This is “The RAD Position” with ASRT CEO and
Executive Director Melissa Pergola, a podcast for medical imaging and
radiation therapy professionals.
Ad: Bayer in Radiology is here to help boost efficiency in
your imaging workflow. With access to advanced connected software and service
features through Cortenic™ Connectivity, the MEDRAD® Stellant FLEX and
Centargo CT Injections Systems power workflows to help you optimize operations
and patient care. Find the right CT injector for your suite’s needs at
go.bayer.com/CTSolutions.
Melissa Pergola: Hey everyone, welcome back to “The RAD
Position” podcast. I’m your host, ASRT CEO Melissa Pergola, and I’m here with
—
Ray Arambula: Her podcast partner, Ray Arambula.
Melissa Pergola: And we are so honored tonight to have a
distinguished guest, and that is Dr. Dana Smetherman from the ACR [American
College of Radiology].
Ray Arambula: And I hear she is the first female CEO.
Dana Smetherman: Yes, so it took them a hundred years, but
then they — I was chosen to be the CEO and started just a little over a year
ago.
Ray Arambula: How exciting.
Melissa Pergola: Dr. Dana Smetherman is the chief executive
officer at the American College of Radiology. She is a diagnostic radiologist
who spent her career at Ochsner Health and specialized in breast imaging. Dr.
Smetherman previously served as the chair of the department of radiology and
associate medical director for the medical specialists at Ochsner Medical
Center in New Orleans.
Before becoming ACR CEO in July of 2024, Dr. Smetherman held multiple other
leadership positions in national and regional medical organizations, including
secretary treasurer, member of the board of chancellors and chair of the
breast commission for the ACR; president of the Radiological Society of
Louisiana; ACR councilor from Louisiana; board member for the National
Accrediting [Accreditation] Program of Breast Centers; chair of the technical
exhibits committee of the Radiological Society of North America; advisor to
the current procedural terminology panel of the American Medical Association;
and as a director of the board of directors of Ochsner Health.
That’s a lot, Dr. Smetherman. [laughs] Dr. Smetherman has given numerous
presentations and has multiple publications in the areas of breast imaging and
health care economics. Thank you for coming on with us.
Dana Smetherman: Thank you for inviting me. I really
appreciate the opportunity.
Melissa Pergola: So the first question that I have is, how
would you describe the relationship between radiologists and radiologic
technologists today?
Dana Smetherman: First of all, I would say — and this was
absolutely true throughout my career — that the collaboration of radiologic
technologists and radiologists is absolutely fundamental to operate a safe,
high quality radiology department that is patient centered. And so I think
really maintaining that relationship is completely key to the success of
radiology departments and patient care.
But I think we also have to realize that things have changed over the course
of certainly my career. You know, when I started out as a resident, we were
physically much closer to each other. Departments were smaller. Technologists
might be doing images and obtaining images in a radiography room. But then
they would come out with those film cassettes and put them through the little
door and wait and wait for the images to come out. And then they’d look at
them at view boxes in the hall. And the radiologists were also physically
onsite and moving through all of those departments and parts of the radiology
department.
And so it was a lot easier, right? And so although that technology has caused
a lot of really positive changes for patient care and all of those things, no
matter how you slice it, we have all become physically more spread out. And,
you know, whether it’s because we have equipment that’s co-located now in
outpatient clinics or in, you know, CT scanners and MRs in the emergency
department, but we’re just not physically next to each other. And the
technologists, since they no longer have to run those films, they’re at the
scanners; they’re using the equipment. The radiologists are in the reading
room.
So, you know, I think it will never be as easy as it was to maintain that
really close relationship in this modern world in which we find themselves,
but I think we just have to work at it, right? And you have to recognize it,
and you have to be really intentional about how you communicate.
I would also — just, kudos to you, Melissa, and your colleagues, because I
think at the institutional level you have done a great job of trying to
maintain those relationships between the organizations, and that collaboration
has been really tremendous, and I’ve certainly appreciated it even in my small
time in this role. So I think at every level, we’re really trying to make sure
that we’re all working together effectively.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. Well, thank you for that. And it’s
wonderful to have you as a partner. You know, I grew up in the same time, so,
you know, I used to sit in the department and hang films for my radiologist,
and it was a very important relationship. I mean, that’s where I learned more
about pathology, and, you know, it was just such a wonderful thing to be in
the same physical space. And like you said, it made it very clear to us how
important we were to each other and to build those relationships.
