2012 SNM Annual Meeting
Fred Fahey, DSc.
SNM President-Elect Report
June 7-8, 2012
While we will work on many initiatives in the coming year, one of my top priorities will
advancing a better understanding of radiation dose and risk and promoting dose optimization.
We firmly believe that radiation dose for all nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures
should be optimized by ensuring that the patient receives the minimum radiation dose necessary
to provide useful diagnostic information. At the same time, we need to explain and reinforce that
when a procedure offers useful clinical information that will help your doctor decide on a
patient’s treatment, the benefits of the procedure far outweigh its very small potential risk.
We will work to ensure both these points are understood and put into practice through various
activities, including creating a website and other communication vehicles for dose optimization
information, offering continuing education courses on dose optimization, meeting with Capitol
Hill and U.S. government officials, and more.
To kick off these activities, I’m pleased to share with you today a position statement on dose
optimization for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging procedures. The statement reviews the
society’s stance on the use of radiation in procedures, including that if an appropriate
procedure—one that can provide the physician with clinical information essential to the patient’s
treatment—is not performed when necessary due to fear of radiation, it can be detrimental to the
patient. It also states that to ensure the appropriate use of these procedures, all nuclear medicine
facilities should have comprehensive quality control measures in place, their nuclear medicine
physicians should have up-to-date training, and their technologists should be appropriately
trained and certified.
In addition, a Dose Optimization Task Force has been created to focus on these efforts. Major
goals of the task force include; investigating the implementation a National Dose Index Registry
for Nuclear Medicine, Create a micro-site on dose reduction, develop position paper(s) on
NM/MI benefits, risk, dose reduction including dose reduction policies, publicize the
Cardiovascular Council white paper and RADAR/MIRD benefit/risk paper, work with the
American College of Cardiology on a joint White Paper, be responsive to inaccurate portrayals
in media et al regarding risk/benefits of NM/MI, advocacy, and education. The Task Force will
be co-chaired by me and Adam Alessio, PhD.
The SNM will also continue to support the Image Gently and Image Wisely campaigns in their
efforts to optimize the use of radiation when imaging pediatric and adult patients.
Also, this year the society will participate in the American Board of Internal Medicine
Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign to help physicians be better stewards of finite health
care resources. We will develop specific, evidence-based recommendations that physicians and
patients should discuss to help make wise decisions about the most appropriate care based on
their individual situation. These recommendations will be announced later this fall.
Another one of my priorities as SNM president is to expand the practice of nuclear medicine and
molecular imaging in developing countries. While nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
procedures are fairly widely available in the United States, there are many countries where this
technology is a very effective approach to address many of their unique health concerns, but the
practice of nuclear medicine can be very variable if not non-existent.. By engaging in global
initiatives and collaborating with peer societies from around the world, we can share our
knowledge so that patients around the world can benefit from the imaging procedures that can
improve human health.
Moving the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging forward is a team effort. There is a
lot to do, and I look forward to working with colleagues around the world and across the country
to ensure a healthy future for the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.