Message from Department Chair

home - chair message

Message from Department Chair

Dear Friends,

Very Happy New Year! I’d like to express my gratitude to our faculty and alumni who contribute to the success of our Department and especially to the success of our learners. Sharing your time, experience, and expertise helps residents and early career radiologists effectively achieve their goals. It’s a valuable trait we have in common, and it’s wonderful we share it with others. It’s my sincerest hope that we continue to learn from each other in the new year. Together we persevere through any challenge.

Be well,

~ Ann S. Fulcher, M.D., FACR, FSAR, FSABI

Faculty News

Dr. Neeraj Lalwani, Associate Editor of Abdominal Radiology.

Neeraj Lalwani, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Abdominal Imaging Section, has been appointed Associate Editor for the Abdominal Radiology (Hollow Organ GI section) journal. Lalwani is nothing short of outstanding as a clinician and a teacher. He joins an exceptional team of editors and Ann Fulcher, M.D., who sits on the journal's Editorial Board.

Dr. Neeraj Lalwani Publishes New MRI Book.

Neeraj Lalwani, M.D., publishes new book, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Pelvis: A Practical Approach. The book is essential for every radiology department and practice, and it's excellent as a quick reference for complex pelvic MRI cases. VCU Radiology professor Lalwani is an expert in gastrointestinal imaging and body MRI with a specific interest in hepatopancreaticobiliary and pelvic imaging.

Dr. Ann Fulcher's vision is 'all about what's possible'

Ann Fulcher in green shirt holding a camera with large lensAnn Fulcher, M.D., focuses her gaze on two very different worlds. Through one lens, she captures luminous flowers, midflight birds, vibrant streetscapes and still-wild territories, in her work as an award-winning photographer. Through another lens she surveys the no less remarkable landscape of the human body, as an award-winning radiologist and chair of the VCU School of Medicine's Department of Radiology.

(Photo of Ann Fulcher, M.D. by Kevin Schindler)

Read 12th & Marshall In focus feature

Lung Cancer Screening Program on WTVR CBS 6 News

The VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Lung Cancer Screening Program makes local news for its role in National Lung Cancer Screening Day

Mark Parker M D at a computer in a reading roomThe VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center's Lung Cancer Screening team's participation in the November 12th National Lung Cancer Screening Day was a feature on WTVR CBS 6 News. Also included in the reporting, Michelle Futrell, Senior Nurse Program Coordinator for the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Lung Cancer Screening Program.

The VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Lung Cancer Screening Program was one of 320 programs participating across the country, according to Dr. Mark Parker, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center's Lung Cancer Screening Program Director. The goal of National Lung Cancer Screening Day was to raise awareness about lung cancer and improve access to life-saving lung cancer screening. 

Kelley K. Whitmer, M.D., VCU Musculoskeletal Imaging Fellowship Alumnus

Dr. Whitmer honoring the intention of his rural primary care education

Kelley Whitmer on right with wife standing on a beachDr. Kelley K. Whitmer earned his medical degree in 2003 and his internship in Internal Medicine in 2004 at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). He went on to complete his Diagnostic Radiology residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN in 2008. Dr. Whitmer then came to VCU as a Musculoskeletal Imaging (MSK) fellow from July 2008 until June 2009. Since 2009, he has served on the faculty of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, VA.

Currently, Dr. Whitmer is an Assistant Professor and the MSK Imaging Elective Director for fourth year medical students, and the Medical Director of Imaging Services at the Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital. He says, “I'm honoring the intention of my "Rural Primary Care Track" education at ETSU by serving as the Medical Director for the Radiology Department of a 25 bed hospital in Franklin County, Virginia…” Dr. Whitmer also champions for the new Health Systems Science and Inter-professional Practice education for the Department of Radiology. Dr. Whitmer remarks, “I work with faculty from all our clinical departments to develop Health Systems Science curriculum for third and fourth year medical students. I’m also a small group facilitator for first and second year students in the Health Systems Science curriculum.

(Photo features Dr. Kelley K. Whitmer, on right, with his wife Michelle. Photo courtesy Dr. Whitmer.)

Q&A with Alumnus Dr. Kelley K. Whitmer

We asked Dr. Kelley K. Whitmer a couple of questions about his experience at VCU and this is what he had to say:

Pediatric Radiology Fellowship Alumna Stephanie Spottswood, MD, MSPH

Dr. Stephanie Spottswood a diversity, equity and inclusion champion

Stephanie Spottswood standing next to her name on the wall of a new radiology education theater at VanderbiltStephanie Spottswood, MD, MSPH, completed her pediatric radiology fellowship training at VCU in 1992 and remained at VCU for several years as a faculty member. She later went on to practice pediatric radiology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. Here, she served as the Department of Radiology’s first Associate Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Spottswood retired from clinical practice in 2018, but remains as an Emerita Professor of Radiology where she continues serving the Vanderbilt community as a mentor, teacher, and unconscious bias trainer. 

Dr. Spottswood was recently honored by the Vanderbilt Department of Radiology with the naming of a new medical education center after her. She often advises mentees, “Your time is limited so stay focused on your goal. Try to obtain a good mentor or sponsor to help you achieve your goals."

Dr. Spottswood and her exceptional career will be featured in the next edition of our Alumni Insights newsletter.

(Photo of Dr. Stephanie Spottswood courtesy Stephanie Spottswood, MD, MSPH)