And I agree with you. It’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to have you on,
because our technologists and therapists that don’t get to see their
radiologists and radiation oncologists as much, to help them understand how
important it is that we all continue to work together to maintain those
connections that, as you said, are required for safe, quality care.
Dana Smetherman: And I think, you know, the technologists are
often the ones directly interfacing with the patient in a lot of the
diagnostic work. And so, again, technology can be our friend there, too. We
have to really seek out the ways we can use digital technology and texting and
back-and-forth, but you can’t just let that happen, right? It has to be, I
think, very intentional and very strategic and really trying to figure out,
OK, this is how the world works now. How do we make sure that that
relationship, that communication is still strong?
Melissa Pergola: How would you describe initiatives that ACR
has pursued to enhance collaborations with organizations like ours?
Dana Smetherman: Well, I think we talked about it a little
bit. We certainly try to take advantage of those meetings when we are all
there together, whether it’s at our ACR meeting or the RSNA [Radiological
Society of North America] meeting, and try to make sure that we’re taking
advantage of that meeting face-to-face, coming up with shared agendas, sharing
information.
You know, I was fortunate enough in the course of my career to spend five
years on an ARRT [American Registry of Radiologic Technologists] exam
committee. And that’s one of the things that we still do as the ACR is we have
the privilege of being able to appoint our members onto some of those
committees, and also being on the board of the ARRT. So I think, you know, not
just the ASRT, but the other technologist organizations, we have some really,
I think, beneficial opportunities to be able to continue to build those
relationships.
Melissa Pergola: Yes, yes, I agree. And to partner at that
level, right, where you have a seat at the table and we’re working together on
standards and exams and that significant need.
Ray Arambula: So Dana, you talked — you mentioned a little
while ago about being intentional, strategic when it comes to technology and
digital areas. What role do you think technologists play in the future of
radiology, especially as imaging becomes more complex and even AI [artificial
intelligence] driven?
Dana Smetherman: So the question of where AI and how AI is
going to be integrated into health care is certainly a very hot topic. I was
actually at the Florida Radiological Society meeting this weekend, and there
was a fantastic talk about what does the workplace of the future look like.
I do think AI is going to make us more efficient. I think that it’s going to
help our workflow, but it is going to change things. So just like, you know,
the physical distance and remote technology and radiologists interpreting
studies remotely has fundamentally changed how we work and interact, I think
we’re going to see similar things.
Now, I do think there will be quite a few positives. We are all, both on the
technology side and the physician side, quite well aware of the workforce
shortages. We live this every day, so if there are ways for this to make us
more efficient, hopefully that’ll have positive benefits. And I think we have
to embrace it. I don’t think — and this came through in this talk: They had a
picture of an ostrich with its head in the sand. I don’t think that’s an
option. I think we have to really push ourselves to learn more about it.
I also think radiologists and radiologic technologists, because what we do is
so dependent on technology and we have that long history, we’re also in a
really good position to be leaders in this space. Because we know it’s not
perfect. We know it’s not infallible. And, you know, I think that we have to
be there to remind and teach our other colleagues about that fallibility and
how when it is implemented in a department, in an organization, you’ve really
got to be able to monitor that after you use it, because it may not work the
way that it worked in the test sites, right?
So I do think — and again, we’ve got to communicate, communicate, communicate,
and all learn together and try not to be, to feel threatened or intimidated or
unsure, even though that is kind of your natural reaction at times.
Ray Arambula: Let’s switch gears a little bit and go, move
over to the advocacy side. What do you think are, or what might be ACR’s
current priorities and advocacy, both at the federal and the state levels?
Dana Smetherman: As we’ve talked about with the workforce
shortage, you know, we were optimistic that the PAMA [Protecting Access to
Medicare Act] legislation would get implemented, but that of course has not
happened. So we do have a new piece of legislation that we have partnered with
two senators that has been, that we have actually introduced, and that’s
called the ROOT [Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission] Act, R-O-O-T. And
again, this is basically as many of the same things we were hoping to achieve
with PAMA, which was to reduce unnecessary imaging and radiation. But it also
tries to address some of those challenges that we saw with the implementation
of the original PAMA legislation. So hopefully it’ll make it easier to
implement and we can finally get that done.
