and safety. Active for many years in SNMTS, she is certified as a nuclear medicine technologist by both the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. She is an appointed member to the South Carolina Radiation Quality Standards Association and a member of the South Carolina Nuclear Medicine Advisory Legislation Board. She has made numerous presentations and has authored abstracts, essays, and case studies for contribution to trade publications.

Kathleen Krisak is a nuclear medicine technologist at Holyoke Medical Center (Holyoke, MA), where she has worked since 1983. She also served as a department manager at Holyoke Medical Center.

For more than a decade, she has served in numerous leadership positions with SNMTS, including serving as president of the SNMTS New England Chapter. She has been a member of the SNMTS Scientific and Teaching Committee, Awards Committee, Continuing Education Committee, and Nuclear Cardiology Committee. She has also served as chair of SNM's Nuclear Medicine Week and of SNM's Technologist Section Abstracts.

“My involvement with SNMTS has brought me many rich experiences that have undoubtedly helped me to grow and excel as a technologist,” said Krisak. “In addition to outstanding educational opportunities, I value deeply the friendships that I have forged. I look forward to continuing to advance our profession through mentorship, education, and achievement.”

Krisak holds a bachelor's degree from Worcester State College (Worcester, MA) and an associate's degree in nuclear medicine from Springfield Technical Community College. She is certified by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board and a member of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.

OUTSTANDING TECHNOLOGIST

Ellie Zimmer, CNMT, NCT, RT(N), was named the 2008 SNMTS Outstanding Technologist in recognition of her exceptional service and dedication to the field of nuclear medicine technology.

David Gilmore presents Ellie Zimmer with the SNMTS Outstanding Technologist Award.

“Ellie Zimmer has made significant contributions to the profession as a leader,” said David Gilmore, 2007–2008 SNMTS president. “We are deeply appreciative of the many ways in which she embodies our commitment as professionals and as a society through providing and exemplifying excellence in patient care.”

Zimmer has served as a nuclear cardiology technologist at Omni Diagnostics, Inc. (Riverton, NJ), since 2005. Previously, she served as an adjunct member of the faculty in the department of nuclear medicine technology at Gloucester County College (Sewell, NJ). She has also held positions in nuclear cardiology at Cape Heart Clinic and Shore Memorial Hospital, both located in southern New Jersey.

Zimmer has been extremely active in SNMTS, serving in numerous leadership positions and dedicating significant time to advancing the profession. She is currently serving a three-year term as president of SNMTS's Greater New York Chapter, where she has served as secretary and scientific program coordinator. She is the current chair of the SNMTS Program Committee and a past member of SNMTS' Membership Committee, Task Force on Outreach, Advocacy Committee, and other advisory committees.

Zimmer received an associate's degree and a certificate in basic EKG from Gloucester County College. She holds certifications from the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board and American Registry of Radiologic Technologists–Nuclear Medicine.

OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR

Frances Keech, MBA, RT(N), FSNMTS, was recognized as the 2008 SNMTS Outstanding Educator.

David Gilmore honors Frances Keech with the SNMTS Outstaniding Educator Award.

“Throughout her career, Frances Keech has inspired lifelong learning, touching the lives of the many aspiring and established technologists she meets,” said David Gilmore. “In addition to serving as a mentor, she has contributed selflessly of her time to develop curricula and to share educational techniques and technology with colleagues—all toward advancing our field.”

Frances Keech is director of nuclear medicine at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has been an active member since joining the society in 1986, assuming many leadership positions and contributing significant time to educational activities, including serving as SNMTS president from 1999–2000. She has served as president of the New England Chapter of the SNM Technologist Section, as well as on numerous technologist section committees, including the Government Relations and Coding and Reimbursement committees. Keech also served on the Advance Practice and Education and Development Fund task forces and was speaker of the National Council of Representatives.

JNMT AWARDS

Frances Neagley, CNMT, FSNMTS, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, presented awards during the SNM Annual Meeting to the authors of three articles selected as the most outstanding 2007 contributions to the JNMT. The lead authors or their colleagues were recognized at a ceremony held during SNMTS's annual business meeting.

“Throughout the year, many papers with significant clinical and scientific value were published in the JNMT,” said Neagley. “The awards recognize the most ground-breaking research with the most potential for making a difference in the way we practice nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Thank you to everyone for the continued excellent quality of the contributions to the journal.”

First Place

Douglass C. Vines, Harald Keller, Jeremy D.P. Hoisak, Stephen L. Breen, “Quantitative PET Comparing Gated with Nongated Acquisitions Using a NEMA Phantom with Respiratory-Simulated Motion,” J Nucl Med Technol 35:246–251.

Frances Neagley presents Douglass Vines, first place winner, with the JNMT Award

Second Place

Narihiro Hara, Teruhiko Takayama, Masahisa Onoguchi, Norikazu Obane, Toshiaki Miyati, Toshiaki Yoshioka, Katsuhiko Sakaguchi, and Minoru Honda, “Subtraction SPECT for Parathyroid Scintigraphy Based on Maximization of Mutual Information,” J Nucl Med Technol 35:84–90.

Narihiro Hara is recognized by Frances Neagley with a JNMT Award

Third Place

Martha V. Mar, Scott A. Miller, E. Edmund Kim, and Homer A. Macapinlac, “Evaluation and Localization of Lymphatic Drainage and Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Patients with Head and Neck Melanomas by Hybrid SPECT/CT Lymphoscintigraphic Imaging,” J Nucl Med Technol 35:10–16.

Frances Neagley congratulates Martha Mar, third place winner of the JNMT award

SCIENTIFIC AWARDS

Over the course of the Annual Meeting, more than 200 scientific research abstracts were presented by members of the Technologist Section. The most outstanding research in the field was recognized through awards for researchers and students giving oral presentations and presenting posters. The technologist abstracts presented at the SNM 2008 Annual Meeting were printed in the June issue of JNMT and may be accessed online at http://tech.snmjournals.org.