Thank You for a Wonderful Year as President of the SNMMI-TS

Norman E. Bolus

Norman E. Bolus, MSPH, MPH, CNMT, FSNMMI-TS

It has been a privilege and an honor to have been your president of the SNMMI-TS this past year. I have been able to get to many chapter and other society meetings throughout the year. I hope to have continued the excellence of past presidents—especially our immediate past president, Kathleen Krisak, who helped orient me to the position. I look forward to working as the immediate past president this coming year with Mark Crosthwaite, who will become SNMMI-TS president at the SNMMI Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

My work this year has included many endeavors related to reinforcing our membership numbers. We still have a way to go, but we have stabilized our members over the last two years. I hope that we can build on that momentum and continue at the same level or increase membership in the years to come. I have emphasized how important membership to the SNMMI-TS is at every meeting I have attended throughout the year, as have the rest of the SNMMI-TS leadership team.

On April 15 we convened representatives from many organizations to discuss the concept of creating an “imaging scientist.” These organizations included the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board, the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, the Society for MR Radiographers and Technologists, AHRA – The Association for Medical Imaging Management, radiologic and nuclear medicine program directors, and board members of the SNMMI. The “imaging scientist” would be somewhere between an entry-level imager and a physician extender (Nuclear Medicine Advanced Associate or Radiologic Assistant) specializing in advanced imaging. While we opened a very good dialogue on the topic, one day was not enough time to thoroughly hash out details. We hope to have a second meeting, get more input from respective boards and leadership teams, and see if we can move forward with this possible new position in the future. I think the exciting outcome from this group was a general consensus that all imaging fields are getting more sophisticated and able to be more precise as time goes forward.

Emerging hybrid or melded technologies appear to be here to stay, and we need to have a plan to address the unique education and certifications one needs to be able to work competently in these new areas. The Practice-based Outreach Task Force is beta testing patient and healthcare provider flyers designed to allow quick and easy access via QR codes and hyperlinks to respective areas on the SNMMI website. The first flyers are on nuclear cardiology. More procedures will follow.

Overall, this year has been a learning process for me. I have learned so much about the inner workings of the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS. While at times it has been difficult and perhaps overwhelming, I have relished the opportunity to meet so many people over the course of the year. Of course, the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS staff have been very helpful throughout the process, and without their leadership and willingness to keep things going, the society would simply fall apart. I thought they did a wonderful job on commemorating Volunteer Week in April 2019 and showcased and appropriately thanked the many volunteers it takes to run the SNMMI and SNMMI-TS.

I would like to thank the many committee chairs who have kept their respective areas under control over the past year, and I would like to thank the committee members of all SNMMI-TS committees. I truly appreciate the time, effort, and work each and every one of you has contributed throughout the year. There are too many to name specifically here. As I transition out of the role of president of the SNMMI-TS and become immediate past president, I look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Technologist Section of the SNMMI in 2020.

I hope to have a smooth transition with Mark Crosthwaite and help him in any way I can in the coming year. Finally, I thank my wife, Lisa Bolus, who has had to put up with all the extra traveling and commitments I have had this year. Without her support and backing, I simply would not be able to do the things I have done.“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”—Winston Churchill