And I will say that, you know, originally when we talked about PAMA, I always
thought about the impact on patients and making sure that they were getting
the studies that they need and not additional studies that they didn’t need.
However, you know, it has turned out that as we’ve seen the workforce shortage
become more and more of an issue, to me it really is a workforce initiative
more than anything else, because we don’t have enough people, technologists,
radiologists to do the work that needs to be done, much less work that’s
unnecessary.
Melissa Pergola: So can you tell our listeners what PAMA
stands for? They might not be familiar with the PAMA legislation.
Dana Smetherman: Right. So it is the Protecting Access to
Medicare Act. And it was originally designed to make sure that patients were
getting the advanced imaging that they needed, but not advanced imaging
studies, CT scans, MRIs that they actually did not need, that weren’t going to
have any value in their care. And, you know, we understand that — and you guys
do, too — health care is complicated. Things change. If it’s not an area that
you’re really familiar with, or if you’re a primary care doctor who has to
cover so many different kinds of illnesses, you may not know off the top of
your head what is the right imaging exam in every situation. And so the nice
thing about the way that it was intended was it was also going to educate
people.
A couple of other legislative priorities for us — I think the NIH [National
Institutes of Health] cuts are a big concern. You know, that’s really more
being played out in the courts right now, and there are court cases. But of
course we have so many of our members who are in university practices who are
doing all of that really important research. And so that certainly is another
advocacy priority for us.
And you guys mentioned the state level. It is interesting. There’s a lot of
legislation that’s happening at the state level right now: scope of practice
bills, AI legislation, a lot of the payment policy for things like high-risk
breast cancer screening, getting that paid out of pockets for patients. So a
lot of things going there.
And then even tariffs. We are doing advocacy to try to get exemptions for
pharmaceuticals, but in particular those radiopharmaceuticals that are used so
much in both diagnostic and therapeutic radiology services. As I know you guys
are, we’re out there every day advocating on the federal and the state level
for our members and for patients.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. And I know that our government
relations teams talk and that we have worked together on some issues. And I
think it’s important for our technologists to understand that while some of
the issues — they may feel like it doesn’t impact them directly and may wonder
why we do calls to action — that we are all tied together and it does impact
us, as you mentioned with workforce and even some of the encroachment. A lot
of times we are called out, both of us, in bills where there’s encroachment
because it is order, supervise, interpret, right? Perform. So it’s really
important that we continue to work together. So do you have any suggestions
for technologists and therapists about how they might work alongside their
radiologists on some of these issues?
Dana Smetherman: We have absolutely — as you know, we have
absolutely done that and have certainly appreciated the support of our
technologist colleagues in some of these calls to action. I think, just like
in the ACR, working through your state chapters and making sure that, you
know, the ASRT, the ACR, that we have those really good communications with
our colleagues who are throughout the country, making sure that they’re
connected to one another, I think is really important.
I would have to say particularly in some of those scope of practice
legislation that has come across, it has really been tremendously helpful to
have the support of our technologist colleagues. I would say, who knows what
radiologists do better than technologists and just as — you know, for us, we
know what your skills, your expertise, your training, how that benefits the
patient, how that lets us to have better imaging studies, safer imaging
studies. The same thing is true for us. You know what we do. And understand
that, you know, all of those years that we spend training and all of that
education — and again, keeping up with the latest things and how there’s just
significantly less and sometimes almost no formal training for things like
interpretation, in some non-physician provider programs.
So yes, I think there are plenty of opportunities. As I said, there’s a lot
going on in the advocacy space. And I really do think too, you know, we are
stronger together. Radiology is not a big specialty if you look across the
house of medicine. So working together, being able to have a kind of a
stronger voice I think is also very powerful.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, I think you said something really
important, and that is that at the state level, taking the time to reach
across the lines, across our radiology service line — I think that this is
almost a call to action for our affiliates. If you haven’t reached out to and
started to form a relationship with the radiological society in your state,
you should definitely do that. So that’s my call to action for this episode.
