Two radiologists win Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award

Two visionaries of interventional radiology were recently awarded the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Leaders in Innovation Award. The awards, to Lindsay Machan, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist at Vancouver Hospital, British Columbia, and Kieran J. Murphy, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist at the University of Toronto, both in Canada, were announced March 4 during the society's Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

"SIR Foundation award winners demonstrate a passion for medical breakthroughs that improve patient care," said Stephen T. Kee, M.D., MMM, FSIR, 2014-15 foundation board chair. "The Leaders in Innovation Award honors two of our specialty's visionaries who have each created numerous devices and pioneered advances in the treatment of complex conditions," added Kee, who is professor and chief of interventional radiology at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California.

Machan, who is also an associate professor of radiology at the University of British Columbia, focuses his practice on infertility and gynecological interventions as well as aortic and peripheral arterial disease. He has designed many devices and played a significant role in Canada's medical technology industry over the last 15 years, and he holds patents on multiple drug and device technologies, including drug-eluting stents.

Murphy, who is vice chair and chief of medical imaging at the University of Toronto, has worked in the area of acute stroke interventions and the assessment of brain perfusion. His devices for vertebroplasty to treat painful spine compressions are in frequent use worldwide.

The Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award recognizes promising young practitioners to encourage the pursuit of academic careers. This year's recipient was Sharon Kwan, M.D., director of medical student education, interventional radiology section in the department of radiology, at the University of Washington, Seattle. Kwan's research examined the survival outcomes of sublobar resection and thermal ablation for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in older patients. The award is supported in part through a generous Discovery Campaign donation from Covidien.

The following individuals were recognized for their outstanding achievements in research and innovation with the Dr. Constantin Cope Medical Student Research Award: Jeremy S. Paige, University of California, San Diego; Jae Ho Sohn, Geisel School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Japjit Kaur Verraich, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Daniel M. DePietro, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Mary Ellen Irene Koran, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee; Tyler James McKay, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; Steven Kao, University of California, San Diego; and Jason Chiang, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

SIR Foundation's Resident/Fellow Research Awards recognize high-quality research by trainees and provide radiology residents and interventional radiology fellows an opportunity to attend and present their scientific research at SIR's Annual Scientific Meeting. This year's recipients are Nima Kokabi, Emory University, School of Medicine, Atlanta; Ahsun Riaz, Northwestern University, Chicago; and Binyan Zhong, Zhongda Hospital Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.

This year's Frederick S. Keller, M.D., Philanthropist of the Year Award was presented to John F. Cardella, M.D., FSIR, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania, and Katharine L. Krol, M.D., FSIR, Lafayette, Indiana, in honor of their outstanding commitment to SIR Foundation. Cardella has held multiple positions in SIR leadership, including chairing the SIR Standards Division and serving on the task force that developed the new IR/DR certificate. Cardella has also been involved in the leadership of SIR Foundation's Discovery Campaign. A past president of SIR, Krol serves on the Foundation Gala Auction Committee and is an outspoken champion of the missions of both the foundation and SIR. The award is presented annually to an individual or group whose dedication to foundation initiatives include selfless giving, active leadership and demonstrable undertakings related to philanthropy.