GOVERNMENT

The first SCAR TRIP conference, "Transforming Medical Imaging," held in Bethesda, Md., Jan. 31- Feb. 1, was an extraordinary success. Representatives from all areas of medical and scientific imaging, research, industry and government agencies joined together to discuss the future of medical imaging and new ways to manage the explosion in numbers and complexity of images and imaging technologies. The conference was partially funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR) Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process (TRIP) initiative is a unique and forward-thinking program providing an opportunity for many individuals to participate in a dedicated forum in which they can focus on the issue of image overload first identified by SCAR several years ago and now looming large over the entire fields of radiology and medical imaging. The conference helped define the initiative and the problems facing radiology. According to conference co-chair Richard Morin, PhD, "A general consensus emerged of the sense of urgency to provide both temporary and long- term solutions for a current clinical problem of significant importance." The initiative aims to spearhead research, education and discovery of innovative solutions to address the problem of information and image data overload, and will foster inter-disciplinary research on technological, environmental and human factors to better manage and exploit the massive amounts of data. The two-day conference included plenary, scientific and breakout sessions. Plenary sessions were presented by leaders in six major research areas related to TRIP: human perception, image processing and computer-assisted detection, data set visualization, information navigation, databases and integration and evaluation and validation. The lively and collegial breakout sessions allowed attendees to participate in one of four in-depth group discussions. The session culminated in group recommendations as to the issues facing the field, major impediments to progress and the outlook for radiology in the short- and long-term. The conference presenters all concurred that the number of images being read and interpreted by the average radiologist is growing rapidly and will soon outpace human capabilities. "Elements of information technology will need to combine with practical human insights and practices to create a paradigm shift that will bring medical imaging to the next level," said Katherine Andriole, PhD, conference co-chair. "Such an image interpretation paradigm shift is necessary for radiologists to continue to perform their work effectively, efficiently and accurately," she said. The outcomes of the conference will be summarized and presented in a white paper in the coming months. TRIP corporate partnerships provide ongoing support for activities such as annual research conferences/workshops, quality research by young scholars through the SCAR informatics grant program, and forums in which industry, government, and academia can come together to interact and share results. Inaugural TRIP partners include SCAR corporate members AGFA Healthcare; BARCO; GE Healthcare; Siemens Medical Solutions, Inc.; Emageon; FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA; Stentor, Inc.; LumenIQ; TeraRecon, Inc.; and Vital Images. SCAR is devoted to the advancement of computer applications and information technology in medical imaging through education and research. For more information about the society or the TRIP(TM) initiative, visit the SCAR website at http://www.scarnet.org/.