[laughs]
Dana Smetherman: Well, I think that sounds fantastic, and I
will make a similar call to our radiologist colleagues, because they should be
doing the same.
Melissa Pergola: So now I want to sort of stay in advocacy
and scope of practice but shift gears a little bit. We were just at ACR and
the ACR annual conference, and there were two resolutions passed in relation
to the radiologist assistant. So can you tell our listeners sort of where ACR
is with your current position on the radiologist assistant?
Dana Smetherman: Yes. I really appreciate you asking about
that, Melissa. So, as you know, because you were there, the ACR has kind of a
unique structure among radiology societies, and we actually have a legislative
branch, our council, which follows a democratic process. And so at this year’s
meeting, they voted and basically expressed their support and put out a joint
statement on the registered radiologist assistant role and responsibilities.
There was a lot of emphasis on clear roles, shared goals, effective
communication, team-based care, technologists and radiologist assistants and
radiologists all being on one team that is led by the radiologist physician.
And again, our position on things is a function, and basically the result of
that democratic process, which, since you were there, you got to actually see
in action.
Melissa Pergola: Yes, and it’s quite similar — we have a
House of Delegates, which is similar to your council. And it’s my
understanding that a lot of associations don’t have that democratic, large
governance body like the two of us have in our organizations. We just had our
annual conference and went through the same governance process with our annual
governance and House of Delegates.
But it was wonderful to be there and hear all of the support at the microphone
for the respect for the radiologist assistant role. And of course we are
committed to holding the tenets, which are that we will always work for a
radiologist-led team only under the direct supervision of a radiologist, that
we will not independently bill and that we will not interpret images. And so
we of course will always hold those tenets, and we’re hoping now that we will
get MARCA [the Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act] introduced and that we
can go ahead and get the reimbursement issue settled so that the RA role can
really flourish.
Ray Arambula: So lots of work around advocacy.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Ray Arambula: Lots of big topics. Lots of movement. Another
big topic that we are seeing is increasing burnout and staffing shortages
across health care. How is ACR addressing these issues in radiology?
Dana Smetherman: Right, so these are really important issues.
And I do think, you know, the ROOT Act that we talk about, if we can reduce
unnecessary imaging, that’s one thing. We have also really supported our
various different members and chapters in their efforts to expand residencies.
We also try to provide resources if — a lot of people don’t realize that
Medicare and CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] actually pay for
radiology residents. But they’ll only pay for a certain number. And so
sometimes in order to increase those residencies, you have to self-fund them,
meaning the hospital or the residency program or the university has to pay for
them themselves. So we work to provide resources so that they can go and do
that.
I do think ultimately recognizing that this problem exists, supporting
radiologists if they need to start working an alternative schedule or flexible
schedules or part time — so, you know, all of those different things.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be a nice, easy solution if you
think about just the continuing volume of patients and the volume of imaging
studies. So I think that and the workforce, it’s going to have to be a
multipronged approach that’s going to involve a lot of different things.
But I really appreciate you bringing that up because I’m sure it’s the case
throughout all health care workers, right? They’ve been through a really tough
time with the pandemic and now coming out of it, the work can just feel
overwhelming at times.
Ray Arambula: Yeah, this definitely sounds like a multilayer
challenge. And so, I guess to your point there, there probably isn’t a
long-term, one-approach solution. It’s a multi-approach solution to this.
Dana Smetherman: Absolutely.
Melissa Pergola: So how can technologists and radiologists
work together to improve working conditions and patient outcomes? Are there
short-term things that we could be doing together now?
Dana Smetherman: You know, it’s interesting that you bring
that up, because I actually gave a talk about a year ago about exactly this.
“What could you do today?” And one of those things kind of really did revolve
around communication and the idea that — this was, it was a very tightly
scoped talk, but it was about what happens with interruptions. And
interruptions are one of those things that they can both make you less
productive and decrease your quality. Some think there’s a trade-off between
the two.
