Latest Updates from Leading European associations

MIR Holds Workshop on “Applying Industry Leadership Concepts to Healthcare”

Management in Radiology (MIR) recently held a three-day workshop in Bad Gastein, Austria, from January 10 – 12, 2008. The workshop programme explored key concepts required to enhance a manager’s ability to work effectively within an organisation focusing on key components such as emotional intelligence (EI), why high performance teams are critical for success and keys to successful communication.

The opening day of the workshop programme highlighted the use of emotional intelligence as an advantage, an interactive session that focused on the fundamental concepts of EI such as its impact on the individual, those you manage and/or work with and finally, the organisation. This was followed by the opportunity for participants to apply the EI concepts to their own personal situation or management style to identify key areas of interest and create personal development plans.

The second day of the workshop aimed to develop “high performance teams for a high performance organisation”. It kicked off with a session showing why high performance teams are critical for an organisation’s success. Participants experienced models and tools to build high performance teams and get an understanding of how feedback and coaching develops individuals to enhance the performance of a team. This was followed by the opportunity to practice the concept of feedback and coaching. The final day aimed to help attendees to deliver a compelling message. In particular, it highlighted how the ability to communicate effectively is a key attribute of successful leaders, and was designed to help the individual to improve their ability to influence others, manage conflicts and come across as a more self-confident presenter.

The next MIR event will be its annual congress, set to take place in Athens, Greece during October, 2008. Further developments will be covered in IMAGING Management, with additional information accessible as it becomes available, on www.mir-online.org.

Call for Papers: ISCAS, EuroPACS, CARS, CMI, and CAD 2008

The annual CARS, ISCAS, EuroPACS, CMI, and CAD four-day congress 2008, to take place in Barcelona, Spain from June 25 – 28, 2008, consists of invited talks by internationally recognised experts, over 200 paper presentations, as well as exhibits and posters. Special focus sessions as well as product exhibits in the industrial exhibition are planned, to give participants access to hot topics and new CARS-related products.

Congress Topics

22nd International Congress and Exhibition on Computer Assisted Radiology Chairman: Stanley Baum, MD (US) Co-chair: Luis Donoso Bach, MD (E)

• Medical Imaging, e.g. CT, MR, US, SPECT, PET, DR, Molecular Imaging, and Virtual Endoscopy

• Computer Assisted Cardiovascular Imaging

• Image Processing and Display

• Medical Workstations

• Interventional Radiology

• Minimally Invasive Spinal Therapy

• Image Guided Diagnosis and Therapy of the Prostate

• Ablation Therapies

• Image Guided Radiation Therapy

• Nanotechnology for Imaging and Therapy

• Telemedicine, e-Health and Multimedia EPR

• Expert Systems and Computer Assisted Education

• Economic and Management Issues

• Security, Legal and Ethical Aspects

12th Annual Conference of the International Society for Computer Aided Surgery President: Takeyoshi Dohi, PhD (J)

• Computer Applications for e.g. Neurosurgery, Head and Neck, Orthopaedics, Ear Nose and Throat.

• Cardiovascular and Thoracoabdominal Surgery, and Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery

• Image Guided Therapy

• Image Processing and Visualisation

• Surgical Robotics and Instrumentation

• Surgical Navigation

• Surgical Simulation

• 3D Modelling and Rapid Prototyping

• Postoperative Result Assessment

• Surgical Education and Training

10th International Workshop on Computer- Aided Diagnosis (CAD) Chairman: Kunio Doi, PhD (US) Co-chair: Ulrich Bick, MD (D)

• CAD for Breast, Chest, Colon, Skeletal, Liver, Brain and Vascular Imaging

• CAD for Cancer Screening

• CAD for 3D Imaging

• CAD for Differential Diagnosis

• Image Databases for CAD

• Computer Vision, ANN and Modelling

• Computerised Detection and Characterisation of Lesions in Radiological Images

• Quantitative Analysis of Image Information

• Visualisation and Quantitation of 3D Images

• Intelligent Workstations and Decision Support Systems

• Observer Performance Studies and ROC Analysis

• Image Quality Issues and Evaluation

14th Computed Maxillofacial Imaging Congress Chairman: Allan G. Farman, PhD, DSc (US)

• New Imaging Devices and Novel Applications

• Evidence-based Selection Criteria in Digital Maxillofacial Imaging

• Craniomaxillofacial Computer-Aided Diagnosis

• Maxillofacial Image Enhancement Algorithms

• Cranial and Maxillofacial Image Guided Surgery

• Image Navigated Dental Implantology

• Orthodontic Applications of Computed Imaging

• Imaging and Modelling for Maxillofacial Prosthodontics

• Cone Beam CT

• 3D and 4D Imaging

• Multi-Dimensional Maxillofacial Modelling

• Virtual Reality and Dental Robotics

• Interoperability

• Maxillofacial Applications in Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise

26th International EuroPACS Meeting President: Jarmo Reponen, MD (FIN)

• PACS Planning and Purchasing Strategies

• PACS Evaluation and Economical Aspects

• PACS Beyond Radiology (Cardiology, Endoscopy, Ophthalmology, etc.)

