News

June 27, 2012

SNM Annual Meeting Spotlights Advances in Research and Technology

Increases in attendees, exhibitors and abstracts contribute to meeting’s success

Reston, Va.—More than 6,300 physicians, technologists, physicists, scientists and exhibitors gathered at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s (SNM) 2012 Annual Meeting, held 9-13 in Miami Beach, Fla. In addition to the more than 75 continuing education sessions, more than 2,000 scientific papers and posters were presented at the meeting and 168 companies were represented on the exhibit hall floor.

The 2012 meeting saw an increase in participation on many levels. The number of attendees rose 14 percent from 2011, and the exhibit hall was sold out with more than 560 booths. The number of abstract submissions increased by 18 percent—particularly the number of international abstracts, which was 22.5 percent higher than in 2011.

“This is a very exciting time for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, with our first new tracer in years recently approved and several more on the horizon. The technology also continues to advance, allowing us to image more precisely and with less radiation exposure,” said Frederic H. Fahey, DSc, who was elected SNM’s 2012-2013 president at the meeting. “The SNM Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging professionals to learn from the latest research, experience the newest technologies and network with colleagues from around the world.” 

The Annual Meeting opened with the SNM plenary session on Sunday, June 10, as Kirk Frey, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Medical Center, presented the Henry N. Wagner Jr. Lecture on “Molecular Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease.”Later that day, Betsy de Parry, author and cancer survivor, spoke at the SNMTS plenary session on “Guiding the Journey: Helping Patients through Illness.”

SNM honored several leaders in the field at its two plenary sessions. Daniel S. Berman, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was named as this year’s recipient of the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award for his contributions to the nuclear medicine profession. Mark M. Goodman, PhD, a program director of the Center for Systems Imaging and professor of radiology and imaging sciences, psychiatry, and hematology and oncology at Emory University, received the prestigious Paul C. Aebersold Award for achievement in basic nuclear medicine.In addition, Abass Alavi, MD, professor of radiology and director of research education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Steve Larson, MD, professor in the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, received the esteemed Benedict Cassen Prize, an honor given every two years by the Education and Research Foundation for SNM to living scientists or physician/scientists whose work has led to a major advance in basic or clinical nuclear medicine science.

Monday’s special plenary session welcomed a new leadership team for SNM as Frederic H. Fahey, DSc, became president, while Gary Dillehay, MD, assumed the position of president-elect and Peter Herscovitch, MD,  the vice president-elect position. The leadership for SNM’s Technologist Section also changed hands during the meeting, with Brenda King, CNMT, FSNMTS, taking the helm as president and Scott Holbrook, BS, CNMT, FSNMTS, as president-elect.

During the Annual Meeting, SNM members voted to change the name of the organization to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. SNM has begun the process of changing its articles of incorporation and will begin using the new name and logo once the change is finalized. SNM also released a new position statement on dose optimization at the meeting, which is available at www.snm.org.

Also announced was the SNM 2012 Image of the Year. The honor was given to Alfred Morgenstern, MD, and his colleagues for their image (scientific paper 455), which illustrates an effective new cancer treatment for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors that resist standard therapies.

Back by popular demand, SNM is offering its Virtual Meeting for those unable to attend certain sessions or make the trip to Miami Beach. The Virtual Meeting captured70 of the most popular sessions, featuringmore than 100 hours of content from the opening plenary through the Highlights Session, plus the molecular imaging, radiopharmaceutical, and data and instrumentation basic science summary sessions. CME, ACPE and VOICE credits are available through the Virtual Meeting.

The 2013 SNM Annual Meeting will take place June 8-12 in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. For more information, visit www.snm.org.

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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine

The Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, a vital element of today’s medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated and helping provide patients with the best health care possible.

SNM’s more than 18,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.