Interested in serving as a professional mentor? The ASRT is seeking qualified radiologic technologists for its Professional Mentor Program.

Primary responsibilities include providing goal-focused professional guidance to ASRT Student to Leadership Development Program participants. Professional mentors should have the willingness and ability to share knowledge, skills and expertise about the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession.

Applicants for the role must be ASRT members, members of a state affiliate society and meet all other eligibility criteria.

The call for volunteers, with extensive information on the qualifications and time commitments required for this opening, has been posted to the open opportunity page. Please view the posting at the link below:

Open Opportunity Details

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at volunteerservices@asrt.org with any questions or concerns after reviewing the volunteer criteria for the position.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists Board of Directors has selected Melissa B. Pergola, Ed.D., R.T.(R)(M), FASRT, as the Society’s new chief executive officer and executive director. Dr. Pergola will take over the top post of the world’s largest radiologic science organization upon the retirement of current CEO and Executive Director Sal Martino, Ed.D., R.T.(R), FASRT, FASAE, CAE, on Jan. 4, 2023.

Dr. Pergola is currently ASRT’s associate executive director where she oversees the Society’s governance, government relations, professional practice and meetings and conferences functions.

“We chose Dr. Pergola as she thoroughly understands the ASRT, its members and the radiologic technology profession,” said ASRT Chair of the Board Kristi Moore, Ph.D., R.T.(R)(CT). “Her radiologic technology experience combined with her educational background, volunteer history, work in corporate settings and leadership skills make her an outstanding choice to lead the Society into the future.”

The Board selected Dr. Pergola following six months of work by a search committee comprised of Board members and an ASRT senior staff executive. Cynthia Mills of The Leaders’ Haven served as the search consultant. The competitive process included a nationwide search, thorough reviews of each candidate and multiple rounds of interviews. The committee offered Dr. Pergola the position in early July, and she accepted shortly after.

Dr. Pergola is a registered radiologic technologist with an extensive career in clinical practice, radiologic science education, hospital operations and leadership roles. She also has more than 25 years of experience as a volunteer for the ASRT, North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists and various other organizations.

Before joining the ASRT staff, Dr. Pergola worked at Siemens Healthineers for six years as a competency management development specialist and global human resources people and leadership development specialist. In her role as competency management development specialist, she created strategies to hire, onboard and develop new employees. She also led the Employee Distress Index Team for the Education and Workforce Solutions Division. The team’s purpose was to create a strategy for measuring, preventing and combating employee distress. In addition, she assisted the global team with implementation of an employee engagement platform, which increased leadership’s ability to communicate with employees and build a more inclusive workplace. She was an invited member to the Siemens Healthineers Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council where she worked with Siemens Healthineers nine Employee Resource Groups to create and implement strategies to promote and celebrate diversity.

One of Dr. Pergola’s passions is developing leaders and she worked on several leadership programs during her time at Siemens. She managed the Healthcare Workforce Development Series, which provided Siemens’ customers with a full-service leadership training program. Dr. Pergola consulted with health care managers across the country and designed in-person training plans to teach leadership, critical thinking and interpersonal skills strategies to frontline staff, managers and executives.

Prior to Siemens, she worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Department of Allied Health Science, Division of Radiologic Science from 2004 to 2015 as a clinical assistant professor. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at North Carolina State University. Additional positions in academia included serving as an instructor at North Carolina’s Johnston Community College and Wake Technical Community College from 1997 to 2002. In between her work in education, she served as the imaging services education and clinical operations manager for Wake Medical Center in North Carolina from 2002 to 2004.

Dr. Pergola also has a great deal of experience as a practicing medical imaging professional. For the first five years of her career, she was a diagnostic radiographer working in orthopedic, trauma, portable and operating room settings.