So redesigning our workspaces. Some of the models that have been effective are
sort of having a, sometimes it is a non-physician who’s kind of in that air
traffic control role, who’s communicating back and forth and sometimes putting
some of the radiologists in what they call a sterile cockpit situation where
there are fewer interruptions. But then you designate somebody, maybe it’s a
radiologist of the day, maybe it’s, you know, other medical personnel who gets
those calls about “How do I protocol this study?” or “This patient has a
contrast reaction that wasn’t, that they didn’t disclose until they got here,
or it somehow didn’t get caught.” You know, “Oh, this referring provider put
this indication, but it looks like there’s something else going on.” And we
know that these things happen. So finding ways to be as efficient, leveraging
those tools where you might be able to have asynchronous communication, but
maybe dividing up the task.
So, you know, it’s hard to come up with solutions that you could implement
immediately. But my charge when I put together that lecture is “What could
somebody do if they walked out tomorrow and put in their practice?” And that
was one idea. You know, there are other ideas to try to look at, if you kind
of spread work across multiple practices or even multiple states, can you have
these kind of on demand, almost Uber models where, “Oh, there’s a radiologist
with some capacity; let’s move the work over to that person.” You know, I
think that’s possible.
But again, I think be open to what the technological solutions might be. Will
it ever be as easy as, you know, knocking on that reading room door or coming
in? It won’t. But that doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish what we need to
accomplish, and primarily that’s making sure the patient’s safe, you know,
making sure the right exam is being performed, making sure that the quality is
good, making sure that we all know what’s going on. So, not easy, but, you
know, I think it’s a great question.
And some of these solutions, as we talked about, they’re going to be very long
term. It takes several years to train, whether it’s new technologists, new
radiologists. Although I do love the idea of kind of marketing, “Hey,” you
know, “Are you really excited by AI? This could be a good field for you.” But
there are some things that we can do even quickly or today. And we probably
have to do them all.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. So I’m wondering, that sort of traffic
control person you mentioned, I wonder if that’s a role for the radiologist
assistant.
Dana Smetherman: It really could be, because they’ll have a
lot of the knowledge that you would need to have, right? I mean, they know
what are the right exams. You know, they certainly know the clinical
challenges that there could be. And kind of — yes. I mean, absolutely, that
would be a role. And again, it’s just you — it’s a way of dividing up the work
so that you can have one person be kind of uninterrupted, not have their
productivity decreased, and then — but that work is still important. That
communication is still important. In some ways it’s among the most important
things that we do as a radiology department, right? That interface between our
referring providers, you know, and the patients and all of those things. So,
yeah, no, absolutely. I think that would be a great role.
I think we’d have to be careful. I think it would be difficult for somebody to
do that every day. So maybe that could be — [laughs]
Melissa Pergola: [laughs]
Dana Smetherman: — because you can envision, you know, there
are studies that show, like, how many times an hour a resident who’s, you
know, working maybe the emergency radiology rotation gets interrupted, and
it’s not a small number, so it would — that might contribute to burnout if
that was all of your job. So hopefully we’d break it up. But they would be,
they would definitely have the skills to be able to do that.
Ray Arambula: Well, you’ve talked about a lot of current
trends, but things that we can maybe look ahead to. I’m very excited to hear
you talk about those things.
But I guess overall, what would you say is your vision for the future of
radiology in maybe the next five to 10 years?
Dana Smetherman: So, you know, I have thought about this a
lot, and despite all of the challenges — the challenges with reimbursement,
the challenges with the workforce shortage and burnout — I think we also have
to realize that we are very much on the cusp of a really exciting golden era
in imaging. If you think about it, radiology as a field has only been around
for 130 years. We are a really young specialty.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Dana Smetherman: If you think about medicine that’s been
going on for millennia, even surgery that’s been going on for centuries, you
know, we’re a relatively young specialty and we’re still evolving very fast,
and so I think there are some really exciting technological advances that are
going to come about in the next few years.
I think theranostics is one. I had the opportunity to go to the Society of
Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging meeting earlier this month — really
enjoyed that — and hear, you know, just hear about the potential for that. I
mean, some of the talks were saying that the volume could increase tenfold,
but you also think about, Oh my gosh. That’s 10 times as many patients that
could benefit from that.
