DMC Radiology Takes 5th Place at RSNA Resident Competition!

Authored by Dr. Arif Musa, Diagnostic Radiology Resident

“From groundbreaking AI applications and advanced imaging modalities to sessions that redefine collaborative learning, RSNA set a new benchmark every year for how the radiology community envisions and shapes the future of patient care,” said R-2 resident Elmira Taghi-Zadeh, M.D.

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) held its annual meeting on December 1-5th at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. RSNA2024 featured educational exhibits, scientific sessions, digital presentations, and opportunities for professional development. Several residents attended the sessions of what is the premier international conference for the radiology specialty.  

“Attending RSNA must be a tradition in every radiology residency program as it combines very informative educational courses, educational exhibits, hot topics,  and essentials with hands-on and interactive sessions, and networking on medical student and resident level(s) which may be very important for future research collaborations,” said residency program director Dr. Gulcin Altinok. You can follow Dr. Altinok on X @altinokgulcin. 

R-2 resident Alicia McCartney, D.O., signed Detroit Medical Center residents to the annual resident imaging competition. Naming themselves “RUN DMC” after the hip-hop group, the resident team was awarded 5th place in the competition, which consisted of 17 teams. 

R-2 resident Arif Musa, M.D., attended the meeting after being accepted into the Introduction to Academic Radiology (ITAR) program for which he was provided with an academic stipend.  

“It was my honor to have participated in the @RSNA Introduction to Academic #Radiology (ITAR) program at #RSNA2024! So many great lectures, workshops, mentors, & friends. If any #RadRes are interested in #AcademicRadiology, consider starting here!” said Dr. Musa on social media. You can follow him @ArifMusaMD on X. 

“One of the strengths of our residency program is that we have a very supportive residency program director who encourages us to attend professional society conferences. All residents are strongly encouraged to attend RSNA and given additional protected time off so residents do not have to use vacation time. Residents can choose to attend in-person or virtually. In either case, they still receive protected time. I was actually in the middle of my emergency radiology call rotation and still had enough time to attend,” said Dr. Musa. 

R-3 residents Stephan Miller, M.D. and Dion Harris, M.D., co-presented their quality improvement project entitled “Improving Radiation Safety Compliance Among Radiology Residents During Fluoroscopy Procedures by Facilitating Dosimeter Access and Implementing a Novel Pre-Procedural Safety Time-Out.”  

“RSNA was a blast,” said Dr. Miller. 

This year, a team of students, residents, and staff radiologists at DMC presented an educational exhibit entitled “Under Pressure: The Tools And Techniques to A Successful Angiography”. First-author Carson Middlebrook is a fourth-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a current applicant to diagnostic and interventional radiology residency programs. You can follow Carson on X @Carson_Elle.  

The faculty advisor for the project was Shane Newberger, staff interventional radiologist at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital and an alumnus of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program at DMC. You can follow the X account of the residency program @DMC_Radiology. Other faculty included Ali Harb, M.D., the chief of the interventional radiology service at DMC and Dr. Berryhill, associate program director of the residency program. You can follow Dr. Berryhill on X @Brigitte34888.  

After his first trip to RSNA, R-1 resident Ali Doruk Yalcintepe, M.D., described the meeting as “the most impressive conference I’ve seen in my life. Overwhelming amount of educational lectures and technical exhibits during the day, and most fun parties at night!” 

Another team of faculty, students, and residents presented an abstract entitled “Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block as an Adjunct to Uterine Fibroid Embolization: A Retrospective Cohort study Evaluating Opioid-Sparing Effects.” This study was presented by Zain Hussain, an applicant to diagnostic radiology residency training programs. From DMC, resident contributor Arif Musa, M.D. and faculty advisor, Ali Harb, M.D., were also listed as co-authors.  

R-4 resident Jason Norris, M.D., looked forward to traveling to Chicago for RSNA, describing it as “a fun and rewarding experience.” 

“I really appreciated the opportunity to learn from experts in their various fields, hear about exciting new technologies, and network with other radiologists from across the world. The chance to bond with my coresidents in the vibrant city of Chicago also made it very worthwhile and memorable. I highly recommend this conference to anyone interested in radiology and can’t wait to attend again in the future,” said Dr. Norris. 

Recent graduate of DMC’s radiology residency program, Jared van der Linden, M.D., was also in attendance. Dr. van der Linden is a current Body Imaging Fellow at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  

“It is also so much fun and helps building the team spirit by attending conferences and after-hours activities together,” said Dr. Altinok. 

Residents in attendance: El Caney Arnold, M.D., Daniel Chen, M.D., Dion Harris, M.D., Alicia McCartney, D.O., Stephan Miller, M.D., Wajahat Mohammed, M.D., James Neibling, M.D., Jason Norris, M.D., Max Ofori, M.D., Ishan Patel, M.D., Shabber Syed, M.D., Elmira Taghi-Zadeh, M.D., Jacob Turner, M.D., Ali Doruk Yalcintepe, M.D., and incoming resident Aliza Mushtaq, M.D.  

Staff radiologists in attendance: Ahmed El-Sabbagh, M.D. and Biren Shah, M.D.