R. Nick Bryan, MD, PhD, President Radiological Society of North America, 20021

¹ From the Radiological Society of North America, 820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

　

Index terms: Radiological Society of North America • Special Communications

On November 29, 2001 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), R. Nick Bryan, MD, PhD, took his place as the 87th President of the RSNA. His presidency comes at a time when radiology is expanding dramatically and is being presented with new and difficult challenges. For the RSNA to now have at its helm a straightforward leader and a clear thinker is both encouraging and comforting.

fig.ommitted Figure 1. R. Nick Bryan, MD, PhD

 
Dr Bryan brings to the RSNA the experience and attributes necessary to deal with the complex issues facing our specialty. An RSNA President should be one who is internationally known for scientific contributions to the specialty, who has dealt with problems facing both private and academic radiology, who has had major leadership responsibilities in other radiology societies, who has performed original research and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, who has had experience in the governmental sector of radiology, who has served in an editorial capacity for leading journals in radiology, and, most important, who has the respect of his colleagues for reasoned thoughtfulness. Nick Bryan more than fulfills each of these criteria.

Nick was born and brought up in Texas, and despite prolonged absences from that state, deep down he still considers himself a Texan. His undergraduate studies were completed at the Johns Hopkins University in 1965, but he swiftly returned to Texas to attend the University of Texas at Galveston, where he received both an MD degree and a PhD degree in anatomy. His doctoral thesis, "The Location and Somatotopic Organization of the Cells of Origin of the Spinocervical Tract," gave a strong indication that his medical interest would lie in the neurosciences, and fortunately that interest evolved into the area of neuroradiology. Seemingly implanted firmly in Texas, Nick stayed in Galveston for his internship and for a residency in diagnostic radiology, which he completed in 1973. His deep interest in neuroanatomy finally tugged at him sufficiently to leave Texas and enter the renowned neuroradiology training program at the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center as a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored fellow. Following the completion of that fellowship, Nick served in the U.S. Navy as Chief of Neuroradiology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md, from 1974 to 1976. A call from Dr Sadek Hilal to join the faculty of the Neurological Institute of New York as an associate professor was an offer Nick could not pass up. It is clear in talking to Nick that there remains a strong affinity for New York City in the Bryan household.

Nonetheless, in 1977, with the chance to return to Texas and join the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Hospital as Chief of Neuroradiology, Nick seized that opportunity. A highly productive decade in Houston ended in 1988 when the Bryans pulled up stakes and once more headed north, this time back to his alma mater, the Johns Hopkins University, where he served as Chief of Neuroradiology and later as Vice-Chair of the Department of Radiology under Dr Elias Zerhouni. With an understanding of the vital role research plays in the future of radiology and in hopes of making an impact in guiding scientific investigations at the NIH, Nick accepted the position of Associate Director of Imaging Services and Chief of Diagnostic Radiology at the NIH in Bethesda, Md, in 1998. There, he succeeded in reorganizing the radiology department, consolidating multiple programs into the area of imaging science, and expanding that department’s research activities. In 2000, the Bryans moved to Philadelphia when Nick was named Chair of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania, a position he currently holds. With all these moves over a relatively short span of time, one gets the clear picture of the resilience of his wife, Jean.

On the national scene, Nick has served as President of the American Society of Neuroradiology (1993), as President of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology (1984), as an Associate Editor of Radiology (1987–1989), as a Deputy Editor of the American Journal of Neuroradiology (1990–1999), and as a member of the editorial boards of Academic Radiology, the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Nick’s curriculum vitae comes replete with published articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, editorials, invited papers, and a listing of significant competitive grant support at the federal level for research in neuroradiology.

Nick has been an RSNA member since 1979, was elected to the Board of Directors in 1996, and has served as a trustee of the RSNA Research and Education Foundation since 1999. As the Board Liaison for Publications and Educational Materials, he was a strong force behind the movement of Radiology, RadioGraphics, and the RSNA Index to Imaging Literature toward online publication. As Chairman of the Board of Directors the RSNA in 2000, he helped develop expansion in the research and education activities of the Society, stimulated the growth of the Integrated Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) (which is displayed yearly at the annual meeting of the RSNA), and promoted the development of new education grant programs for the RSNA Research and Education Foundation. During his year as Chairman of the RSNA Board, the RSNA suffered the loss of its Executive Director, Del Stauffer; Nick’s calm and steady leadership assured the continued success of the Society through that challenging period.

On the personal side, Jean Bryan has been there, with rock-solid support of her husband, through eight different domiciles over the past 25 years. Jean can light up any room or gathering and bring a smile to any face with her wit, vigor, and winning personality. Nick and Jean have two children. Nicole is married and lives with her husband in San Francisco, Calif; the older Bryan is Bobby, who is soon to be married and lives in Chicago, Ill. Tennis and travel take up what little spare time Nick has these days.

For the upcoming year, and particularly in light of international events that have unfolded over the past 4 months, Nick stresses the need to maintain educational programs in radiology and expand research in imaging. In addition, Dr Bryan recognizes that the RSNA and all of organized radiology are faced with the challenge of a rapidly expanding demand for imaging and interventional services at a time when the number of trained radiologists is not increasing to meet that demand.

In Nick Bryan, the RSNA has a President who is determined and well equipped to deal with these challenges