• Image Distribution, Storage and Archiving Strategies

• Workfl ow and Data Flow in Radiology

• PACS/RIS/HIS Integration Issues

• Regional PACS and Teleradiology

• Cross-Border Experiences

• Security and Privacy, Quality Assurance, Legal Aspects

• Standardisation (DICOM, HL7, IHE)

• PACS and e-Learning in Radiology and

Medical Sciences

9th CARS/SPIE/EuroPACS Joint Workshop on Surgical PACS and the Digital Operating Room Chairmen: Osman M. Ratib, MD, PhD (CH), Heinz U. Lemke, PhD (D)

• Surgical Workfl ow

• Digital Operating Room

• Model Guided Therapy

• Therapy Imaging and Model Management Systems

• Surgical PACS

• DICOM in Surgery

• Surgical IHE

• Nanotechnology for Interventions

Submissions Welcome

Abstracts or papers including new methods, devices and applications, clinical studies, position papers, and poster topics for presentation at the congress are welcomed. Submissions will be peer-reviewed by members of the international programme committee. Abstracts of accepted lecture and poster presentations will be published in the proceedings, a supplement of the International Journal of CARS, which will be distributed to all congress participants. Paper contributions will be included in regular issues of the international journal of CARS. Authors should send their submissions through the CARS website, see further information and guidelines at http://www.cars-int.org/Authors/cars_2008call_for_papers.htm.

UPHS Expansion Taps ECRI Institute for Purchasing Guidance

As construction continues on the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) Perelman Centre for Advanced Medicine, consultants from ECRI Institute have begun work on the equipment procurement phase for the 232 million dollar facility. ECRI Institute’s strategic technology planning experts are providing technology gap analysis as well as procurement decision support for this landmark project.

The Perelman Centre for Advanced Medicine, set to open in stages through December 2008, is the largest capital project undertaken in the history of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The facility will house the health system’s Abramson Cancer Centre, radiation oncology and cardiovascular medicine departments, and an outpatient surgical pavilion, as well as the Roberts Proton Therapy Centre, a fi rst-of-its-kind proton therapy centre for the treatment of cancer.

Consultants from ECRI Institute’s Applied Solutions Group are providing purchasing advice with the intention to save costs for the equipment procurement phase of the construction project, including guidance on reusing existing equipment and establishing delivery methodologies. These experts are currently assessing the best ways to reuse and procure architecturally signifi cant equipment, such as surgical booms and lights, operating room integration systems, and the latest imaging technologies.

Dates Announced for CIRSE 2008, Copenhagen, Denmark

The CIRSE congresses have become Europe’s most comprehensive interventional meetings focusing on raising the profi le of cardiovascular and interventional radiology, and attracting public awareness and political attention. Next year’s edition is scheduled to take place from September 13 - 17, 2008, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

2008 will see twelve ESIR courses organised by the CIRSE Foundation, including four institute courses held at the European Surgical Institute in Hamburg, Germany and at the Crossroads Institute in Diegem, Belgium. Due to its success in 2007 there will again be one RFA course held in the French language in Strasbourg, France. The ESIR course programme during 2008 includes the following dates and themes:

• “Ablation Tumorale par l’Image”, Strasbourg (FR), March 28 - 29, 2008

• “Peripheral Arterial Disease”, Amsterdam (NL), March 28 - 29, 2008

• “Aortic Diseases”, Budapest (HU), May 30 - 31, 2008

• “Varicose Veins”, Winterthur (CH), June 20 - 21, 2008

• “Image-Guided Radiofrequency Tumour Ablation”, Heraklion (GR), July 18 - 19, 2008

• “Non-Vascular Upper GI Interventions” Novi Sad (RS), October 10 - 11, 2008

• “Peripheral Arterial Disease” Hamburg (DE), October 17 - 18, 2008

• “Carotid and Renal Stenting” Prague (CZ), October 31 - November 1, 2008

• “Vascular Interventions - Basic Course”, Moscow (RU), November 7 - 8, 2008

• “Carotid Stenting”, Hamburg (DE), November 14 - 15, 2008

• “Carotid Artery Stenting Hands-On Course”, Diegem (BE), November 20 - 21, 2008

• “Interventional Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease”, Diegem (BE), November 27 - 28, 2008