Message from the President

March 5, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Dear Colleagues,

SNMMI has had a strong start to 2024, hosting meetings, collaborating with partners, and rethinking our internal governance structure, among many other activities. I’d like to take this opportunity to update you on these important SNMMI activities.

ASTRO Statement. In this era of theranostic vibrancy, SNMMI and ASTRO have been discussing how to work together to ensure optimal care of patients and high-quality training and education of providers. Recently, Jeff Michalski, MD, past president of ASTRO and chair of its board of directors, clarified the society’s stance on nuclear medicine therapy and theranostics in a member newsletter.

“Finally, I would like to take a moment to clarify our stance on partnerships in radiopharmaceutical therapy. In last year’s newsletter, John Buatti, MD, FASTRO, and I inappropriately characterized our partners in nuclear medicine as not being equal in the management of cancer patients. That statement does not reflect my personal feelings nor my experience in three decades of working closely with nuclear medicine colleagues and I apologize for that mischaracterization. I believe that we as a specialty need to acknowledge the importance of these multidisciplinary collaborations. The word itself, THERANOSTICS, reflects the importance of scientific and clinical collaborations between our specialties. The “-nostics” implies the knowledge and interpretation of information derived from the medical imaging of patients with the diagnostic agents that are part of the treatment selection, planning and dosimetry. Furthermore, post-treatment assessments require tools and knowledge that are the domain expertise of nuclear medicine. For our patients’ sake, moving forward with a sense of collaboration is in everyone’s best interest.”

The statement from Dr. Michalski confirms ASTRO’s desire to partner with the nuclear medicine community and is appreciated by SNMMI. Moving forward, SNMMI may collaborate with ASTRO on certain education programs, and we will update members on the status of these projects as they take shape.

Mid-Winter and ACNM Annual Meeting. More than 750 nuclear medicine professionals and industry partners from around the world gathered in Orlando, Florida, on February 1-3 for the SNMMI Mid-Winter Meeting and ACNM Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting included 30 education sessions in three distinct tracks: an ACNM Annual Meeting track, a radiopharmaceutical therapy specialty track, and a general nuclear medicine track. The meeting featured the largest tabletop exhibit hall in the meeting’s history, with representatives from 49 companies. The meeting also included both a successful Future Leaders Academy, with 13 graduates, and SNMMI-TS Leadership Academy, with 17 graduates. We look forward to their future endeavors and participation in the society!

Artificial Intelligence Summit. SNMMI hosted an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit—AI in Action—February 29 through March 1 in Bethesda, Maryland. The summit drew a full house, involving more than 250 representatives—both in person and virtual—from major stakeholders in nuclear medicine and AI spaces to advance the implementation of practical, achievable AI. The summit consisted of four panel presentations, two plenary addresses, four lectures, and an informative debate.

Annual Meeting. Registration is now open for SNMMI’s 2024 Annual Meeting, to be held June 8-11, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (early-bird deadline April 11). The theme of this year’s meeting is Innovate/Illuminate to highlight the importance of the continuum of research, translation, and clinical application. The meeting will once again be offered in a fully hybrid format, with both live streaming and on-demand content, and will again feature the New Knowledge Bowl, arena sessions, “best of” sessions, and the Eye on U Stage. Plenary lecturers have been chosen and will be announced soon, so stay tuned! The annual Hot Trot will also return, as well as the Drink & Think networking event. This year’s meeting will offer the largest exhibition in the society’s history; sponsorship opportunities are available.

Strategic Planning. SNMMI has completed a preliminary governance redesign. A historical review, as well as external and internal reviews, identified areas where the society can benefit from consolidation and collaboration. The next steps will include review of and input on proposed changes from SNMMI groups, then the House of Delegates and Board of Directors, with final recommendations submitted to the board in the fall.

Mars Shot Research Fund. To date, the Mars Shot has raised $3.5 million to fund the translation of visionary research into tools or treatments that will improve patients’ lives. Six exciting projects were funded in 2023 and are proceeding well. Now, for 2024, SNMMI is soliciting proposals for three $100,000 grants for innovative nuclear medicine research focused in 3 areas: diagnostic pathways in prostate cancer, community-based theranostics, and other topics addressed in the Mars Shot article that kicked off the campaign in 2021.

AAPM Collaboration. SNMMI is pleased to announce its collaboration with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). The societies will be participating in each other’s annual meetings, with topics related to theranostics and dosimetry.

Promoting Nuclear Medicine as a Career. The Jobs of Tomorrow docuseries highlights different facets of nuclear medicine and therapy. It includes six 30-minute videos that feature compelling content to capture the attention of new graduates and young professionals. The docuseries will position SNMMI as the leader in recruitment into the field and will soon be available on streaming platforms and on the society’s new Nuclear Medicine Careers website.

Interested in getting involved with SNMMI? We have plenty of opportunities with centers, councils, committees, and working groups to match with your area of interest. Reach out today to have your voice heard and take an active role in your society. We’re always ready to welcome new volunteers!

Best wishes, 

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