Mark Parker, M.D., Selected to Speak at the British Institute of Radiology Congress in London

Richmond, VA - November 2024 - The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) Outreach International Committee and Global Partner Exchange Program Chair selected Professor and Cardiothoracic Radiology Co-Section Chief Mark Parker, M.D., to represent the organization at the British Institute of Radiology (BIR) Annual Congress. Dr. Parker spoke on "Chest Imaging in Critical Care" during the "Chest Imaging from Cradle to Grave" session.

The BIR Annual Congress took place on November 7–8, 2024 at the IET Savoy Place in London. The theme for the 2024 Congress was "Optimizing multidisciplinary patient care" and organizers delivered a comprehensive program that encouraged a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.

Dr. Parker and the current President of the ARRS, Angelisa M. Paladin, M.D., were the only ARRS members selected to speak at this year's Congress. The invitation was a tremendous honor and acknowledges Dr. Parker's expertise and reputation on the global stage.

Breaking it down for patients: Explaining the new FDA mammogram rules

Director of Breast Imaging at VCU Health explains how the new changes can help patients make informed decisions about their care.

Richmond, VA - September 2024 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released new rules that require radiologists to directly send patients a summary after having a mammogram, notifying them of their breast tissue composition and other findings. Director of Breast Imaging at VCU Health explains how the new changes in FDA mammogram rules can help patients make informed decisions about their care in the article featured on the VCU Health website: Read the article.

VCU Health Division of Nuclear Medicine Carries Out First Treatment of PLUVICTO® Therapy For Prostate Cancer

Richmond, VA - June 2024 - The VCU Health Division of Nuclear Medicine provided a patient their first treatment of PLUVICTO, an FDA-approved, radioligand therapy offered as an outpatient intravenous infusion every six weeks for six treatments. PLUVICTO is the first, and only targeted radioligand therapy for adult patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA+ mCRPC). VCU Health is one of only two health care providers in the Greater Richmond area approved to offer the PLUVICTO therapy.

The Nuclear Medicine Division offers PLUVICTO as a treatment to patients with PSMA+ mCRPC after treatment with androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy. PLUVICTO is comprised of two key components: lutetium-177, a cytotoxic radionuclide, and PSMA-617, a PSMA-targeting ligand. PLUVICTO emits beta radiation that targets the PSMA-positive cancer cells, which limits damage to other cells and improves outcomes for patients. 

VCU Pediatric Radiology Recognized at Annual Meeting

Pediatric Radiology Faculty and Residents Invited to Contribute to Leading Journal

Richmond, VA -- April 2024 -- VCU Department of Radiology faculty and residents garnered international attention at the Society of Pediatric Radiology (SPR) 2024 annual meeting in Miami, FL. The educational exhibit by Randy Aviado, D.O., VCU Diagnostic Radiology resident and first-author, “Brain Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury (HII) in Preterm and Term Neonates," received an invitation to contribute to a review article in Pediatric Radiology, the official journal of the Society of Pediatric Radiology. This recognition acknowledges the efforts of Dr. Aviado and the mentorship and guidance of Assistant Professor Eman Mahdi, M.D.

Well-represented at the SPR annual meeting, the Pediatric Imaging section also had five educational exhibits accepted. The exhibits covered a diverse array of pediatric radiology topics, from a comprehensive case series on pediatric neuropathic hips to rare cases of neuroblastoma. The active involvement of residents and medical students in this work demonstrates their academic interest in pediatric radiology. It also highlights the ongoing commitment of the Pediatric Radiology faculty to the educational mission of the VCU Department of Radiology and VCU Health. The five exhibits follow: 

Aviado, Randy; Clark, Keaira; Mahdi, Eman S.; Vorona, Gregory; Nada, Ayman; Mishra, Chakradhar; Jones, Kathryn; Urbine, Jacqueline, “Brain Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury (HII) in Preterm and Term Neonates,” Educational exhibit, Society of Pediatric Radiology annual meeting, Miami Florida, April 2024. 

Jones K, Xie K, Kuester V, Woods P, Horstmann J, Mahdi E, Mishra C, Vorona G. “Pediatric Neuropathic Hip: A Case Series and Imaging Review.” Educational exhibit accepted for presentation at the Society of Pediatric Radiology annual meeting, Miami Florida, April 2024.

Gianna B, Hinh L, Mahdi E, Wang Z, Tye G, Ritter A, Petersson R, Richard H, Al-Sammarraie M, Jones K, Mishra C, Vorona G. “Neuroblastoma beyond the Norm: Unusual Intracranial and Ectopic Discoveries.” Educational exhibit accepted for presentation at the Society of Pediatric Radiology annual meeting, Miami Florida, April 2024.

Patel S, Aviado R, Way E, Bingham J, Strauss L, Mahdi E, Vorona G. “The Curious Case of the Vanishing Carotids.” Educational exhibit accepted for presentation at the Society of Pediatric Radiology annual meeting, Miami Florida, April 2024.

Alberto Cristobal; Jorge Martinez; Gregory Vorona; Kathryn Jones; Frances Austin; Eman Mahdi, “Angioinvasive Aspergillosis Complicated by Pulmonary Pseudoaneurysms in a Pediatric Patient: A Challenging Case Presentation and Management,” Case report, Society of Pediatric Radiology annual meeting, Miami Florida, April 2024. 

VCU Health Radiology at Stony Point Earns ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center Designation

A First in Virginia, VCU Health Radiology at Stony Point Receives Elite Distinction for Safe and Effective Diagnostic Care for Individuals at the Highest Risk for Prostate Cancer.

Richmond, VA - April 2024 - VCU Health Radiology at Stony Point has been designated a Prostate Cancer MRI Center by the American College of Radiology® (ACR®).

The ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that commit to practice safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for prostate cancer.

In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in the body module, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its MRI imaging protocol and infrastructure.

VCU Health is the only health system to achieve the accreditation in Virginia and one of only 65 medical facilities in the United States. 

The ACR, founded in 1924, is one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States. The ACR devotes its resources to make imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.