Message from the President

August 3, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

This summer has been a busy one for SNMMI! Since the Annual Meeting, the society has been hard at work increasing access to nuclear medicine, planning for upcoming meetings, strengthening its relationships with colleagues around the world, and working with members to develop programs that meet their wants and needs. In this email, I’ll give you the details on what SNMMI has been up to over the past few months and how it benefits our members.

Promoting Access to Nuclear Medicine Procedures. SNMMI celebrated a win for nuclear medicine in July. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed to remove the national coverage determination for beta amyloid PET, ending the coverage with evidence development requirements and allowing Medicare administrator contractors to determine appropriate coverage for these scans. SNMMI has worked for years in support of better coverage for beta amyloid PET scans, attending many meetings with CMS and submitting comments to urge policymakers to remove the national coverage determination. Work also continues on other issues that impact access to nuclear medicine procedures, such as the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and the FIND Act.

Responding to Shortages. In June, Health Canada declared a Tier 3 shortage of dipyridamole, an essential medication used in nuclear medicine evaluation of ischemic heart disease. This shortage has left doctors without any supply, severely limiting their ability to perform nuclear stress tests. SNMMI is supporting the Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine in urging Health Canada to import an additional foreign supply of an alternative drug in order to minimize the impact of the shortage. SNMMI has also offered to contribute any data or additional help that Health Canada or the Transportation Association of Canada may require.

Expanding Global Outreach. One of SNMMI’s key priorities is to increase standardization of nuclear medicine and theranostics at the global level. The SNMMI leadership will represent the society this coming fall at numerous global meetings, such as the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Congress, to share SNMMI’s strategic plan and global initiatives. The Nuclear Medicine Global Initiative will soon be launching a new Neuroblastoma Global Initiative, which aims to survey the pediatric nuclear medicine community and propose a standardized way to treat neuroblastoma patients, as well as a Nomenclature Global Initiative, which will focus on harmonizing semantics around radiopharmaceutical therapy.

Ongoing Meeting Planning. With multiple events held throughout the year, SNMMI is always in meeting planning mode. This September, SNMMI will host a Therapeutics Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference will bring together leaders in radiopharmaceutical therapy to explore the latest innovations and advancements in the field. SNMMI continues to work with the American College of Nuclear Medicine on a joint webinar series. Several new webinars will be available throughout the remainder of the year on topics such as FAPI PET, PSMA PET, and quick tips on planning and execution of radiopharmaceuticals. The preview meeting for SNMMI’s 2024 Annual Meeting also took place in late July, where SNMMI leadership, staff, and exhibitors traveled to Toronto to plan for next year’s meeting.

Focusing on Members. Our members are the core of our society and the work SNMMI does reflects its members’ wants and needs. In the next few months several SNMMI chapters will be hosting member meetings and SNMMI leadership will be attending to show our support for their programs. SNMMI will also soon announce its 2023 “Ones to Watch” list, which highlights early career professionals who are making a difference in the field. We are proud to showcase rising talent in the field, offering a platform to increase recognition for early career professionals within our specialty. Two new awards have been developed by the Women in Nuclear Medicine committee: the Rising Star Award and the She Paved the Way Lifetime Achievement Award. Finally, SNMMI is working to reimagine the membership structure and streamline the process for joining the society.

These are just a few of the highlights of SNMMI’s ongoing work to advance the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. We have much more planned for the end of the year and look forward to sharing the society’s accomplishments with the membership.
 

Best wishes,

Helen R. Nadel, MD, FRCPC, FSNMMI
SNMMI President