Her volunteer efforts began in 1996 when she joined the NCSRT. She served in multiple volunteer positions including chief sergeant at arms, Nominating Committee chair, annual conference moderator, Legislative Committee chair and many others. Her volunteer efforts led her to serve on the NCSRT Board of Directors from 2004 to 2008 where she held the positions of president-elect, president and board chair. In 2012, the NCSRT recognized her with life member status to honor her commitment to the state society.

For ASRT, her volunteer work started in 2005 and included positions on the ASRT B.S.R.S. Curriculum Revision Workgroup, serving as Radiologic Technology Editorial Review Board vice chair, leading the Education Steering Committee as chair, traveling to the nation’s capital to support ASRT’s R.T. in D.C. federal legislative advocacy efforts, and participating on several other task forces and committees. She has served as both an affiliate and Education Chapter delegate. She also served on the ASRT Board of Directors as secretary/treasurer, vice president, president-elect, president and chair of the Board. In 2018, the Society elevated Dr. Pergola to ASRT Fellow status in recognition of her significant contributions to the profession and the association.

In addition to her state and national volunteer positions, Dr. Pergola has also given her time to numerous other radiologic science organizations. She is a member of the Image Wisely Executive Committee, a member of the Image Gently Steering Committee, a member of the Quality Standard for Imaging International Advisory Group and an international advisory group representative on the editorial review board for the journal, Radiography.

As CEO and executive director, Dr. Pergola will oversee a staff of more than 100 employees and play a key role in establishing the strategic vision and short and long terms goals for the Society. In addition, she will serve as the CEO of the ASRT Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the ASRT.

“I’m incredibly honored that the ASRT Board of Directors has entrusted me with the responsibility to lead the world’s largest and oldest medical imaging and radiation therapy association, and the Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Society,” said Dr. Pergola, who will be only the sixth person to serve as the chief executive in ASRT’s 102-year history. “I’m a purpose driven person who genuinely believes in ASRT’s mission, its members and the profession, and by collaborating with our amazing staff, committed volunteers and hardworking Board of Directors, we’ll become an even more innovative organization that meets the needs of our members so they can excel in the profession and continue to provide patients with high-quality care.”

The ASRT is accepting nominations for national officers and chapter delegates interested in participating in 2023 ASRT election.

Each year, ASRT members elect national officers to serve on the ASRT Board of Directors and representatives for each chapter. The elected volunteers help the ASRT develop and implement strategic initiatives and influence the direction for the radiologic technology profession. The 2023 ASRT election will begin Feb. 14 and conclude March 7.

Nominations must be received by the ASRT office no later than Oct. 3, 2022.

The ASRT will contact nominees to confirm their desire to run for the position and to collect qualifying information. Nominees can access the election criteria and forms webpage for more information.

Submit Your Nominations

Please contact the ASRT Governance Department for specific questions about the nomination process.

ASRT invites applicants for the 2023 Student to Leadership Development Program. Applications are open from Aug. 1-Nov. 11, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Mountain time.

The three-year program allows students to experience the governance functions of ASRT, attend educational courses and learn about leadership positions in the association. All applications must be submitted through the online application.

Potential applicants should also contact their ASRT affiliate society for further application and selection guidance, which may include additional criteria or an earlier timeline.

2023 Student to Leadership Development Program Application

If you have questions, contact the SLDP team at sldp@asrt.org.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists has updated its free COVID-19 Essentials module.

Launched in 2020, the module covers the epidemiology of COVID-19 and how health care providers can protect themselves and the public while providing excellent care to patients. This module can be used as one component of an integrated COVID-19 training plan.

Individuals who complete the course will earn 0.5 continuing education credits. In addition, an educational version is available for download. Please note that the educational version does not grant CE credits.

The updated version includes new information about vaccines, personal protective equipment, infection control and social distancing. In addition, the module highlights information about vaccine boosters and provides the latest data on masks and face coverings.

Visit the ASRT COVID-19 Resources page for more information and additional resources.

The vacancy rate for radiation therapists increased to 10.7% in 2022, according to the ASRT Radiation Therapy Workplace and Staffing Survey.