I also think, you know, as I think about the history there, I think we forget
how revolutionary and almost unbelievable it probably was to be able to look
inside a human body without having to physically cut it open.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Dana Smetherman: And that has opened the door to so many
things on the screening side: early detection of disease, seeing things that
are going on inside your body before they become an actual symptom or
something you can feel or experience. And so the potential impact of imaging
in early detection of disease I think can’t be underestimated. And I think the
only thing that’s holding us back from exploding in that sphere is simply that
we don’t have enough people to do all of that work. But if you think about
things like lung cancer screening, what tremendous potential there is to do
good there. So, you know, I think that our role in population health could be
enormous.
I also think if you think about things like what they call opportunistic
screening, which is, you know, somebody has a mammogram and we’re looking to
detect breast cancer, but, “Wow, they’ve got a lot of vascular
calcifications.” You know, could they be at risk of having a heart attack, and
you’re picking it up on their mammogram? Someone has a CT of the chest,
abdomen, pelvis for right lower quadrant pain, and you’re able to detect that
they’ve got serious osteoporosis.
So again, some of these things that now can be detected at a whole different
level — the amount of information that’s in those imaging studies that we
perform and interpret could dwarf what’s even in the electronic health record
today.
So, you know, I think there are so many opportunities, and that’s why I think
we all have to work together to be able to get the volume manageable for the
number of people to do it with that multifactorial solution. Because, you
know, I just think we could be in such an exciting place in really just a few
years.
None of those things that I talked about are some, you know, long, long,
long-term, a century from now — I mean, these things are almost right here. As
we’ve said all along, it’s going to require all of us working together to
really make that future as available as we can for our patients.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, and I think another thing that you
said that’s so important: You talked about that ostrich with the head in the
sand, right? There are so many exciting things coming, and we can’t let fear
keep us from leading that exciting new future. And that’s where we have to be.
We have to be at the intersection of excitement about the future and not let
that fear pull us back. And I think that’s what we’re going to do so well
together as a radiologist-led team is all moving this into the next century,
which will benefit all of us: current patients — and we’re all going to be
patients —
Dana Smetherman: Like it or not, we are all patients at some
point in time. Yes.
Ray Arambula: OK, so, if you could send one message to all
radiologic technologists listening today, what would it be?
Dana Smetherman: OK, well, I might do two.
Melissa Pergola: [laughs]
Ray Arambula: OK.
Dana Smetherman: The first one is something that we say at
the ACR all the time, which is “Focused forward together.” And then the other
— and it comes back to this: You know, we are all valued members of this team
of professionals dedicated to doing the best that we can every day for
patients. And so my second message would be communicate, communicate,
communicate.
Ray Arambula: I love that.
Melissa Pergola: All right, so now it is time for — I don’t
know what we’re going to call it. Ray said it’s not actually a game today.
Ray Arambula: It’s not really a game. It’s more of
future-based questions. Imaging in 2035 will be —
Dana Smetherman: Better [laughs] was the word I came up with.
Ray Arambula: She wins. I’m sorry. [laughs]
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, you win. I agree. Better. Definitely
be better. More precise, safer —
Dana Smetherman: All of it, right?
Melissa Pergola: All of it.
Dana Smetherman: Less radiation. Safer.
Melissa Pergola: There we go.
Dana Smetherman: Less painful for patients. I mean, I was a
breast radiologist. Yeah, that’d be good.
Ray Arambula: R.T. jobs in 2035 will be —
Melissa Pergola: Abundant.
Dana Smetherman: Interesting.
Melissa Pergola: Ah, I like your answer better. You get that
too. [laughs]
Ray Arambula: Those are both good keywords, though. Patients
in 2035 will expect —
Melissa Pergola: Earlier diagnosis.
Dana Smetherman: Better health.
Ray Arambula: We have a keyword here: It’s just better.
Melissa Pergola: Better.
Ray Arambula: All around. Everything is better.
Melissa Pergola: Ah, I love that.
Dana Smetherman: Think about the history the last 130 years.
It’s gotten better at every step along the way.
Ray Arambula: That’s true.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Ray Arambula: Absolutely. Well, just keep getting better.
Melissa Pergola: Oh, all right, well, Dr. Smetherman, it has
been an absolute pleasure to have you on, and I just feel so honored to have
you as a colleague and to be able to continue to move the radiologist-led team
forward. And as you said, the ACR slogan is —
Dana Smetherman: Focused forward together.
