SIR and SIRF: Our Society and Foundation

When did the future switch from being a promise to being a threat?

Chuck Palahniuk

I recently returned from the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Annual meeting in San Diego—returned just this week, in fact. I was struck, as I always am, by how excited and energized I am following the meeting. I am uncertain whether my energy comes from being around young (increasingly young, it seems to me) attendees, or from being around such a large international contingent of interventionalists, or from the new and exciting paths that we as a group find ourselves on. I was particularly struck by the positive attitude surrounding the meeting—the tone was set by Jim Benenati's Dotter Lecture, which was spectacular—and the excitement brought by the record number of trainees attending the meeting. All of this, however, could not be possible without the efforts of the SIR staff and volunteers.

I recently wrote an editorial for Seminars on the joy that comes from serving—whether that service takes the form of service to SIR, another medical society/board/college, or something completely distinct from medicine is largely irrelevant. It is through this service, and this sense of giving something back, that volunteers often gain our greatest rewards. It is truly (and I can't believe I'm about to use this abused term—please forgive me) a “win-win” situation. The institution to which you are providing your services wins, and you gain the satisfaction of knowing that you have provided a service that perhaps few others can provide. I would contend that it is largely a one-way street, but not in the direction most of us would assume.

The SIR and SIR Foundation (SIRF, which is the research arm of the society) is currently made up of approximately 5,400 members, of whom about half are practicing interventional radiology (IR) in the United States, and is run by a staff of 38. The society is involved in everything from health care policy to education (pregraduate and postgraduate), coding and billing initiatives to registries, being intricately involved with the new diagnostic radiology (DR)/IR pathway to reaching out to developing countries to help them build IR as early as possible. It is amazing, actually, the scope of our society and foundation, and even more amazing that we have seen the growth that has occurred over that past several years. Under the direction of Sue Holzer, Executive Director of SIR and SIRF, both organizations have set a much more strategic course and are focusing on the big issues facing our specialty rather than reacting to each bump in the road. I personally have enjoyed this approach, and feel if nothing else that this focus on the future makes me feel the excitement and energy that we should all feel by being involved in a field as special and as full of promise as ours.

I would urge you to contact the SIR or SIRF if you are interested in being involved. That involvement can come in the form of populating committees, helping with local grassroots branding efforts, giving funds so the society and foundation can meet their missions, or being involved with educating the next generation of caregivers. There are nearly endless options to help move us forward. We are fortunate to be involved in the most exciting field of medicine and one with so much potential—consider giving something back. There is no time like the present to take that vital step.