The vacancy rates represent the number of positions that are open and actively being recruited. This year’s vacancy rate for radiation therapists increased from the 7.2% rate reported in the 2020 staffing survey. In addition, the vacancy rate for medical dosimetrists increased from 9.6% to 11.3%.

The report also highlights information about workforce demographics. While vacancy rates saw sizable increases, the average number of radiation therapists budgeted per facility rose marginally from 7.1 in 2020 to 7.3 in 2022. The number of budgeted dosimetrists fell slightly from 2.5 in 2020 to 2.4 in 2022.

The survey respondents work in facilities that offer an average of 14.2 radiation therapy-related services, with the most common being intensity-modulated radiation therapy (96.6% of responding facilities), computed tomography simulation (94.8%) and cone beam CT (93.5%).

ASRT emailed the biennial survey in June 2022 to 14,520 radiation therapists. At the close of the survey in July 2022, 629 respondents from all U.S. states had submitted completed questionnaires, a response rate of 4.3%.

ASRT members can access the complete 2022 survey here.

The ASRT seeks qualified members interested in sharing their professional expertise. Numerous volunteer opportunities are now available and have been posted to the Open Opportunity page.

Volunteer positions include openings on multiple committees:

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at volunteerservices@asrt.org with any questions or concerns after reviewing the volunteer criteria for any of these positions.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists has donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross to assist with disaster relief efforts caused by Hurricane Ian. The donation is being made on behalf of the ASRT’s 157,000 members, health care professionals who perform medical imaging procedures or plan and deliver radiation therapy treatments.

“We’re deeply saddened by the destruction caused to so many communities from Hurricane Ian,” said ASRT President Daniel L. Gonzales, M.S.R.S., R.T.(R), FASRT. “Knowing that many of our own members and their families may have been impacted, we're committed to help them recover.”

ASRT currently has 8,485 members who reside in Florida, the Society’s second largest membership state. In the past, ASRT has made numerous financial donations to the American Red Cross for hurricane, tornado and flooding disaster relief efforts.

With thousands of homes affected and damage stretching across multiple states, the American Red Cross is on the ground operating shelters and providing meals and supplies to affected areas as quickly as possible.

“We value the close relationship we’ve maintained throughout the years with the American Red Cross. Our goal is to support those affected by Hurricane Ian and provide assistance to our members who are on the frontlines of health care in the state,” said ASRT Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Sal Martino, Ed.D., R.T.(R), FASRT, FASAE, CAE.

The ASRT Foundation is seeking qualified active or retired members interested in volunteer positions on the Research and Grants Advisory Panel and the Research Mentor Advisory Group.

The committee duties, qualifications and time commitments required for these openings have been posted at the links below:

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at volunteerservices@asrt.org with any questions or concerns. To see all current positions available, visit the Open Volunteer Opportunities page.

@2022 ASRT

Health care dramatically changed on Nov. 8, 1895, when German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the x-ray. Hailed as a medical miracle, scientists and physicians started using x-rays in the clinical setting soon after, and its use skyrocketed in the early 20th century. Fast-forward to 2022 and health care providers still rely on the x-ray to detect bone fractures, find foreign objects in the body, identify lung disease and much more.

The x-ray was the catalyst for advanced medical imaging modalities like computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine and ultrasound. In addition, radiation therapists use x-rays and other forms of electromagnetic radiation in cancer treatments. Quite simply, the x-ray changed health care and continues to be a key player in patient care on a global scale.

An important part of the x-ray’s history includes the radiologic technologists who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. Since the early stages of the x-ray, radiologic technologists have worked to establish patient-safety protocols, patient-positioning techniques, equipment processes and radiation-safety guidelines. Their contributions to medical imaging and radiation therapy are a vital part of the x-ray’s story.

To commemorate the x-ray’s birthday, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists is celebrating National Radiologic Technology Week^®, Nov. 6-12. The week recognizes Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of the x-ray and honors the vital work of medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals in patient care and health care safety.