Melissa Pergola: Yes. Yes.
Female Voice: We’ll be right back after this short message.
Ad: Behind every scan and treatment is a team of health care
heroes. The ASRT BeRAD Award honors institutions where medical imaging and
radiation therapy professionals lead with purpose and excellence. Nominate
your hospital, clinic or imaging center and spotlight your team’s impact.
Applications are open through September 30th, 2025, at
asrt.org/BeRADAward.
Ray Arambula: What a great episode. It was so great to hear
from Dana.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah, it was inspiring.
Ray Arambula: Yes, great conversation. But now it’s time to
transition.
Melissa Pergola: Oh, yeah?
Ray Arambula: Yeah.
Melissa Pergola: To what?
Ray Arambula: We See You segment.
Melissa Pergola: We See You segment. I love it. So don’t
forget, right, that you can write in at
[email protected], or you can go
ahead and leave a message on our website, right?
Ray Arambula: Yes, you can submit that through
asrt.org/RADPosition.
Melissa Pergola: All right, well, let’s check this one out.
Kristin Beinschroth: I’m Kristin Beinschroth, and I love the
podcast. I would love to know, Dr. Pergola, what is your most meaningful or
impactful patient interaction that you’ve had in your professional career?
Melissa Pergola: Wow. What a great question.
Ray Arambula: That’s a big question, right? I’m sure there’s
many.
Melissa Pergola: There’s so many. Wow. I think I would say, I
had worked at Duke University Medical Center after I finished my radiography
training. And I worked weekends there while I was going back to school for my
degree. And I had a young patient who had a chronic illness that used to come
in quite often, and he wasn’t really verbal. He wasn’t fully nonverbal, but he
didn’t speak a whole lot. And I got to see him weekend after weekend for a
while. And I’m probably going to get upset, because, those who know me, I’ll,
like, drop a tear at the drop of a hat.
But one time I came in — and his parents had always said, “This is Melissa.”
And I came in one time, and he actually got excited and he said my name. And,
wow. Thanks for asking me that and making me get all upset. [laughs] But I
think for me as a medical imaging professional, I know that my technical
competence is important, but those interactions and those connections with
patients are so significant in what we do. So thank you for that question. I
had not thought about that in quite a long time.
Ray Arambula: Well, I can speak from the patient perspective.
I recently had a back injury and had to have some x-rays taken. And the
technologist was so kind and so patient, and we got to chatting about her job.
And without me telling her my role here at ASRT, I asked her if she was a
member of ASRT, and her response was, “Oh, absolutely.”
Melissa Pergola: Oh!
Ray Arambula: And she made this statement that I’ll never
forget.
Melissa Pergola: What?
Ray Arambula: She said, “This is not a job; it’s a
profession.”
Melissa Pergola: Wow.
Ray Arambula: And I thought, Wow. Like, that pride and
commitment that she has, like, that just reminded me and made me more aware of
what a great profession we serve and support.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Ray Arambula: So from a patient perspective, I truly
appreciate, and that had a meaningful impact on my life.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. I love that, Ray. Thank you for that.
Ray Arambula: And now it’s time for some updates.
Melissa Pergola: Oh.
Ray Arambula: And so, you know what we say around here: Don’t
put yourself in a bad position —
Melissa Pergola: Stay up to date with “The RAD Position.”
Ray Arambula: That’s right. Registration is open for the ASRT
Radiation Therapy Conference, taking place from September 28th through
September 30th in San Francisco.
The ASRT Radiation Therapy Conference is an international gathering of
radiation therapists, medical dosimetrists and radiation oncology experts who
are at the forefront of propelling innovation and shaping the future of the
profession. Earn continuing education credits, learn from experts in radiation
oncology and embark on a journey of exploration at the ASRT exhibit hall.
The Radiation Therapy Conference is your go-to destination to network with
colleagues, win great prizes and explore innovative solutions that enhance
your impact on patient care. Register now. Visit
asrt.org/RTC to register and learn more
about the conference.
Melissa Pergola: So we want to take a minute to thank you for
listening and watching, and please don’t forget to subscribe.
Ray Arambula: And to all our medical imaging and radiation
therapy professionals, be seen —
Melissa Pergola: And stay rad.